San Juan del Sur at Christmas and New Year 2026: What Is Open, How to Get Around

San Juan del Sur fills at Christmas and New Year with Nicaraguans on vacation and families from Costa Rica, El Salvador and Honduras, as El 19 Digital described on December 31, 2023. The national holidays are December 8 and 25 and January 1. The Ometepe ferry keeps its schedule and Masaya Volcano National Park opens day and night, but the Peñas Blancas border gets congested. This guide sorts out what can be verified as of November 5, 2026.

We are Monkeys Travels & Tours, a private operator based in Rivas, the capital of the department San Juan del Sur belongs to. We do not publish visitor numbers or party schedules we cannot document. What follows has a source and a date.

Calendar: what is a holiday and what is not

Article 66 of the Labor Code (Ley 185) sets as mandatory national holidays "January 1, Holy Thursday and Good Friday, May 1, July 19, September 14 and 15, December 8 and 25". Law 1272, in force since January 20, 2026 according to the law firm García & Bodán, added four more dates, none in December.

Date	What it is	What to expect in San Juan del Sur
December 7 and 8	La Gritería and the Purísima holiday	Altars on the night of the 7th and "aquatic Purísimas" on the 8th in Rivas, per the National Police; read our guide to La Gritería and the Purísima
December 24	Working day by law	Family dinner; banks and public offices closed from days earlier
December 25	National holiday	Reduced commerce in the morning; beach in the afternoon
December 31	Working day by law	The busiest night in the bay, according to ViaNica and El 19 Digital
January 1	National holiday	Full beaches; the Ometepe ferry runs its normal schedule

Public-sector vacations set the country's rhythm. In 2025 they ran from December 19 to January 5, 2026, according to Bloomberg Línea (October 16, 2025). For 2026 the labor ministry's notice was not published when this guide closed; if the pattern holds, expect two weeks of domestic tourism on the coast.

What is open and when

• Masaya Volcano National Park. TN8 published on March 29, 2026 the hours given by a park guide: day visit from 8:30 to 16:30 and night visit from 16:30 to 19:30, with five minutes at the crater rim. We confirm the day before; the park can close for volcanic activity. Details in Masaya Volcano at night.
• La Flor refuge. MARENA published hours of 8:30 to 16:30 at the refuge for December 24, 25 and 31, 2025 and January 1, 2026. In December 2025 the ministry reported an arribada of 36,647 turtles. Our arribada log for 2026-2027 keeps count this season.
• San Jorge to Ometepe ferry. Ometepe Nicaragua states the schedule is the same on holidays, Christmas and New Year included; the lanchas do not run on Sundays. Times in the ferry guide.
• Banks and offices. Closed on the 8th, the 25th and the 1st. Change money beforehand; money in Nicaragua covers ATMs and dollars.

Getting around

From Costa Rica. The Tico Times reported on December 22, 2025 lines of up to 13 kilometers on both sides of Peñas Blancas, waits of hours and even overnight, and volumes about 25 percent higher, with the worst days near December 25 and January 1. The border was open from 6:00 to midnight. If you come on those dates, send the immigration form 7 days ahead and carry the fees in cash; the step by step is in crossing Peñas Blancas from Liberia. Our Liberia airport transfer crosses with you, from US$45 per person in groups of 4 to 6; over the holidays we ask you to book it with extra days of margin.

Inside San Juan del Sur. Canal 4 reported on April 19, 2026 the opening of the second stretch of the Costanera highway, which improved access to Majagual, Marsella, Maderas, El Toro, Ocotal, Matilda, Blanca and Nacascolo, beaches that before "remained practically isolated". Which one to pick, by distance and use, is in San Juan del Sur beaches.

On the road. The National Police plan for La Gritería, Christmas 2025 and New Year, dated October 24, 2025, prioritized December 6, 7 and 8, December 23, 24 and 25, and December 30 and 31 and January 1, with speed radars, breathalyzers and inspections of public transport. Expect checkpoints on the Pan-American Highway and plan for a driver who does not drink.

What to book early

1. Lodging for December 31. ViaNica notes that the 31st is a good date to visit San Juan del Sur because New Year parties are held, and El 19 Digital described more domestic and foreign tourists on those dates in 2023. We have no occupancy figures to publish; we do have the experience that hotels on the bay fill first.
2. The transfer from Liberia or Managua on the peak border dates.
3. The sunset cruise, from US$40 per person in groups of 4 to 6, if you want the 31st on the water; few boats go out and they are confirmed in writing.
4. The turtle night tour if you travel in December: we only confirm it when the rangers report turtles.
5. The Ometepe day on a weekday, with both the large ferries and the lanchas available.

What we did not find

As of November 5, 2026, there is no December 2026 event calendar for San Juan del Sur published by INTUR or the municipality. The closest thing is the "Diciembre en Nicaragua" strategy, which INTUR presented in San José and Panama City in October 2026 to 42 travel agencies, according to News in America. There is also no official notice about fireworks in the bay or beach hours. If the client or the municipality publishes a dated program, we add it here.

What Monkeys does

• A private vehicle, only your group, with bilingual guides born in Rivas.
• Prices per person by group size, confirmed in writing: San Juan del Sur full day from US$45 (groups of 4 to 6), Ometepe from US$55, La Flor from US$45, Liberia transfer from US$45.
• We confirm Masaya park, ferry and La Flor hours the day before and tell you if anything changes.
• Free cancellation up to 48 hours before. WhatsApp +505 8506 1173, every day from 7:00 to 20:00, including the 25th and the 1st.