Recent trip to Las Peñitas in Nicaragua with Ghislaine Sieveking. We basically travelled by car from our home near Granada and took the new highway by Jinotepe to Leon by passing Managua. It was a comfortable three hour drive with some police traps, and amazing country views, overall scenery.
We had to drive through Leon to Las Peñitas which was also a breeze and gave us a chance to stop at Maxi Pali to get some drinks.
Upon arrival at our hotel we ordered a Paella at Nayal Lodge Hotel, and a few drinks. We did a quick video upon arrival to make sure we could take a video of our room.
Here is a write up on Las Peñitas:
A wide, sandy stretch of beachfront paradise fronted by a cluster of surfer hostels and boutique hotels, Las Peñitas offers the easiest access to the turtles and mangroves of Reserva Natural Isla Juan Venado. There’s also good, if not spectacular, surfing here, with smallish regular waves that are perfect for beginners. Several hotels and hostels offer tours into the reserve, plus surf lessons and board rentals.
We did various walk on the beach, a lancha ride to the Isla Juan Venado Nature Reserve. The following section of the reserve was taken from this website http://www.laspenitas.info/islajuanvenaido/ The “Juan Venado Nature Reserve is a biodiverse coastal wetland region that exists thanks to the small barrier island Juan Venado. The island is basically just a thin, long strip of sand – but the nature is astonishingly beautiful and exploring the reserve by boat or on foot offers true tranquility for all senses. There are no vehicles, no paved roads and no human settlements on the island.
Barley 25 meters above the water and very narrow, the 22 km long island is located right next to the Pacific coastline where it forms a sheltered saltwater habitat home to a prolific mangrove forest inhabited by numerous species of fish, bird and reptiles. The island also serves as nesting ground for the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtle and is an important “nursery” for fry and juvenile fish that seek refuge from predators among the mangrove roots.
The Isla Juan Venado Nature Reserve is a part of Nicaragua’s national park system but has been put under the care of an NGO. The entire island is less than 3,000 hectares and has no people residing on it.
Exploring the reserve by boat or kayak is the easiest way to get around and you can do everything in your own pace. Some people like to get active and explore the small, curvy waterways on their own while others prefer to just relax and let someone else steer as they take in all the sights and sounds of the spectacular surroundings.
Isla Juan Venado and its estuary are especially popular among bird watchers since this is the home for 106 known species of bird – and counting. Lurking in the water or basking in the sun are reptiles such as crocodiles, caymans and iguanas.”
Here are the various other videos of our trip to Las Peñitas and afterwards to Leon.
Thanks to all participating with these videos, great food, amazing service and relaxing atmosphere
https://youtu.be/OBgnkcvtxwY Arrival at the hotel and paella
https://youtu.be/LkHbNF-bg6I meal at SUA Grill & Chill
https://youtu.be/lL9aqFfEhZ8 morning beach walk Las Peñitas
https://youtu.be/XswDn8oi8fs evening sun set
https://youtu.be/3ZDbVUWvHBw one of two pizza nights
https://youtu.be/BDjTzRgYf18 Nayal Lodge Interview owners
https://youtu.be/LVOXoBbd_bs Hacienda Lopez interview with owner
