WELCOME TO PLAYA GIGANTE, NICARAGUA! One of the few non-americanized cultural hot spots left on the rich coast of Nicaragua, Playa Gigante keeps people coming back time and time again. Playa Gigante has proven to be the epi-center of world class surfing in Nicaragua, all the while keeping it’s fishing village charm. A pueblo of about 400 locals in the greater Gigante area, it’s small town charm will have you grabbing for a camera, as this is as authentic of a third world village as it gets. Gigante boasts a gorgeous coastline, friendly and helpful locals, beach side fish shack restaurants, two surf camps, a handful of vacation rentals, and your gateway to the famous Nicaraguan surf.
Playa Gigante is located twelve nautical miles north of the popular beach town of San Juan del Sur, near two world class surf breaks. It is about forty-five minutes driving from the city of Rivas, and an hour and a half from the border of Costa Rica. Rumored first to be the port for Somoza’s people en route to Rivas, the now shack spotted coast of Gigante is home to several fishing families, banking on the fresh Pargo and Lobster.
Surrounded by several world class surf breaks, most founded and named by the legendary soul surfer, Dale Dagger, Playa Gigante has handfuls of adventurous surfers walking it’s roads and hiring boats to take people to the waves. A tranquil bay itself, Gigante only see’s waves when the swell is huge and two point breaks show themselves.
The coastal areas of Rivas have been seeing increasing development and tourism revenue due to the surge of surfing and eco-tourism in the area. Large developments like Rancho Santana have land-grabbing expats and entrepreneurs excited. The many surf camps and smaller resorts attract a variety of travelers world-wide. This surge can be attributed to the many articles that have been published in recent years in surfing magazines and lifestyle magazines like GQ, and the fact that Costa Rica’s once untamed coasts have been developed to the point of exhaustion. The beachside town of Gigante is a great example of this rapid development, where a once quaint fishing village has become a hot spot for surf seekers and culture travelers alike.
