Las Peñitas is a fishing village and tourist beach community on the North Western coast of Nicaragua. It lies within the León, Nicaragua municipality and the

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

of León and is next to

Poneloya, Nicaragua Poneloya is a town on the west coast of Nicaragua bordering the Pacific Ocean. It lies within the León Department and borders Las Peñitas, Nicaragua. Poneloya is about from the city of León, Nicaragua, León. The town is a vacation home area ...

. It is becoming a more and more popular tourist destination and has recently (2009) received a new road courtesy of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a U.S. foreign aid agency created by the U.S. Congress in 2004 to disburse the war reparation settlement won by Nicaragua at the World Court in the Hague. There are many hotel beach bars catering to backpackers, surfers, foreign aid project workers, religious groups, and expats. Next to Las Peñitas is the

Juan Venado Island Natural Reserve Juan Venado Island Natural Reserve is a nature reserve in Nicaragua. It is one of the 78 reserves that are under official protection in the country. The reserve is home to a wide variety of different species including sea turtles, crocodile ...

, popular with visitors for the wildlife and turtle migrations. Some tourist attractions of the area include volcano boarding at nearby Cerro Negro volcano, boat trips into the nature reserve, and surf lessons. During certain times of the year, visitors can also visit the turtle hatchery on Isla Juan Venado to witness live sea turtle hatching.

References

Populated coastal places in Nicaragua León Department {{Nicaragua-geo-stub

See also

References