Old army barracks on the mass sea turtle nesting beach, Chacocente Wildlife Refuge, Nicaragua. Enjoy 1,300 acres of beautiful forest and a spectacular beach where tens of thousands of turtles come to nest each year. Excellent surfing. Food service available for a hassle free, fun filled holiday. The space Located in the heart of the Rio Escalante-Chacocente Wildlife Refuge on one of the top ten sea turtle nesting beaches in the world - and arguably the most beautiful beach in Nicaragua. This very simple, back to nature house has no distractions, so all you can do is swim, surf, play, explore, hang out and talk. Turtle season is from mid-July to the end of January. Every two weeks or so, thousands of turtles come to nest in the soft sands of this beach. Each year about 80,000 turtles nest on this beach, and between 1.25 million to 1.75 million baby turtles are born here each year. NOTE: There is NO SWIMMING OR SURFING DURING THE MASS NESTING PERIODS when turtles are present. The best time to see turtles is at night. The mass nestings generally occur within 2 or 3 days on either side of a half moon. Chacocente also has a great surf break and the Lance's Left surf break (the longest left in Nicaragua) is a 10 minute walk away. Both breaks are exceedingly uncrowded as the only access is through our property or by boat. There is a guard house on the property which does reduce privacy a little, but is necessary to ensure your safety. You and your belongings will be totally safe. Guest access You can access the house from the town of El Astillero to the South or through the town of Santa Teresa. If you are driving, you will need a 4 wheel drive vehicle. Transportation can be provided for a fee. NOTE: In case of very heavy rains, access to or from the site may have to be delayed until rivers subside. In the rainy season (from May to October, but especially during the heaviest periods in September and October), please plan on leaving the site a day or two before your flight home. Other things to note The house is far from any stores or restaurants, so we provide a full meal plan of breakfast, lunch and dinner for $33 (breakfast $8, lunch $10 and dinner $15) per day. Food needs to be ordered in advance as everything is brought their and prepared to order. Staff and guards only speak Spanish, but are eager to please so you have to get by with sign language :-).