Playa Gigante – Surf, Chill, Surf, Repeat
If you want super-chilled beach life, consistent surf, consistent offshores, and not many people (these are rhetorical questions, eh?), then Playa Gigante is what you’ve been looking for.
It’s further north than Playa Maderas, keeping it neatly out of the San Juan del Sur orbit. But it still strings along the big of the Nicaraguan coast that gets those consistent offshore winds thanks to Lake Nicaragua.
To call it a surf town is pushing it a bit. There’s like one shop here, only a peppering of hotels, and just a trickle of passers through who come for the surf, just like you did!
Surf wise, there’s Playa Gigante itself but that rarely – if ever – gets any swell. Sometimes it can work with bigggg SW wet season pushes in June or July, but the real focal point is Playa Amarillo, which runs north from town, offering moderately decent sandbar waves that work throughout the tides, very much suited to learners and improvers. It’s mellow, like the town itself.
Here’s the kicker though. You can head even further northwest up to Playa Colorado, a beach that has some of the heaviest barrels in Nicaragua when the swell turns on. That broadens the offering at Playa Gigante a little to mean it could be a good base for all surfers, not just the casual come learner crowd.
What’s this town best for? Chilling in a hammock, morning surfs, casual surfs, and just enjoying laid-back Nicaraguan beach life.
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Where is Playa Gigante (and how to get here)?
Gigante is in the same Rivas Province as Nicaragua’s other most famous surf towns – San Juan del Sur and Playa Maderas. However, it’s much further north than those two.
Still, the best way in is via the regional transport hub of Rivas. A bus goes direct to the town from there once or twice per day.
That said, we’d usually just go for a direct taxi – they take like 50 mins and cost anything from $20-50 depending on your haggling skills. Yes, it costs more, but it makes life a lot easier. Direct taxis can also be taken from Managua, which is about 2 hours away.
Surfing in Playa Gigante
Playa Gigante is the name of the town here, and the beach that it faces. But THERE IS NO SURF ON PLAYA GIGANTE. The surf offering is on the beach just to the north, which also abuts the town: Playa Amarillo.
I’ll say this: Playa Amarillo is really gorgeous. It’s not developed at all really. The moment you step down onto the beige-tinged sand, you’ll look up to see rows of forest-covered hills without a single hotel marring the view. That’s kinda rare these days, even in relatively un-built-up Nica.
The main beach has loads of peaks to pick from. They tend to pick up a bit of punch as you head northwest along the beach. That makes this a great place to learn – you can start on the more sheltered spots deeper in the bay and move along when you want some more height and speed.
Generally speaking, all of the peaks here are quite soft and mellow, especially on higher tides. They’re perfect for learners on mid-swell and normal-swell days. There can be some moxie in them on huge summer pulses but it’s generally never going to be a tube machine like The Boom or whatever.
Playa Amarillo also has a small reef section right at its south end, just under the main village of Gigante. It’s not great, and needs some big swell to work, but can be a nice wrap-in left for minimals and logs.
Other surf spots near to Playa Gigante
Other surf breaks near to Playa Gigante
One thing worth noting is that staying in Playa Gigante doesn’t limit you to just surfing Playa Amarillo.
You’re kinda at a bit of the Nica coast here that has waves all over, and offshores almost consistently all year round. It will reward those who want to venture out and explore a little.
- Popoyo [20-25 mins north] – Probably the main surf hub of Nica, Popoyo has epic reef breaks but also some nice beginner spots. Much bigger choice of surf hotels and surf camps than in Gigante.
- Playa Colorado [10 mins north] – Some of the best barrels in Nica make this beach an advanced surfer’s dream. Needs size, so come in the peak summer swell season and time it for the morning if possible.
- Playa Manzanillo [10 mins in car/quick boat ride – south] – Some really nice lefts work off the south headland here in peak swell season – think barrel sections and then long shoulders that you can top to bottom. There tends to be a decent beach break wave on the inside a lot of the time. Lovely looking place too.
- Playa Maderas [30 mins south] – Famous surf bay. All levels. Really pretty.
When to surf in Playa Gigante?
There’s always surf in Playa Gigante.
Summer swell season lasts from around May through to September. That brings the biggest conditions, making it a bit more consistent on Amarillo, and adding the opportunity to hit the epic waves of nearby Colorado and Popoyo.
The dry season in winter is better for learners because swell tends to be a foot or two smaller. Don’t worry, though, you still get those consistent Nica offshores – they’re about all year long.
Where to stay in Playa Gigante?
There’s one classic stay that pretty much every traveler used to go to in Gigante. But that’s since been joined by a mix of other surf hotels and shacks, many of them pretty cool.
- Monkey House Hostel – This is kinda’ the OG of Playa Gigante. It’s proudly basic, with a real backpacker vibe. A deck perches right over Playa Amarillo, so you can literally check the surf and watch the surf while you have your morning pancake. Great spot, and steps taking you straight down to the surf. Spend the rest of the day in a hammock. Viola.
- Casa Medusa – A more chilled shared-home type of stay also with Amarillo views, a charming terrace, and good vibes.
>>Get more hotel inspo in our full guide to the top surf hotels in Nicaragua
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
