I really loved Nicaragua and would come back here for sure when I’m more in the mood for travelling. I think towards the end of my time here I was just sort of fed up with living out of my backpack (never thought that would happen!) and sort of looking forward to New York. There’s a lot to explore though and I have a return ticket in mid October so we will see what happens.
Pros
- Affordable accommodation – The cheapest place I slept was in a hammock at a place called Little Morgan’s on Ometepe for $3 per night. It was the first time I have ever slept in a hammock and it was actually really comfy and really nice to see the sunrise without having to get out of bed. Hostel dorm beds go for around $6-8 which isn’t as cheap as in Asia (where this price would get you your own room) but it is pretty cheap and all of the places I stayed at were of a good quality.
- Cheap street and market eating – Street food can be had for under $2 for a decent sized feed. People will also sell chicken, salad and plantain chips in little bags on the buses and ferries for a buck. Markets are also a great place to shop as you will get fruit and veggies at a fraction of the price they are found at in supermarkets.
- Cheap and good transportation – Buses in Nicaragua are cheap. A two hour journey won’t cost much more than $2 and sometimes that’s on a nice bus with reclining seats. Even the so-called ‘chicken buses’ aren’t that bad. They’re old school buses and, while they can get crowded, they’re not bad at all. I wouldn’t want to be on one for ten hours, but for shorter journeys they’re fine. Getting to the Atlantic Coast by bus is a bit of a nightmare involving several days but if you plan on doing the usual stuff up and down the Pacific Coast then buses are a great choice. If you do want to head to the Atlantic, flights can be bought to the Corn Islands for about $60 one-way which is a fixed price.
- Interesting recent history – Nicaragua has been pretty much screwed over for years and fairly recently. Many people are passionate about politics and if you are able to communicate you will hear some interesting personal stories and opinions.
- Relatively safe – Statistically, Nicaragua is one of the safest countries in Central America and I remember reading somewhere that it is actually the safest, but I’m not sure on that one. What I do know is that I never felt unsafe while I was there. I walked alone at night in Managua (albeit in one of the better areas) and arrived at night into one of the bus stations and it wasn’t scary at all. I think the Nicaraguans were more scared for me which should maybe tell me something, but I never had any bad experiences. The worst thing I experienced was a chick fight on a bus on Ometepe which apparently was a long standing feud.
- Nice people – I can’t think of one time I had a bad encounter with a Nicaraguan besides the usual machismo sort of thing. Even the taxi drivers who were trying to rip me off were nice and bargaining with them was fun. People are more than happy to chat and, in my experience, they’re some of the friendliest and fun loving people I’ve come across.
- They speak Spanish – I want to learn Spanish so this was a huge advantage for me. Spanish courses are apparently not as cheap as in Guatemala, but they’re still affordable. The first course I took in Leon was $110 per week (living in a hostel) and the second attempt at learning Spanish cost me $130 per week to live with a family near Esteli. I can’t imagine it getting much cheaper than that. Few people outside of the tourist industry seem to speak English and are approachable and willing to chat with you.
- Decent internet connections – The internet in Nicaragua isn’t super fast, but it’s not terrible, either. Actually, it’s terrible on some places, but those were places where I was amazed to be getting it in the first place like the farm I worked on a side of a volcano.
- Variety of travel options – Within Nicaragua you can chill out on an island, hang out on the side of a volcano, learn to surf in a beach town, head up to the hills and check out the coffee plantations, go to the Atlantic Coast for a more Caribbean feel, head down the Rio Coco or Rio San Juan by canoe, or travel inland to visit minority villages. There is so much to do here. Plus if you get bored of Nicaragua, other Central American countries are easy and cheap to get to.
- Close to home – I’m from Canada and my family lives there and it was nice to be on the same side of the world for a change. It’s sort of reassuring in a way to know that home is only a shortish flight away.
Cons
- Supermarkets are expensive – If you decide you want to get away from street or market food and want to cook for yourself, be prepared to pay a lot more to stock up in the supermarkets. If you can manage to get your fruit and veggies in the markets and the rest at the supermarket you will save a bunch.
- Weather – I’m not one for the heat and Leon is one of the hottest places I’ve ever been and the other places aren’t much better. If you love the heat then you will love it here because it’s relentless.
- Mosquitoes – Nicaragua has the fastest, smartest mosquitoes I have ever come across and they enjoyed dining on my feet and ankles. Normally I wouldn’t put this as a con for a place but it was really bad. It drove me away from Ometepe because they were so bad. The first time I was there at the end of the dry season there was no problem but when I returned during the rainy season they were on the rampage.
- Boring parties – I have been to two Nicaraguan ‘parties’ and have heard the same thing from foreigners who have lived here for years. A Nica party usually consists of everyone sitting around, sipping pop, eating cake and not talking. It’s strange. If I were at a party like that I would be making excuses to leave but people just sit there for ages. Nobody really talks and nobody is making excuses to leave. I think when booze is thrown into the mix then things get a bit more interesting but for things like goodbye parties, children’s birthday parties and stuff like that, there isn’t usually booze involved. I would be curious to hear about other people’s experiences!
I had a pretty chilled time in Nicaragua. I wasn’t really in the mood for travelling and I was getting sort of bored of the usual backpacker conversations. I must be getting old. But I had a really good time working on the farm in Ometepe and met a few people who I will keep in touch with. My Spanish sucks but it went from non-existent to sucky which is a pretty big step up, I would say. It also got me interested in learning more and sticking with it. Overall I really loved Nicaragua and would recommend it to anyone.
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