I have a penchant for seriously off-the-beaten path locations. Not only do I want to go to Nicaragua, but I want to go to the most remote places in the country. Way up north is a little beach village called Jiquilillo. This village is home to maybe a few hundred people. It's also home to Monty's Beach Resort, which I stumbled across on Trip Advisor. Monty's is a beach lodge with a big heart - they have all sorts of volunteer options in local communities, from soup kitchens to turtle rescue. It's a quick 2 hour drive from Leon to Jiquilillo. We head north and soon find ourselves on a long, straight dirt road headed due west. We drive through the village and start to wonder if we'll ever find Monty's and then we see a sign and head to the left. We can see the ocean and we drive down the dirt path and then we see Monty's. Cabanas on the beach with people drinking cervezas underneath thatched-roofs, kids playing soccer on the beach ... this is what I had in mind. We get settled into our cabana and get situated with a few beers and start to chat with the other guests. We meet a guy who invites us to release turtle hatchlings the next day, we walk down the beach, chat with Monty and get ready to learn the art of surfing. There are probably 10 people staying at the lodge and we are the only gringos for 100 miles. THIS is what I'm looking for when I travel.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.