About Pie de Gigante (Pee-Ay day Heegahntay)

SOME HISTORY AND GENERAL INFO

Literally translated, Pie de Gigante means "Giant's Foot". The locals relate several stories as to how Gigante got its name. One story goes that if one stands out on Point Gigante when the tide is low and the sea is very calm you can see the imprint of a giant's foot on a large rock under the water in the bay. Another story is that the top of the point is shaped like a giant's foot if one were able to view it from above. And yet another is that the bay itself is shaped like a giant's foot. Oh well, you know how local folklore is.

Anyway, Gigante is a sleepy little fishing village sporting a population of approximately 400 people in the immediate area. Most are families of fishermen or fishing-related businesses. They are net fishermen, meaning that they construct 100- to 500-yard long nets that they lay near the area reefs. Each morning they take their pongas (25-foot boats with small outboard motors) out and pull in the nets. They separate the fish or lobster from the nets, re-deploy the nets, and return to the village.

On the way back they gut and clean the fish so they are ready to sell. You can always tell when the trip was successful, as the Frigate birds and Pelicans swarm the boats for the unwanted cleanings thrown overboard. The Pelicans gulp down their prize while floating in the sea, while the Frigate birds (who must be on dry land to eat their prize) enter into amazing aerial displays of dodging and diving to prevent the others from stealing their prize out their beaks in mid-air. Military airmen could learn a thing or two from these aerial dogfighters.

Gigante village is typical of an economically depressed 3rd-world pueblo, where the average income is somewhere around $100 per month (when the fishing is good). This, of course, makes it difficult for them to significantly raise their standard of living, so they are caught in the stagnation of progress so prevalent in such countries. Not much has changed here in the past 25 years, other than the population of the village increasing dramatically from six families 10 years ago to today's population.

While the village does have electricity, until recently they had only one government-provided water well. The local school had only one teacher covering grades 1 through 3. The closest clinic with a doctor is over 10 miles away. The dirt road to the village is graded once a year by the government, and in the rainy season the village has at times been stranded for weeks on end.

Thanks to the generosity of local developers and philanthropists buying homes in the area donations have resulted in charity organizations being able to provide the support lacking from the government. Developers have brought in running potable water, maintain the roads to the village, hired teachers so that the local children can complete the 6th grade, donated a building to serve as charity headquarters, a clinic for volunteer doctors, and a place for a police presence in the area.

There are myriad resort projects and housing developments in their infancy in this area, which is being called the "Central American Riviera". This has resulted in hundreds of jobs in construction and tourism. So the locals are beginning to benefit from not only these jobs, but from the peripheral dollars in businesses destined to support rapidly rising tourism, the influx of home buyers, and visiting surfers.

Yes, surfers! Several recent articles in surfing magazines have designated Nicaragua as in the top 5 most popular surfing destinations in the world. This is due to good waves, predominant off-shore breezes, affordable entertainment, AND because Nicaragua is an undiscovered country. Gigante is strategically located about in the middle of surfing country, with the majority of good breaks within a 45-minute drive in either direction (sometimes faster by boat). And when the fishermen aren't fishing, they haul the surfers to the breaks by boat and provide boat trips for tourists. Many surfers frequenting our restaurant rave about having "15-foot overheads all to ourselves". There are two American-owned and operated surf camps in Gigante, Giant's Foot Surf and Dale Dagger. There are also other surf camps and fishing camps up and down the coast, including Safari Tours, whose web site is accessible via our links.

This entire region is sparsely populated and mostly unspoiled. Those who appreciate hiking, bird watching, and just enjoying nature will find this a fascinating place to visit or live. A recent bird-watching visitor reported seeing more life birds  in his week-long stay than he had found over the past several years elsewhere. A walk through the surrounding forest may give you a close-up view of families of howler monkeys, large iguanas, deer, wild cats, three-toed sloths, and myriad other animal life. Not to mention the ever-present ox carts and horse-drawn carts employed by the locals to earn a living. During the migratory season we are visited by flocks of pink flamingos, spoonbills, herons, and storks.

In the surrounding region and the rest of Nicaragua there are volcano tours, canopy tours, island boat trips, and lots of other activities available.

So, come see us. You'll love it just as we do.