Nicaragua - Poneloya

It took us a total of 17 hours to get from La Paz in Bolivia to our first stop in Nicaragua, the Surfing Turtle Lodge in Poneloya.

We start early in the morning to the airport of La Paz. Our first flight that day goes to the capital of Peru, Lima. After an hour layover, we continue to San Salvador. After another hour layover, we continue to Nicaragua in the smallest plane of our entire trip so far.

The layovers were extremely tight. We are all the more pleased that not only us but also our entire luggage made it through the transfers and we all arrive in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua.

A wonderfully friendly and funny taxi driver picks us up and takes us to our hostel. After a 2.5-hour drive, the ride ends at a river where a tiny nutshell boat is waiting for us. In the dark and extremely low-lying, we sail across the river. On the other side, a horse-drawn carriage is already waiting for us to take us to our destination for the next four days - the Surfing Turtle Lodge.

For the next four days, it's all about chilling, surfing, reading, and chilling again. Since the Surfing Lodge is completely cut off from everything by the river, life here feels a bit like on a small island. We simply switch off, enjoy the warm temperatures, and surf without a wetsuit.

After four days, we move on. The next stop is Playa Madera, a pretty famous surf spot right next to the even more famous San Juan del Sur. Our accommodation is located in the middle of the forest high above the small bay of Madera. Platforms with hammocks are built everywhere in the midst of trees, surrounded by trees and lots of animals. It takes 10 minutes downhill to get to the beach. Here we spend another four days surfing (this time the waves are even better), doing yoga, and chilling again (you can never have enough of that).