September 3, 2004 -- Surfing. The word just connotes cool. Hot babes. Sunny days. Big waves. Bonfires on the beach. I'm not just talking about the film Point Break, either, or spending an arm and a leg to get to Hawaii or the South Australian Coast. No, you can hit the ocean head on, surfboard in tote, for less than a small fortune. Costa Rica and up and coming Central American hot-spot Nicaragua have all a surf traveler could ask for -- exotic locales, monster surf, affordable lodging and pristine beaches.
Let's start with newcomer Nicaragua. Now safe from rebels and warring Sandinistas, the scenic coastal country is regrouping and slowly becoming a tourist destination known for its beaches and jungle beauty. Blessed with two coasts, one on the calm Caribbean, the other on the ferocious Pacific Ocean, Nicaragua is a surfer's dream right for both beginners in the learning stages or the advanced surfer. And it's cheap. Luxury hotels on the Nicaraguan coasts start around $115. Roundtrip airfare from Miami starts at $279 roundtrip on American Airlines.
If you're looking for surfing packages, Tico Tours (www.ticotravel.com) out of Ft. Lauderdale offers an eight-day/seven-night tour for $990. Six days of surfing, lodging, all meals except dinner, transportation and an expert guided tour are included in the price. Airfare is not. Don't sweat paying for dinner, though. A lobster meal costs less than $10. The surfing takes place near the fishing village of Bahia San Juan del Sur, where you'll stay for the duration of the trip. Dale Dagger, an American surfer plugged into all things Nicaraguan, leads the tour and provides local flavor.
Surfari Charters (www.surfaricharters.com) also does a Nicaragua surfing trip. Combining surfing with fishing and scuba/snorkeling, the weeklong "Surfari Full Charter" package, good for up to three people so get friends to come along, costs $800. Three meals are included in this one. Airfare, again, is not. If you're looking to get away from it all, this trip's on the rustic side. The nearest phone is 2 kilometers from the base camp.
Like Nicaragua, Costa Rica enjoys coastlines on the Caribbean and Pacific. The Costa Rican surfing scene is more commercial than Nicaragua with many surf camps, surf shops and surfing tours. One way to see Costa Rica for next to nothing is a do-it-yourself tour from Travel Land (www.traveland.com). Starting at $599 (regularly $999), the eight-day/seven-night trip includes roundtrip airfare from Miami (other gateways available for additional fees), a 4x4 jeep, vouchers for 43 hotels countrywide, breakfast at some of the hotels, entry to national parks and a tour of a coffee plantation. This go-where-you-want-when-you-want tour is ideal for independent travelers looking to surf and hit the interior jungles and rainforests. Add $170 for taxes per person, and $300 if you go this one on your own.
For beginning surfers, the before-mentioned Tico Travel also offers a Costa Rican surfing camp package. Airfare not included, the package includes unlimited in-water surfing tutorials, airport transportation, and accommodations at two hotels. The price for double occupancy begins at $745 for one week and $1,340 for two weeks. Don't need instruction? Surf-Costa-Rica.com (www.surf-costa-rica.com) offers a one-week $499 double occupancy surf tour.
A caveat, surf camps aren't exactly luxurious. Accommodations are usually sparse, as in a bed and lamp and maybe a bedside table. But then again, they're perfect to get you into that surfer Zen mode where all that matters are the waves, the blue sky, and the ocean behind you and the world at your feet. Also, most local airlines charge a fee for transporting surfboards. TACA Airlines (www.taca.com) in Costa Rica charges $50 for up two boards.
Have you hit the waves in Central America, or do you have a question about this report? Head on over to our Nicaragua and Costa Rica Message Boards to start talking with fellow Frommer's travelers.