Rise Up Surf Camp, Nicaragua

thewilderling | July 22, 2014 | Adventure, Travel Destinations, Water, Yoga | No Comments

Rise Up Surf Camp will give you the Nicaragua trip of your dreams, and much much more. It surpassed all my expectations! It was the most active, yet rejuvenating adventure vacation I’ve ever had. The camp accommodations are built perfectly for luxuriating in between surf sessions, but still have a rustic hostel-like feel that keeps your experience authentic.

You will quickly make friends with other guests at the group meals, and also with the wonderfully kind staff who take care of your every wish and need. And more importantly, you WILL learn to surf, or improve your surfing skills immensely. It’s amazing how quickly you can progress when you are out in the warm, beautiful ocean three times a day, surrounded by world-class breaks for every level of surfer.

Every morning you wake up with the sunrise, have a quick bite to eat, and pile in the vans to find the best break. The staff strap all your boards and stock the coolers for the day, so all you need to do is enjoy the ride. You won’t even give a thought to how early in the morning it is while you’re driving through rustic countryside, waiting for cows to move out of the road, and blasting perfectly happy tunes.

During our week there we witnessed a town getting electricity for the first time! When you hop in the ocean at 6am, it will feel like a bath. Three hours will quickly pass and then you’ll pile in the vans to go back to the camp for a BIG breakfast. And then you’ll do it all again twice more that day! You’ll take so many dips in the pool and naps in the hammocks that one day will feel like you just spent a week in paradise. And if 10am rolls around and you already feel like having a beer (you probably will), nobody will judge you ;)

There are also a bunch of other activities at Rise Up in case you’re surfed out one day or you just want a chance to see the surrounding towns and landscapes. You can horseback ride into the neighboring town and see a village with no electricity. You can also take boat rides into the estuary to fish or jump off trees into the water! There’s even volcano boarding a couple hours away.

One of my favorite moments during our stay was hopping off a boat onto a remote beach with my friends to watch the sunset. On our way home I explained to my friends how Rise Up felt like a home away from home. I am so grateful to have spent a week there and would go back the next chance I get!