Why Nicaragua is a perfect place to connect with yourself and nature!

After surfing perfect point breaks in El Salvador for weeks, swell season started to slow down end of October and we headed for Nicaragua to start our Yoga teacher training in El Ostional, a sleepy fisher village with a lonely beach. As soon as driving over the border the atmosphere changed and everything felt pure and relaxed. Seemed like there were so many reasons why we chose the perfect place for the training and for connecting with ourselves and nature, here are my favorite 6:

1) Pure nature and lonely beaches

You can easily find a beach all for yourself in Nicaragua, while driving around or taking a boat. The water is clear and you see many animals, catch your own fish, swim with turtles, watch stingrays jumping out of the water, pelicans diving steeply into the blue water or huge grasshoppers jumping in front of a volcano panorama.

2) Yummy, healthy, cleansing foods

Rice, veggies and seafood, but combined in such a lovely variety and topped with yummy sauces like a spicy papaya sauce, that we couldn’t wait for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Eating that food besides training hard, felt like an internal cleansing to me. For sure it was also a good inspiration for our own cooking. The Hibiscus flower they use for teas contains loads of vitamins – try it with a spoon of honey – it’s delicious!

3) Down to earth & honest people

Since Nicaragua is still not as touristy, the people seem to be very open and interested without much prejudice. Fisherman, farmers and children wave when you drive by and talk and laugh with you. Many of them live a very simple life, but seem happier than others in more developed countries. We visited a primary school helping to built up the library as part of the It’s Yoga Teacher Training. Playing with the kids and talking Spanish with them was a beautiful and fun experience.

4) Fascinating sea turtles and the chance to help and inform about their endangered life!

Sea turtles are highly endangered and still people steal the eggs and sell them on the black market. Together with Paso Pacifico we helped with protecting, monitoring the turtles nesting and hatching of eggs. Since 2010 they saved over 10.000 turtles only in the little village El Ostional, increasing the chance for some turtles to grow up. Only a very small percent makes it to grow up by surviving the humans and then the birds and fish eating them on their way. Paso Pacifico sets the turtles free after sunset to reduce the chance for birds or fish to see them right away. We were lucky to experience the beauty of setting them free and watching them making their way into the ocean.

5) Illuminated towns and chill out beach bars

Towns like Granada are lit up in a beautiful way at night and have nice Cafes, Restaurants and Bars where you can sit outside and enjoy the atmosphere. San Juan del Sur is charming with the houses painted colorfully and cute little shops, bakeries and great bars with life music to go out at night. Chill out on a beach like Playa Madera, which is 40 minutes away from San Juan del Sur with 3 cosy beach bars and one of the most consistent beach breaks in Nicaragua!

6) Last but not least a perfect Yoga Teacher Training in sleepy El Ostional, Nicaragua held by inspiring teachers and so much more to learn. We made a video for you to get your own impression here: