Dry season and rainy season near San Juan del Sur: when to visit the lots
People who are thinking about buying land in Nicaragua almost always ask the same question before booking a flight: when should I come? On the Pacific side of Rivas, near San Juan del Sur, the year is widely described in two halves — a dry season and a rainy (or green) season. Both are good times to walk the lots of Las Planadas in Escamequita, but they show you different things. Here is what each one lets you see, and how to plan a visit that answers your own questions about the land.
Two seasons, not four
This part of Nicaragua does not really have spring, summer, autumn and winter. It has a dry stretch and a wet stretch, and locals simply call them verano and invierno. The temperature stays warm all year; what changes is the water, the wind, the colour of the hills and how the roads feel under the tyres.
Nothing about the project changes with the calendar: the gated entrance, the roads and drainage kept up, and the water and electricity connection available are there in every season. What changes is the atmosphere — and that is exactly why some buyers come twice.
The dry season: wide views and easy driving
In the dry months the hills turn golden, the light is strong, and the air is drier. This is the season when the shape of the terrain is easiest to read: you can see the slope of a lot, where the sun lands in the morning and in the afternoon, where you would place a terrace, and how your lot sits against its neighbours.
It is also the easiest season for driving around. From the project, Playa Yankee is 3 min by car, Playa Hermosa 5 min, Playa Remanso 7 min and San Juan del Sur 15 min, so you can see several beaches in a single morning and still be back for lunch.
- Clear, open views of the hills and the lots
- Easy to picture where a house and a garden would sit
- Beaches at their busiest and liveliest
- A good moment to walk the whole project slowly with Jesús
The green season: water, shade and fertile soil
When the rains arrive, everything turns green. The pastures come back, the trees fill in, and the air feels softer in the evening. In this part of the world the rain often comes in a strong burst and then clears, so days are rarely lost entirely — people simply plan around the afternoon.
This is the season that tells you the most about the land itself. You see how water moves on a lot, where the drainage runs, which corners stay shaded, and how green a property really gets. Our own finca next door was a century-old cattle farm; since 2020 we planted thousands of trees and more than twenty kinds of fruit, and the soil, rich in water again, gives exceptional organic produce. The green season is when all of that is most visible.
- The real colour of the land, hills and vegetation
- How roads and drainage behave after a downpour
- Gardens, fruit trees and the finca at their fullest
- Quieter beaches and a calmer village rhythm
What to look at on a lot, whatever the month
Whichever season you come in, the questions worth answering on the ground are the same. Walk the lot, stand in its corners, and take your time: 29 available lots out of 57 in total means there is usually more than one that could suit you.
Sizes run from 800 to 1,190 m², with prices from $28,080. The list price is $39/m², and $49/m² for the lots on the main road, with −10% on every lot. If you like two lots that touch each other, the largest keeps −10% and the others go to −15%.
- The slope and the natural high point of the lot
- Where the morning sun and the afternoon shade fall
- Trees already growing on the land
- Distance from the road and how quiet the spot feels
- Neighbouring lots and what is already built nearby
Village life all year round
Escamequita village is a short walk from the lots and it does not shut down with the seasons. There is a school, cafés, restaurants, a bar, karaoke night, pizza night, pulperías, an equestrian centre with horse rides to the beach, pickleball, a football field, a baseball field and a health centre.
That daily rhythm is often what convinces visitors more than any photo. A rainy afternoon at a café in the village tells you as much about living here as a perfect sunset does.
Planning your visit
Jesús lives on site, so a visit is simple to arrange in any month: you can walk the project with him in person, or do the whole thing on a video call if you cannot travel yet. Many people start with the video call, pick two or three lots, and then come in person to choose.
Staying nearby helps. Our four houses at the finca next door rent on Airbnb, rated 4.87 with 157 reviews, and can host up to 20 people — so a family or a group of friends can see the land and the area at the same time.
Deciding without rushing the season
There is no "wrong" month to buy. When you find your lot, $1,000 per lot takes it off the market, and you then sign at the lawyer's office: the escritura is 100% in your name and registered, and the lawyer tells you which documents are needed and prepares the escritura.
If you would rather spread the cost, owner financing starts from $650/month at 9% fixed per year, flexible, with no penalty for paying early, and the payment plan is confirmed in writing before signing. The yearly community fee is 5 córdobas per m² for roads and common areas. And if one day you wish to build, it is only an option: we can build turnkey, like Villa Mariposa, or put you in touch with contractors and every trade.
Tell us which season you are thinking of coming in and what you want to see, and we will plan the visit around it. Write to us on WhatsApp.
