Jiquilillo Nicaragua

Excited to partake in the famous Nicaraguan surf scene, we researched the usual suspects and were very disappointed to learn that the winds were very high – too high to surf – at most places.  We read that the north was a bit more protected from the wind and decided to head to a very small secluded town called Jiquilillo and stocked up on food to camp for a week.

One of the few places to stay there is Rancho Esperanza, a surf camp with cabañas and camping available.  Because of the wind elsewhere the place was booked up but we were welcomed to pitch our tent.  They have a small restaurant offering well-priced food, which made us wish we hadn’t bought so much stuff to cook!  The owners of the Rancho do a great deal to give back to the community, including hosting “kids club” in a specially built clubhouse for after-school learning and sports for the local kids.  Great vibe there.

The surf was super fun, easy, consistent and small.  In fact, each evening the owner would bring his 3.5-year-old daughter to paddle out with him.  It was the absolute perfect surf for my skill level (yes, 3.5-year-old level) and I built a reasonable amount of confidence there.  Speaking of the 3.5-year-old, Nina was so excited to have a playmate her age!  The volunteer teacher there was very cool and included Nina on their morning activities several times.

The morning after our 2nd night camping we woke to find a huge hole had been ripped in the mesh on the side of our tent.  Prime suspects included the pack of street dogs that frequently roamed through, or perhaps one of the chickens or roosters that lived in the house next door.  At any rate that same day a couple were checking out of the most basic cabaña with no bathroom, and the owner offered it up to us and we were very grateful.  Tent repair could wait.

One night a bunch of guests built a bonfire on the beach.  Nina saw one of the guests, her favorite guy there, grabbing a guitar to bring to the bonfire so she decided to bring her harmonica.  The two of them put on a fantastic show, and Nina was in heaven with all that attention and praise.

Volcán Cosigüina is a picturesque volcano with a large lake inside the crater and 360-degree views of El Salvador, Honduras, and the entire volcano chain of Nicaragua.  After discussion with the owner of the Rancho, we had our expectations set for a grueling 3-hour hike and were told to carry lots of water.  We decided to do it.  We got up super early, departed at first light, parked at a restaurant recommended by the owner, and hired a guide.

As we were waiting for the guide to arrive, two Germans who were waiting for a bus across the street came over and struck up a conversation.  They told us that 3 hours is just the CLIMBING time, and encouraged bringing as much water as we could carry.   We had 7L of water and felt that should be plenty even with the longer duration.  By the time we were hiking – about 8:30am – temps were already in the 90’s and climbing to the low 100’s.  I took the first leg of carrying Nina in the backpack and less than an hour in I’d already needed to consume nearly a liter of water, was soaked to the bone in my own sweat, and was doubting we were going to make it.

Just then the guide pointed to a saddled horse in front of a small hut and told us this was the last opportunity to hire a horse if we wanted to.  HELL YES.  Nina and I climbed on, and our group pace immediately improved.  Since I was no longer using much energy I effectively stopped drinking water to conserve it for the others.  That first hour had changed our perspective entirely, and suddenly 7L of water did not seem like much at all.

The heat was clearly getting to both Dmitri and Ted, but they trudged on like soldiers while Nina and I swayed on top of the horse and the trail got more technical.

At long last we reached the crater, but we were almost entirely out of water.   As we rested at the top and took photos, a young couple arrived.  We asked them if they had any excess water they wanted to donate to us and they laughed, shook the extremely small amount of water in their bottle, and said they were about to ask us the same thing!  It was frustrating seeing all of that water in the lake of the crater but it was a very long way down an impossibly steep slope so we’d just have to make due with what we’d brought.

For the long descent, Ted was really hot.  We tried to keep the pace very slow for him, and made a LOT of stops in the shade (the guide wasn’t thrilled at our pace).  At this point Dmitri also basically stopped drinking water to save the rest for Ted and Nina.

When you’re extremely thirsty, time slows to a crawl.  All you can think about is water.  It seemed to take 2 entire eternities to get back to the restaurant where we parked and buy lots of cold, fresh, life-saving water for all of us.  But we made it!  In 7 hours flat.  Boy, did we all sleep well that night.

We departed Jiquilillo the next day after one more morning surf session.  In hindsight should have stayed longer but it was our first stop in Nicaragua!  We thought there would be more great surf and we were anxious to get the truck to the Honda dealership in Managua.  Spoiler:  the surf was totally blown out the entirety of the rest of Nicaragua.  Lesson learned: do not attempt to surf Nicaragua in February unless you go to Jiquilillo.