Las Penitas is a beach town located on the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua in Central America. Situated 20 km west of Leon, the country’s second largest city, Las Penitas and neighbouring Poneloya have traditionally served as a place of escape for Leon residents during weekends and holiday. Today, Las Penitas and Poneloya have more or less merged with each other and to the visitor they appear more like two parts of the same town than two distinct villages.
Las Penitas stretches out along the beach, from the end of Poneloya to the Juan Venado Island Nature Reserve. Right before the reserve is a small bay utilized by local fishermen and this is also where the locals tend to go swimming since it is sheltered from the powerful waves of the Pacific Ocean. The exact depth of the bay varies with the tide and the sand dunes are also known to move around throughout the year.
Juan Venado Island is a so called barrier island that forms a protective estuary home to over 100 species of birds and various reptiles such as crocodiles, caimans and iguanas. The part of the islands facing the open ocean is an important nesting ground for sea turtles that arrive in massive arribadas from August to December to lay their eggs on the beach. The other side of the island is overgrown by dense mangrove forest and provides an ideal nursing ground for marine fish.
Outside Nicaragua, Las Penitas is chiefly known for its surfing and the waves attract a small but steady stream of domestic and foreign surfers year round. A few of the hostels will rent out surfing boards and body boards for an hourly or daily fee, and there is also one surf school in the village. Since Las Penitas is still very much a local hideout for the people of Leon, the beaches tend to be void of visitors during the weekdays.
Compared to Poneloya, a village that consists almost exclusively of the homes of wealthy Leon residents and local fishermen, Las Penitas caters more to the tourist sector by having a handful of hotels and hostels and a dozen or so restaurants. There is also an Internet café and some of the hostels have wifi connections.
Logistics
There is a bus leaving Mercandito de Sutiaba once an hour until 6 p.m. This bus will go to Poneloya first, turn around at the end of the village, and then head for Las Penitas. Since the bus stops to pick up and let off passengers along the way without any fixed bus stops it is difficult to know in advance exactly how long each journey will last, but 45 minutes is a reasonable assumption.
If you go by car the journey will take just 15 minutes. The road has just been repaired (2009) as a part of a foreign aid project so there is no need for a 4W vehicle, not even during the rainy season. The project also means that you have nice sidewalks to walk on in case you want to go for a stroll and look around
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The author of this article in a Swedish expat now living in Las Penitas where he is trying to help the poor community by spreading information about this hidden gem and by helping people who want to move to Las penitas.
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