Things to Do in San Juan del Sur With Your Dog
San Juan del Sur is a pretty great place to have a dog. You’ve got beaches in almost every direction, hills to hike, outdoor cafés and restaurants, and plenty of places where bringing your dog along is completely normal.
The biggest thing to plan around is the heat. Early mornings and late afternoons are your friend. Midday is usually better for shade, water, and somewhere cool.
Here are some of our favorite things to do around San Juan del Sur with our dogs.
1. Walk the Beach and Malecón
For an easy everyday outing, it’s hard to beat the main bay.
Walk along the malecón, let your dog sniff around the beach, dip their paws in the water, and watch the fishing boats come and go.
Early morning and sunset are best. By the middle of the day, the sand and pavement can get way too hot for paws.
We usually keep our dogs fairly close around town. Between scooters, traffic, street dogs, and everything else happening around San Juan, things can get chaotic pretty quickly.
Off-leash is really only a good idea if your dog’s recall is excellent.
2. Explore the Beaches Around San Juan del Sur
One of the best parts about living in San Juan with dogs is how many beaches you can explore.
Playa San Juan del Sur
The easiest option because it’s right in town. It’s great for a morning or evening walk, especially if you want to grab coffee or food afterward.
Playa Maderas
North of town and one of the best choices when you want more open space.
Maderas is a surf beach, so keep an eye on dogs that aren’t strong swimmers. Bring water too. You don’t have quite as many easy options as you do downtown.
You’ll generally want a car, motorcycle, shuttle, or taxi to get there.
Playa Hermosa
A good option when you want a quieter, longer beach walk away from downtown.
It’s south of San Juan and usually requires a car or taxi.
Playa Remanso
Closer to town than some of the other southern beaches and another easy option for a beach day with your dog.
There are restaurants and places to sit near the beach, which makes it easy to stay for a few hours instead of just going for a walk.
Beaches Farther South
If you have a car, keep exploring.
Yankee, Escameca, and the other beaches south of town can make for great dog outings, especially when you want to get away from the busier parts of San Juan.
Just check access before you go. Some beaches are reached through private property or developments with their own entry rules.
3. Wander Around Downtown
San Juan is small enough that walking around town without much of a plan can be an activity on its own.
Start near the market, take some of the quieter side streets, wander toward the beach, and stop somewhere when everybody gets hot.
A harness is useful here. Sidewalks randomly disappear, motorcycles squeeze through spaces you didn’t expect them to fit through, and there’s always a chance another dog suddenly appears around a corner.
Basically: normal San Juan.
4. Go for a Hike
If your dog has more energy than a walk around town can handle, there are several good hikes around San Juan.
Most are much better early in the morning or later in the afternoon.
Hike to El Cristo
You can see Cristo de la Misericordia from almost anywhere along the bay.
The last part is steep, but you get one of the best views over the bay from the top.
Bring water for your dog and avoid doing this one in the middle of the day. A lot of the route is exposed pavement.
Hike to the Lighthouse
This is one of our favorite shorter hikes close to town.
There are some steep and rough sections, but the views are worth it.
You may pass barking dogs around some of the houses along the way, so we keep ours close.
Hike to the Radio Towers
This one feels a little more hidden and is a good option if you want to get up into the hills behind San Juan.
Don’t worry too much about the sign. There are a few dogs behind gates around the homes near the top, and plenty of people walk up here.
From there you can explore the roads and trails around the radio towers and get some great views over San Juan and the surrounding hills.
Hike to the Waterfall
This one is a little more adventurous and is best during rainy season.
There’s a fair amount of walking over rocks and uneven ground, so this one is best for dogs that are comfortable scrambling a little.
During dry season there may not be much water. During rainy season, it’s a completely different hike.
5. Stop for Coffee or Food
Breaking up a walk with somewhere shady to sit makes life much easier when you have a dog in San Juan.
At Royal Paws Studio & Café, dogs are very much part of the idea.
Grab a coffee, something to eat, or an ice cream while your dog cools down, and there are treats for them too.
There are also plenty of restaurants and cafés around San Juan with patios or outdoor seating where dogs are welcome. Check out our Dog-Friendly Restaurants & Cafés in San Juan del Sur guide for the places we recommend.
6. Watch the Sunset at the Bay
This is probably one of the easiest things to do with a dog in San Juan, and somehow it never gets old.
Head down toward the beach in the late afternoon, take a slow walk along the water, then find somewhere to sit as the sun goes down.
It’s cooler, the sand isn’t scorching, and there’s usually a lot more happening around the bay.
If your dog likes people-watching, this is basically their version of television.
7. Have a Beach Picnic
You don’t always need a big activity.
Grab some food, water for the dogs, a blanket, and spend a couple of hours somewhere shady near the beach.
For a quieter picnic, head outside the center of town or visit one of the beaches north or south of San Juan.
Just make sure you have shade. Even when the breeze feels nice, the sun here is doing more work than you think.
8. Explore the Hills and Roads Outside Town
Some of our best dog walks aren’t really destinations at all.
Once you get outside central San Juan, there are dirt roads, hills, quieter neighborhoods, and countryside in almost every direction.
La Chocolata and the roads around the hills behind town are especially good when you want somewhere quieter than the beach.
Just be cautious around unfamiliar properties and dogs. A road that looks completely empty can suddenly have three very enthusiastic guard dogs behind the next fence.
A Few Things We’ve Learned
- Always carry more water than you think your dog needs.
- Avoid asphalt and sand during the hottest part of the day.
- Expect to encounter loose dogs occasionally, even in places where you normally don’t see them.
- Don’t feel like you need to cram a bunch of activities into one day.
Living here with dogs works much better when you adjust to San Juan’s schedule: walk early, find somewhere cool when the sun gets brutal, and head back outside when the temperature drops.
Need a Little Help With Your Dog?
Heading somewhere your dog can’t come? Check out our dog-sitting options in San Juan del Sur.
If they’ve spent the week swimming, rolling in sand, and turning themselves into one giant knot, you can also book a groom with Reina at Royal Paws Studio.
And if you’re trying to figure out where to buy food, leashes, shampoo, medication, or other essentials, see our guide to where to buy pet supplies in San Juan del Sur.