natural wonder
Ometepe Island
A figure-eight island formed by two volcanoes rising from Lake Nicaragua, with petroglyphs, wildlife, and a lost-world atmosphere.
42 km · about 50 min drive
North AmericaNicaraguaRivas Department
San Juan del Sur
Rivas Department, Nicaragua · North America
About San Juan del Sur
San Juan del Sur sits on the route: 25 minutes from Rivas, 42km from Ometepe Island.
San Juan del Sur is in Rivas Department, Nicaragua, with about 7,800 people. The nearest town is Rivas, about 21 km away.
San Juan del Sur is a municipality and coastal town on the Pacific Ocean, in the Rivas department in southwest Nicaragua. It is located 140 kilometres (87 mi) south of Managua. San Juan del Sur is popular among surfers and is a vacation spot for many Nicaraguan families and foreign tourists.
Its population isRead more
approximately 15,553, consisting largely of families engaged in fishing, tourism or food and beverage industry and foreigners from the United States, Canada and Europe. While the local economy was, for many years, based on fishing and shipping, it has shifted towards tourism in the last 20 years. In October 2002, to mark the city's 150th anniversary, it was formally designated the "Port of San Juan del Sur" and a "Tourism City of Nicaragua."
San Juan del Sur, set beside a crescent-shaped bay, was a popular resting place for gold prospectors headed to California in the 1850s. Correspondingly, San Juan del Sur served as a hub for Cornelius Vanderbilt Lines.
A statue of the Christ of the Mercy sits above town on the northern end of the bay. The Mirador del Cristo de la Misericordia sits on one of the highest points on the bay and is one of the tallest Jesus statues in the world.
The town is near the site where Survivor: Nicaragua and Survivor: Redemption Island were filmed. Those seasons aired in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The 29th U.S. Survivor season, Survivor: San Juan del Sur (2014), was also filmed there, as was Season 30, Survivor: Worlds Apart, which aired in 2015. San Juan del Sur has become a hot spot for international surfing competition.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near San Juan del Sur?
Within an hour or so of San Juan del Sur: Ometepe Island (42 km).
Where is San Juan del Sur?
San Juan del Sur is in Rivas Department, Nicaragua, about 21 km from Rivas.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 7,790
- Continent
- North America
- Country
- Nicaragua
- Region
- Rivas Department
- Timezone
- America/Managua
- Coordinates
- 11.2529, -85.8705
Tags
Worth the detour from San Juan del Sur
1 notable place within an hour's drive.
When to drive here
Year-round
Tropical latitude: plan around the wet season rather than temperature.
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