Beaches in Nicaragua

A long Pacific coast of dark volcanic sand and consistent offshore wind, and a Caribbean side reached mostly by air, where the Corn Islands sit sixty kilometres offshore with reef around them. Both coasts are long and neither is developed. The Pacific south around San Juan del Sur has the surf and nearly all the tourism, driven by an offshore wind produced by the thermal gradient between Lake Nicaragua and the ocean — a condition that grooms waves for months rather than hours. The Caribbean coast is culturally and linguistically separate, English and Creole-speaking, reached with difficulty, and holds the Corn Islands. Olive ridley turtles arrive in mass synchronised nestings at La Flor and Chacocente. Tourism has fallen substantially since the political crisis of 2018 and current conditions are worth checking. The Corn Islands on the Caribbean side are reached by a short flight and belong to a different country culturally.