New Greytown, San Juan del Norte, Nicaragua

Once the most important port in Central America, the haunting past of Greytown, San Juan del Norte, still lingers in among the trees that have now overgrown the historic town. The only structure remaining is the set of three marble steps that once led to the wood mansion belonging to the wealthy Pellas family and the ornate carved tombstones with the rusting iron cemetery fences.

However, in the old canals and hidden lagoons there still exists some of the best fishing and natural jungle habitat for a number of exotic fish, insects and animals. The new town of San Juan del Norte was established on the Rio Indio and is growing with a population returning from exile in Costa Rica and the remote areas of the large Indio Maiz National Park, a protected and ecologically important scientific and tourism resource.

You can tour the site of the old town and the surrounding lagoons with the landmark 100 year old dredge and sunken iron boats that once transported future Californians in 1849-51 on their journey across the isthmus to join the ferry on the Pacific and their dream of fortune on the west coast of the United States of America.

Quick Tips:

There are no roads or long hiking trails from new San Juan del Norte to Greytown or any of the more interesting sites. Having many swamps, canals and lagoons makes boating the only method of local transport and these are readily available. The beach in front of San Juan del Norte or New Greytown is polluted with waste material, styrofoam and logs blown on shore off the Caribbean. Swimming is only possible in the clear tan colored freshwater lagoons and Rio Indio, in front of the town where it apparently is a very popular social activity for the young and old. The saltwater areas are infested with sharks and not safe to enter, though fishing from the beach at the mouth of the Rio Indio and Rio San Juan are favorite locations for some fantastic sport with Tarpon and Snook. For a whole new adventure, try joining one of the lobster boats going to sea to tend their nets and harvest the bounty therein. A trip up the Rio Indio to see the jungle wildlife is usually rewarding. There are possible sightings of green macaws, toucans, monkeys and if lucky, an elusive jaguar prowling the banks searching for wild pigs.

Best Way To Get Around:

To get to new Greytown or San Juan del Norte, there is a ferry leaving from San Carlos (Nicaragua) twice a week costing . This is a full day trip down the Rio San Juan and is in itself a great experience. You first get to San Carlos (Nicaragua) from Los Chiles (Costa Rica) or by ferry crossing Lake Nicaragua from Granada. There is also the possibility of taking a boat from Puerto Viejo, travelling down the Rio Sarapiqui (Costa Rica) to the Rio San Juan (Nicaragua) and on to the Caribbean coast. This was our choice being a faster route and preferred by most anglers. Presently, there is an airport under construction in San Juan del Norte and regular flights from Managua are planned for future visitors. When the sea is calm, there is also the possibility of taking a boat from Barra del Colorado (Costa Rica) to San Juan del Norte, which is a short 45 minute ride along the coast.

The only hotel in San Juan del Norte with good clean screened rooms, private bathrooms and cold showers. each room has three beds and overhead fans. Meals are served family style and there is a very comfortable waterfront bar and boathouse with many hammocks to rest in and view the busy river traffic on Rio Indio. Your friendly host Melvin speaks English, as do many of the people on this coast.

Electric power in the town is limited to 5 hours in the evening and flashlights are a very important aid.

Local menu with lots of sea food or wild game. Best is the lobster or river shrimp and when the snook run is on, the fried snook is the preference. The famous 'Run Down' stew is a must for a visitor wanting something truly typical. This is coconut based and very rich, using local wild game or fish with lots of fresh vegetables and spices. The boneless Guapote in tomato sauce, prepared Nicaraguan style is my particular favourite. Local fresh fruit drinks accompany every meal. Ice is rare and not usually available.

Fishing the salt is a great experience at the mouth (boca) of the Rio Indio and Rio San Juan. Here there are many schools of feeding fish and the action can be fast and furious. It is beautiful offshore clear water with very little wave action ... ideal for flyfishing and with a refreshing climate. We had lots of success fishing along the shore and following the shrimp trawlers. Extra rods are also a good idea since the fish are big with many double hook-ups a possibility. Use sun block and take lots of water. If prone to sea sickness, take appropriate precautions and eat a light breakfast.

We used the outfitter Fly Fish Costa Rica out of neighboring Costa Rica with their modern well equipped 20-ft. bass boat and English speaking guide. When we arrived in San Juan del Norte, the sea was very calm and no surf was found at the river mouths. This afforded easy access to some of the best areas for Tarpon fishing offshore.

Birds could be seen diving on baitfish along the Caribbean coast and schools of jacks crashed the bait with wild abandon and attracted the large Tarpon to join the feast. Unfortunately, the Barracudas also appeared and cut many of the fly streamers off and worse still, damaged our expensive flylines. We decided to return to the freshwater lagoons and fish for the smaller Guapote(Rainbow Bass) with lighter tackle. The next day, we were fortunate to find a shrimp trawler off shore and followed it as the nets were lifted and cleaned. The fish activity around the boat was extreme and soon had us experiencing double hook-ups and one broken rod. Again, we returned to the freshwater exhausted and searching for some quiet restful activity. The afternoon relief was fishing for Mojarras in Fish Creek using light bluegill rods and poppers.

Not another sportfishing boat in sight and a whole world of tropical water to explore. It was an ideal situation, though very much like serious work at times. Getting to the Rio Indio was an adventure with the low water in the Rio San Juan having many sandbars and sunken logs. On our return trip, we did unfortuantely get stuck for three hours on a sandbar and had to literally dig and push our way out. We all managed to have some additional experiences added to our many hopes for of catching great fish with flyrods and visiting one of the most remote waters available to modern anglers. Not only was the weather ideal, but we lived our dreams of combining a shortfishing trip with a cultural vacation to a historic and wildlife rich area, the National Park of Indio Maiz in Nicaragua.