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The crew for Survivor have arrived in San Juan del Sur Nicaragua where they’ll be shooting two episodes of the Emmy-Award winning reality television series. The show will follow 20 contestants as they compete for 40 days to survive on the beaches of San Juan del Sur. The format splits the participants into two tribes to compete for rewards or immunity. The last remaining contestant wins a US$1 million dollar prize.

Nicaragua is slowly emerging as a permanent fixture on the world tourism map and hosting the popular Survivor show will help strengthen the country’s position. A typical Survivor series is watched by 15 million Americans per week and airs in over 100 countries worldwide.

The crew are receiving a warm welcome at the top Nicaragua hotels and the town of San Juan del Sur is buzzing in anticipation of the start of the series.

Check out these three recent travel articles on Nicaragua.  As this coverage in the mainstream press indicates, Nicaragua is now firmly on the Central America tourism map.

This Los Angeles Times article in May 2010 describes a volcano hike up Concepcion, one of the twin peaks (the other is Maderas) that make up Ometepe Island.  The volcano has not erupted for half a century but is still considered active due to the occasional release of ash.  Enough to add a bit of adventure to the trip.

In April the Chicago Tribune covered a destination wedding at a resort in San Juan del Sur. According to the article, destination weddings have increased 400 percent since 2001. Nicaragua certainly adds a bit of exotic to the standard wedding program, especially if guests have time to see a bit of the country.

“I’m here for the surf” was the reason given by Paul Carpenter for his Nicaragua trip covered by the Calgary Sun in January. Friendly people, warm weather, stupendous beaches and a low cost of living were the added attractions. More and more Canadians are visiting Nicaragua and taking positive stories of their visit back home.

We’ll keep you updated as more stories roll off the press.

If you’re going to be in Nicaragua on January 30th then head on down to San Juan del Sur and the Earthship Pitaya Festival.  If you are not in the country, make a special trip.  It will be worth it.

The Earthship Pitaya Festival was founded in 2009 on a very simple mission statement, to celebrate community, music, diversity, culture and sustainability in the best way possible; A one day festival in the heart of El Carizal, a small community along Nicaragua’s southern pacific coast. This community is also home to Central America’s premier Earthship, a completely off grid home made from nearly 100% recycled materials.

Check out this video filmed at the festival last year.

This year’s festival promises to be even better than last with performances by Local and International Artists, Games, Tours, Great Cuisine, Workshops and much, much more.

If you can’t make it down for the festival, we can still arrange tours to the Earthship and local community projects in the area – contact us for the details.

Cycling feels better than driving to the waves. It fit with the ethos of surfing.  And now the ACG Surfrack takes all the hassle away.  An added benefit: the surfboard acts as a sun roof.

Can’t wait to see surfers use these in Nicaragua. Photo credit : ACG Surfracks

Now all we need to work out is how to attach one of these racks to a horse. Now that would be perfect…

Come and join us in Nicaragua!

We’re experts at customizing Nicaragua vacation packages for the independent minded traveler.

Much of the footage in the video below was shot in the San Juan del Sur area. Experience it for yourself on a customized San Juan del Sur vacation.

We turn visitors to Nicaragua into locals.

Why?  Because this is how Nicaragua makes you feel:

In a country where history is alive and always present, T+L finds well-preserved colonial towns and remnants of the 1970’s revolution, teeming jungles, white-sand beaches, and charming Caribbean hideaways. Read the entire article >>

Nicaragua’s Pacific coastline has all the natural ingredients needed for a golf boom: there are large swaths of unused land that have been cleared by generations of cattle raising, abundant supplies of fresh water and rain, year-round sun and tropical weather, and stunning ocean views… Read more

Ruth Chapman is a runner-up in the adventure category of our travel writing competition with her tale of volcano boarding in Nicaragua. The edge was giving way. I could feel the rocky gravel changing shape beneath my feet, the trickling sound of loose particles… Read more