Poneloya, Nicaragua


Poneloya is a beach community on the Western coast of Nicaragua. It lies within the department of León and borders Las Peñitas, Nicaragua. Poneloya is about from the city of León.
The name Poneloya means “small seeds” in the indigenous language. The area was originally populated by indigenous groups that according to genetic testing originated from the central plains from the Sioux Tribes. The town is a vacation home area for wealthy Nicaraguans; the locals are either mostly fishermen, caretakers or those who commute to Leon for work. Poneloya is a suburb of Leon. There are many famous Nicas and politicians living there so there is a rather large police detachment of eight officers. The area has a low crime rate and for the most part is quite peaceful.

Climate, geography and ecology

Daily temperatures range from 32 °C to 40 °C or more. Night time provides a reduction to about 25 °C to 30 °C, The cool wind off the sea helps to make it quite comfortable.
Several volcanoes exist near the town including Cerro Negro, Telica, San Cristóbal, Las Pilas, and El Hoyo.
There is a large diversity of fish, crabs and shrimp in the water, which are targeted by small scale fishing operations.

Transportation

The access road was re-engineered in 2009.
A regular bus service leaves every hour from the “Sutiaba” market in Leon.

Tourism

The beach is approximately 1.5 km long, and is mostly dark sand with some coral.
Most of the visitors are Nicaraguans from Leon and Managua; however, some tour operators will bring international tourists there as they traverse the country heading either north or south. Vacationers from other countries are found here mostly in the northern hemisphere winter. Peak travel dates are the weeks from Christmas to the end of January, school vacation in Nicaragua, and the week including Good Friday and Easter.