 San Juan del Sur : Profile
Latitude 11’ 15.14 N Longitude 085’ 52.61 W. Bahia San Juan Del Sur is the southernmost port of entry/exit in Nicaragua and is a popular stop over for vessels entering or departing the country. The cruising grounds in this region of Nicaragua are some of the best. San Juan Del Sur provides a good jump off point for exploring the many hidden coves along the coast.
It is an open roadstead, and personnel from the Port Captain's office will board the vessel, once it is anchored, to do the first stage of the clearing in process. This may include a brief search of the lockers etc. There is no cost added for the entry zarpe, only a $25 fee upon exit for your international zarpe. The Port Captain’s office is conveniently located within the shipyards compound.
Immigration office was located next door to the Port Captain’s office, however due to construction taking place at the shipyard, the Immigration office has now been relocated back to “La Frontera” (also known as “Pena Blanca”), the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. You will need to take a taxi to Pena Blanca in order to check in and out with immigration. It’s a 45 minute ride each way.
If San Juan Del Sur is your first Nicaraguan port of entry, the fee to Immigration is $9.00 ($5.00 for a tourist visa, $2.00 for Despacho, and $2.00 for entrada). There is also a one-off $15 duty applied to International flagged vessels upon arrival, and $15 on departure. (The duty on national Nicaraguan registered vessels is $10.00 in, $10.00 out.)
In the prevailing easterly winds, this bay is a very protected anchorage. It is best to anchor at least 90 metres from the shore to avoid any swell. The holding is good in the sandy bottom, but it is advisable to ensure the anchor is well dug in.
There is a suitable dinghy landing at the boat ramp at the southern end of the bay. It is within the shipyard compound and is reasonably secure. Ask permission at the office. An alternative may be to tie up at the fishing wharf, however it is often busy with local boats. Arrangements to get ashore by water taxi can be made with “Mario” who operates a little green tugboat shuttle service. Fee is about $1.00 per person each way. The beach in front of town is another option to land an inflatable although the surf can make this challenging.
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