About Gigante

Literally translated, Pie de Gigante means “Giant’s Foot”. The locals relate several stories as to how Gigante got its name. One story goes that if one stands out on Point Gigante when the tide is low and the sea is very calm you can see the imprint of a giant’s foot on a large rock under the water in the bay. Another story is that the top of the point is shaped like a giant’s foot if one were able to view it from above. And yet another is that the bay itself is shaped like a giant’s foot. No matter what story you are inclined to believe, everyone who has visited the bay agrees that it is a beautiful place.

Gigante is a working fishing village where about 30 fishermen earn their living. The fishermen leave early in the morning to fish in the area’s rich waters using nets. They normally return by late morning with their catch of Pargo (red snapper), Dorado (Mai Mai), and other market fish by late morning. The fish are cleaned offshore and put on ice in preparation for their road trip to market in Rivas or Managua.

Although the weekdays are mostly quiet, the weekends can get lively during the Nicaraguan holiday season (March thru May) when many Nicaraguans from the Tola area come to spend the day at the beach with their families. Semana Santa (Holy Week) is the highpoint of the Nicaraguan beach season when many of the businesses open additional facilities to cater to the increase in visitors. Music and Fiestas dominate the local scene from Holy Thursday through Easter Sunday. Increasingly, Gigante is becoming a vacation destination for travelers as well as a permanent home for some North Americans. You will see a steady stream of international surfers, sport fishermen and vacationers visiting Gigante throughout the year.

The village of Gigante is a mix of local fishermen with their families and surf camps, fishing charters, vacation homes, hotels, restaurants and hostels catering to surfers, sport fishermen and other vacationers. You will see North Americans, Europeans and South Americans visiting Gigante. The local businesses are owned and operated by Nicaraguans, Americans, Canadians and Europeans. Nicaragua has become destination of choice for global travelers seeking a natural environment, empty beaches and a place away from the crowds.

Electric service for lighting and air conditioning in Gigante is fairly reliable and improving all the time as the area becomes more and more of a vacation destiny. Potable water is provided from a system in the Arenas Bay development which was installed as a part of the Arenas Bay community outreach effort. The Gigante school provides classes through sixth grade and the children travel the 16 KM (about 10 miles) to Tola to receive their education through High School. There is a clinic with a doctor in Tola and a hospital in Rivas. There is a police station in Tola and the Department Police Headquarters in Rivas.

There are a number of resort projects and housing developments in the area including Guacalito de la Isla, Hacienda Iguana, Rancho Santana and Arenas Bay. The area has been referred to as the “Central American Riviera” because of the beautiful beaches and scenic coastline. The development in the Gigante Area, as well as the rest of the Department of Rivas, has provided many jobs in tourism and construction. This has made Rivas the most prosperous Department (similiar to a state) in Nicaragua.

One of the most popular activities in the Gigante area is surfing. Several articles in surfing magazines have designated Nicaragua as one of the top 5 surfing destinations in the world. This coastline picks up the large swells generated in the Southern Hemisphere during the surf season (April thru August). The prevailing wind direction is offshore (330 days a year) which sculpts the waves into long peeling lines. And the best part is that most of the breaks are still uncrowded! Gigante is central to many of the great breaks in Nicaragua…see the Surfing section on this site for a further description of the local breaks and how to get there!

Nicaragua is fast becoming one of the premier “frontier fishing” spots in the world. Long advertised as a surfer’s paradise, international fishermen are now exploring the abundant fisheries of Nicaragua. Several fishing charter operators are based in Gigante. Pastora Tours offer daily fishing trips from 4 to 10 hours for up to 6 people in well equipped pangas. Vincent Maubourguet, a French ex-pat, offers full service fishing tours from Gigante which include transportation, lodging, meals and daily panga fishing trips. Some of the local fishermen also will take you fishing, but you will have to bring your own rod as they are net fishermen.

This entire region is sparsely populated and unspoiled. Those who appreciate hiking, bird watching, and just enjoying nature will find this a fascinating place to visit. A walk through the surrounding forest may give you a close-up view of families of howler monkeys, large iguanas, deer, wild cats, and myriad other animal life. You can see flocks of pink flamingos, spoonbills, herons, and storks right from the Casa Amarillo kitchen window.

In the surrounding region and the rest of Nicaragua there are volcano tours, canopy tours, island boat trips, and lots of other activities available.

So, come see us. You’ll love it just as we do.

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