So far, Rivas's money-maker has been the beach tourism. On its Pacific Coastline, one can find a series of bays, some perfect for those who like to party hard, others just great for those who want to relax in a crowd-free, tranquile and beautiful environment. Other ones are great for diving as well as surfing. One of the reasons I like Rivas so much, is the fact that after visiting virgin beaches and enjoy the big waves, one can go remove all the salt and sand from the body in not only any freshwater lake, but the immense Lake Cocibolca, without having to travel great distances.

San Juan del Sur is Rivas's most visited beach, perhaps the country's, but one thing I could be sure, it's defenitely the wildest beach when the holidays come around. This gorgeous bay, located 130KM S.E of Managua, attracts thousands of people during the major holidays in Nicaragua: "Semana Santa" (Easter), Independence Day (Sep. 14 & 15), Christmas and New Year's. During these times, different clubs, radiostations, pubs, etc, throw the best parties that last all night long and make people go crazy with contests such as the best dancers, wet-t-shirt contest, foam parties and everybody has a blast. I mean, it's so wild that some people consider San Juan del Sur is Nicaraguan's version of Cancún, but only during these holidays.

San Juan del Sur has always been famous among Nicaraguans but now, it's getting international. So far, it's the only beach in the country that welcomes internacional cruises. This has helped the town, the province and its locals a lot. Hundreds of foreigners have made San Juan del Sur their permanent home while others have started businesses here. I think that's because this town is so peaceful and the locals are very polite. I hope this places progresses even more but at the same time, I'd rather have it stay like it is right now, accessible to all.


El Remanso, a virgin beach located about 6KM S. of San Juan, is a perfect place for surfing. At this beach, the waves are very big and constant. Sometimes, even four waves would join and brake at the same time and form a huge one, perfect for surfers or those who like to dive into the waves and make them knock them around. Since it's a virgin beach, it's rare to see people here. When my friends and I were here, we were the only ones. It has semi-dark sand but very, very clean and the water is extremely clear, despite the big waves.


La Flor Wildlife Refuge is one of two places in Nicaragua (Chacocente Wildlife Refuge, Carazo is the other one) and one of only five places on the planet where sea turtles lay their eggs. This beach, located roughly 28KM S. of San Juan, is visited by thousands of sea turtles that travel long distances to lay their eggs here during the months of July and January. This yearly ritual could be an amazing experience for those who visit La Flor (or Chacocente for that matter) during those months, especially in October, the month when most of the turtles arrive.


Like I said before, one of the things that I like about Rivas is that it provides the big waves of the ocean and the calm and freshwaters of the great Lake Cocibolca. To freshen up in freshwater, one could give a little visit to San Jorge beach/port (6KM N. of the city of Rivas) or better yet, to Ometepe Island which possess Santo Domingo Beach where visitors can enjoy cool breeze coming from Lake Cocicolca.

OMETEPE: ADVENTURE, ARCHAEOLOGY, VOLCANO & ECO-TOURISM

Rivas is proud to possess one remarkable wonder of our planet, the Ometepe Island. Sitting on Lake Cocibolca (which is another impressive wonder itself), this island is not only the world's largest freshwater island at 276 km2, but it also has two awesome peaks: The Maderas & Concepción Volcanoes.

The Ometepe Island, which can be reached by taking a boat from San Jorge port, has significantly increased its visitors in recent years. Now, people are discovering the potential it's always had in volcano-tourism, eco-tourism and adventure. The Concepción Volcano is one of the most difficult slopes to climb in the country because its summit reaches an altitute of 1,610 meters above sea level. But I bet the ones who like that kind of sport would love the challenge.

The Maderas Volcano is a Natural Reserve and it's much easier to climb. The volcano is covered by a dense tropical cloud forest and coffee plantations. At its top, there's a beautiful lake where visitors can relax after the exausting ascent. Also at the top, breathtaking views of Lake Cocibolca, Concepción Volcano, Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean are available.

Ometepe also provides very important archaeological sites. Relics of its first inhabitants, the Nahualt (Aztecs) Indians and the Niquirano Indians, are a must see for the archeology lovers. Ceramics, monuments, stones idols and pottery can be found at the local museum.

The city of Rivas, located 100KM S.E. of Managua, is historically important to Nicaragua. It was in this area where the Nicarao Chief and his tribe, the first settlers of the country, fought the Spaniards invadors. For all these reason, Rivas was declared a Historic and Cultural site of the Nation.

Rivas can become one of the top 3 wealthiest provinces in the country thanks to its natural resources making it great for tourism, but also for a possible, possible construction of a "Dry Canal" across the country. This would not only help Rivas, but also Nicaragua and it would finally put us on the map and jump-start the economy. Let's hope that the current leaders don't let this chance get away.

NEXT: MASAYA WITH SUB-MENUS: TYPICAL TOUR: VOLCANO & MARKET; & HIDDEN SPOTS: EL COYOTEPE, LAKE APOYO