Prepare for heat when you head to the northwest corner of Nicaragua, there is a reason Chinandega named the country’s “hottest city” (and Leon is a close second). Temperatures usually hover around the mid-80s (between 26 to 30 degrees Celsius), but can climb into the 100s (38 degrees Celsius) in the dry season. The best time to go is at the end of the rainy period, around December to January. Surfers generally avoid the beaches during the heaviest of the rains, from late August to November. The curls may be just as good, but the downpours and thick, clay mud are enough to dampen the lightest spirits.