ViaNica.com - Explore Nicaragua online

Zoom in and out using these controls.

Los Cajones Beach

Department: Managua

Municipality: San Rafael del Sur (view on map)

Type: Beaches

Popularity
*
Swimming Options
****
Snorkeling/Diving
**
Surfing
***
Camping
*****

Comments:
1 comments

Comments

  • hadi wrote on Jan 12, 2013:

    Im from Iran I want to go there for next

Leave a Comment

Have you been here? Leave a comment below to share your experience.

Description

This little-known beach divides its coasts in three segments: one for vacation houses, another one for bars and rustic palapas located near an estuary, and the third one for rural haciendas surrounded by wild vegetation. The beach itself is pretty solitary throughout the year, except on Sundays and Holy Week, which is when inhabitants of cities and neighboring towns visit the place.

The tide is tranquile at times but it can also get quite vigorous, which makes it suitable for surfing lessons. It is probably better not to park vehicles in the coast because the water reaches the houses and establishments. One can even see the abundant traces of seashells when laying on the beach.

The ranch zone is situated in the center of the beach and it is actually the public area of the coast. Over a dozen rustic palapas, some simpler than others, are lined up in two parallel rows - separated by a sandy street that starts right at the entrace road and ends near the ocean. Almost every ranch is home to a family business and functions as either a bar or a restaurant. There are public, rural toilets available.

Visitors can rent a ranch and put a couple of chairs and tables in order to enjoy the shadow. One can generally buy sodas, water, beers and rum. The menu, on the other hand, is varied: fried fish, soup, meat and chicken are cooked home style. The offer does not vary from ranch to ranch, making people chose between comodity, availabilty and location of the ranch. Tourists can also bring their own food and drinks, and just rent the space for themselves. Rent is about C$50 - C$100, and merely depends on the price that the owner wants to set for the ranch.

There are no lodging options available at this beach, but the place is suitable for camping. The zone is safe the majority of the time, except during Holy Week due to the massive arrival of visitors (some of them not as friendly and honest as one would wish).

The freshwater estuary is another interesting site here. This is the end of a small river that comes from the neighboring peaks and leads to the sea. The estuary is quite small but its flow can increase during the rainy season. A great number of trees and other vegetation surround the estuary and give it a wildlife sense.

Playa Los Cajones is located between the beaches of Quizalá and Costa Azul. The extension is ambiguous for the establishments (we will have to verify this information with the municipal government). Some of them say it covers about 300 meters, while others got 100 meters in front of the area where the palapas are located. It is also common to see people from the neighboring peasant communities passing by the beach. Overall, taking a swim in this beach will be a nice experience, the shadow is abundant and the location is remote. This will always be an interesting site to visit.

Getting There

The best way to get here is by driving your own car. Public transportation is poor. Here are the references:

The shortest way to get here is by taking the Carretera Vieja a Leon, which leads to a paved highway that displays several signs indicating the way to the beaches (Montelimar, Pochomil, Masachapa). You will drive for about 27 kilometers until reaching the entrance of a rural road, located on the righ side of the highway, which has a sign indicating the way to Costa Azul. Take this road and drive for about 3 1/2 kilometers. You will see a detour on the left (the main road leads to the neighboring beaches). Until this point, the road is suitable for any vehicle but the rest is not in such good state. There is a 600 meters slope that leads to the beach.

When traveling in public transportation you will have to take a bus that stops at the beginning of the street that leads to Los Cajones twice a week. The bus travels between the community of El Sapote and the town of San Rafael del Sur (it is a 1 1/2 hour trip). There is also a bus that passes by the town of Masachapa, in front of the beach of the same name, on Mondays and Fridays. This bus leaves El Sapote at 7:00 am and heads to San Rafael. It also leaves San Rafael at noon and heads to El Sapote. The owners of the palapas can tell you when to take the bus at the entrance of the beach and the driver will tell you when to get off at Los Cajones. You will have to pay C$15 approximately to get to San Rafael and C$10 to get to Masachapa. If you want to get to these places from Managua, you can take a bus at the Israel Lewites Market on a daily basis.

The last way to get here is by taking a taxi at San Rafael del Sur, Masachapa or Villa El Carmen.