San Juan de Nicaragua’s traditional tourist attraction is the swampy remains of Greytown, a short boat ride (up to four people US$80 to US$100, three to four hours) across the bay. Here you’ll find a few solid building foundations and four very interesting cemeteries: one for the British (including those members of Horatio Nelson’s doomed campaign who were not fed to the sharks), another for Catholics, a third for North Americans and the last for Freemasons from St John’s Lodge.
Unfortunately, the new airport has been constructed bang in the middle of the ruins, which torpedoes the atmosphere somewhat. Most tours also include a visit to some of the jungle lagoons and make a stop at the beach at the mouth of the Río Indio.