A GUIDE TO LAS PEÑITAS, NICARAGUA’S BEST UNDERRATED SURF TOWN
When thinking about Nicaragua’s beautiful beach towns , mostly situated on the Pacific coast, most travelers think of the more visited towns down south such as Popoyo or San Juan del Sur. As many travelers pass through León and hit the standard spots before continuing to head north or south, Las Peñitas is not the most talked about or visited spot, even though it should be.
This town was one of my favorite spots out of my trip to Nicaragua as a whole.
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LAS PEÑITAS OVERVIEW
30 minutes from León, this little fishing town had such amazing energy with the beautiful big stretch of warm sandy beach, filled with surfers, locals, and travelers alike on the waves of the Pacific. The sunsets here were so beautiful and the stars at night were some of the brightest that I have ever seen.
This was not on my itinerary or my radar at all, while I was in León there were lots of travelers that would spend time on the beach while volunteering at the hostels around the city and I am so thankful I ended up going and staying out there.
You could spend an afternoon here, you could spend a full day here, or you could stay for two weeks or more here. It is such a perfect place on this earth.
READ ALSO: A GUIDE TO A WEEK IN LEÓN, NICARAGUA.
GETTING TO LAS PEÑITAS FROM LEÓN
In order to get to Las Peñitas by public transport you will have to travel from León.
BY CHICKEN BUS:
The bus from León to Las Peñitas leaves the city from Mercadito de Sutiava by the yellow walls of the entrance.
If you do not want to make the 25 minute walk from the center of León to get to Mercadito de Sutiava in the intense León heat, you will have to hop on a caponera (bike taxi), or on the back of a big pick up truck known as a ‘fletero’
The chicken buses come and go as they fill up, so while you wait to depart, walk across the street to the local vendors and their stalls to grab some snacks like pastries or fruits.
These buses run all throughout the day, the first bus is around 5am and the last is around 6pm from what I can gather. Like all of the chicken buses, there will be a huge sign on the front of the old yellow school bus that shows the stops- ‘León-Poneloya-Las Peñitas’ so it is pretty hard to get on the wrong bus. The ride will cost you around 18 córdoba which currently equates to almost $0.50 usd.
Chicken buses are always fun, the ride went by fast as I listened to some music and appreciated the beautiful land around me as we drove further towards the coast.
This is the cheapest, most reasonable way to get out to Las Peñitas.
BY SHUTTLE:
Currently, Bigfoot Hostel/volcano day has a sunset shuttle that leaves from león at 3pm from Bigfoot and returns back to León around 7pm.
The shuttle is another big pick up truck that everyone sits in the back of, and the 30 minute drive will cost you $5 USD, or 183 Córdoba.
I took the shuttle back from the beach into the city, and it was just as easy as the chicken bus but $4.50 more. If you are not making your way back to León after the last chicken bus has left-spend your money as a tourist towards things that financially go to the locals.
WHERE TO STAY IN LAS PEÑITAS
There are a good amount of places to stay in Las Peñitas, some better than others. I only included the ones that I stayed in/definitely would stay in, I don’t think you could really go wrong with any of these.
I desperately needed a break to be alone and chill out after three weeks of Nicaragua and a couple of busy days in León so I stayed here in this beautiful little room with a balcony overlooking the beach where I sat and looked at the stars late at night.
This is probably on the more expensive side out of all of the accommodation options in Las Peñitas, but I don’t regret spending the money at all. It had an awesome outdoor restaurant where everyone would come hang out during sunset, and it is one of the main surfing spots as the Buena Onda Surf School is right next to lodge.
I walked a couple of minutes down the beach and started my day here one morning and had a really good açaí bowl. After I ate I went for a swim and sat in the sun. This hostel was awesome, there was a good amount of travelers there and people were just relaxing in the sand and working on their laptops outside on the beautiful patio. They also offer surfing lessons, and yoga classes everyday. I will stay here next time I am in las peñitas. Looking at the prices right now, they are much more expensive then January of this year, but it is worth it.
YOU CAN BOOK MANO A MANO HERE.
While researching Las Peñitas after I visited, this cute little hotel stuck out to me as another spot to have a relaxing solo time by myself. It looks beautiful and the rooms are so bright and right on the beach.
I also came across this one while researching las peñitas, and it looks like a perfect place to stay while visiting las peñitas, the rooms are cute and modern and the breakfast can be vegetarian and vegan which is a nice little plus.
YOU CAN BOOK CASITA DE PLAYA BOMALU HERE.
BEST SURF SPOTS/SCHOOLS IN LAS PEÑITAS
Las Peñitas is the perfect spot to start to learn to surf, as well as the perfect spot if you’re a pro. The surf schools offer sessions taught by locals and volunteers, there are boards and wetsuits of all different sizes. It is such a fun scene.
BUENA ONDA SURF SCHOOL:
Since this was right next to where I stayed, this is where my board was rented from. This is the cutest little fun surf spot.
ALMENDRA SURF SCHOOL:
This is one of the other main surf school spots, it is also right next to Buena Onda and has all perfect reviews.
This is a little tiny surf school right in front of Mano a Mano a couple of minutes walk down the beach from the main spots by Buena Onda and Almendra in a quieter spot on the beach. One girl that I met only had good things to say about it.
WHERE TO EAT IN LAS PEÑITAS
Starting off with this little restaurant and bar across the street from the Simple Beach Lodge, Chelito’s Bar is a small little spot owned by the nicest locals, who were saints dealing with my mediocre Spanish skills. There is a huge jukebox filled with lots of old and early 2000’s Latin music, and lots of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I got a chicken burger for like $3 USD and it was the size of my head. I am not kidding.
Even if you’re not staying at the hostel you can sit on the beach and order food and fresh juices and smoothies-the smoothie/açaí bowl is to die for.
SUA:
This is more of a legit spot to eat catered to the tourists, but it looked very nice. People seemed to rave about the pizza, strangely I heard that a couple of times.
SIMPLE BEACH LODGE:
At sunset into the night the hotels beach front restaurant fills up with people eating and drinking, the menu was awesome all day though. This seems to be one of the main spots to eat as well.
HOW TO GET BACK TO LEÓN FROM LAS PEÑITAS
BY CHICKEN BUS:
In order to catch the bus you will have to stand across from Playa Roca, next to Simple Beach Lodge and Ramada Ebenezer.
Again it will cost you around 18 córdoba.
From what I can gather the last bus should depart from las peñitas back to León around 6:30pm every night.
BY SHUTTLE:
If you want to head back into the city after sunset, you can catch the shuttle back to Bigfoot Hostel for $5, again, in the back of a pickup truck.
Las Peñitas is such a perfect little corner of this world. I loved it so much. I know that I will be back one day, and until then, I will continue to advocate for people traveling through León to pay the town a visit.
THINKING OF TRAVELING TO LAS PEÑITAS? DO IT.
HERE IS ALL OF THE RESOURCES I USE TO PLAN MY TRIPS:
FLIGHTS AND ACCOMMODATION: BOOKING.COM IS WHAT I WILL ALWAYS USE TO BOOK FLIGHTS AND STAYS. NEVER DONE ME WRONG.
TOURS, DRIVERS, AND ALL THAT FUN STUFF: VIATOR IS MY GO-TO.
TRAVEL INSURANCE: SAFETYWING HAS ALWAYS BEEN FABULOUS. THE BEST EVER.
RENTAL CARS: WHEN BOOKING ANY TRIP THAT YOU DECIDE TO RENT A CAR FOR, BOOKING.COM IS FABULOUS LIKE ALWAYS.