juan venado island nature reserve

We went with a fisherman, Antonio, it was 75$ for the boat which was split between seven of us. We met the other people and got hooked up with the trip at the Lazy Turtle. Antonio spoke pretty good English as well as his native Spanish. He had such an enthusiastic personality, it was contagious. He led us through a climb in the mangroves which was so much fun! We saw a lot if wildlife and even some baby leatherback turtles! I don't know how he could see all the birds from a moving boat but he found iguanas a baby croc, as well as an abundance of exotic birds. He of course stopped the boat and pointed all this amazing stuff out to all of us who weren't as talented as he was at spotting them. Also the bird calls he made sounded like the birds he was calling it was really cool to hear them answer him. I would definitely recommend stopping in the Turtle to see Ryan and Val to set up a trip with Antonio!

The mangrove tour then the nature reserve was a lovely 3 hour trip. We went with Aleandro, a local fisherman and his teen son. They were informative, the trip was educational but the nature reserve was a little "hokey". Our guide pointed out nervous exotic birds, large iguanas in the trees and one small croc. Bring water and sunscreen and wear a hat! We paid $75 USD for a family of 4 for 3 hours. It was really worth it. Left from The Lazy Turtle in Las Penitas. See Ryan there and he'll hook you up with Aleandro.

the private beach is amazing. A plus is the project to save the turtles and protect the flora and fauna in the island!

I absolutely loved it, and if you like the quiet in-line-with-nature on a pasific humble island, so will you. They take you out by boat to see the mangrooves and they will point out the different spècies and birds you will meet on the way. Please consider the seasons so you will not get dissapointed. Crocodiles only come here during vinter, and turtles are more likely in the turtle season. I was there in the turtle season and it was spectacular. Not only did we get to release the new born ones. (Make sure to check they have hatching the day you want to go..) We also saw an old sea turtle come up to the beach and lay her eggs. It was magical. How to book it: I took a turtle tour, wich took me aproximatly 2 days to find from Leon, but it was soooo wurth it. The easier way would be to go to the end of Las Penitas and book it there instead. You can go by your self, it is not to far, but it is hard if you are not familiar with the island and do not have a boat. The normal cost is 30 USD from both Leon and Las Penitas, You spend ap. 3 to 4 hours in the park, depending on what animals you will see.What to bring: Mosquito repelent is a must, camera and bikini. If you are staying there I would recomand to bring food and drinks, even though you can buy something there, it will be expensive considering it is remote. Do not stay here if you do not like crabs, because I have never seen som many crabs in so many colors in my life.

We went to the tour with a guy who had a tour boat and he showed us on the map where we would go. He didn't speak english and we speak only a little spanish so we did not fully understand what he said, but it seemed good: we would see turtles, crocodiles etc. BUT the tour lasted for 1hour and they took us only to one place were there were babyturtles on basket on a beach. The beach would have been only approximatly 1km by foot and easily accessible. So they took 30dollars +8 dollars entry to the island from the terrible 1 hour tour, which we could have done by ourselves for free. Do not go!

Our Guide Enrique was excellent! He spoke little English, but his Spanish was careful, slow and easy for beginners to get the bulk of his information. The cruise was slow, we saw turtle hatchlings at the preserve, as well as countless birds and mammals. It was a great intro to the Manglares, a living breathing lung for the coast of this part of Nicaragua.

The staff of Hotelito Oasis organised for me a trip with a fisher men, chico, very traditional and fun wooden boat, the guy is very friendly and give good exlpication of the nature and fauna.

We had an excellent local guide and his son. they were great at sighting all sorts of birds even uncommon ones. plus lots of crocodiles, iguanas of a variety of sizes and color morphs, and several mammals. ask at hotel Olazul for the name of the guide. he is a local guy who is a friend of these owners (maybe his name was Miguel Angelo?).

The crew that took us was arranged by Hotel Olazul. The team was great. They are fisherman by trade but very knowledgeable about the species of trees and their uses and the wild life that lives there. This is more of a bird watchers heaven but you do manage to catch glimpses of Iguanas, turtles and if you are really lucky alligators. Make sure the quote you get includes the cost of the entrance to the reserve as well.

You can rent a kayak or hire a boat to go through the river. A little way down there is a turtle sanctuary that has a hatchery. On the other side is 22km of un touched beach, which seems like one of the last ones left on earth. If you're lucky you'll see a cayman croc!

The creek was full of water early in the morning so we took a kayak out to see the birds which was quite successful. No caimans on the stretch of water we covered and most birds were at the hotel end. To see more you need to take a tour.

Along the ocean side of Juan Venado Island is one of the world's most unspoiled beaches. A great place for long solitary walks with just you, the surf and the pelicans.

Was our guide and we had a memorable trip. Loved the fact he seemed to have lots of time and was very good at spotting and hearing the birds. We saw 34 differnt birds in three hours in the evening.

I did a tour with a local fisherman in an old boat that looked like it was carved out of a tree. He just threw a motor on the back and took us to see the nature. I was a little bummed I didn't get to see a cayman, but I hear they are pretty popular here and I've spoken to several people who have done the tour and got to see them firsthand. There are many beautiful birds, interesting plants and trees and I even got to see a pretty cool Iguana on my trip.

Baby Turtles :) And Nicaragua's national bird is beautiful ! Frankie is a super cool guide and also speaks some english !