Me Encanta Nicaragua, or Nica, what the locals fondly call their beautiful country. Traveling to Nica for a spontaneous girls trip was hands down one of the the best ideas my best friend and I ever had. Nica is a hidden gem in Central America, offering its visitors something more affordable, authentic and memorable in comparison to it’s trendier neighbor, Costa Rica. As I prepared to set off on this adventure, I received a lot of blank stares and questions on my interest to travel to Nicaragua. For starters, Nicaragua is CHEAP, filled with culture and is known as the “land of lakes and volcanoes” so that in itself should be a good indication of what drew us to explore this gorgeous country. Nicaragua was the best location for an affordable girls trip – The brightly colored colonial buildings, swimming in thermally vented lakes, gorgeous volcano views, delicious food and the amazing people stole our hearts.

If you aren’t convinced yet, read on for my Nicaragua travel guide! 

• Currency: Cordoba and USD (this can be very confusing)
• Language: Spanish

Managua

You will fly into the Augusto C. Sandino International Airport in Managua. From Managua you will embark on your adventure. However, if you do plan to arrive late in the evening, I would suggest you spend the night and head off early in the morning to your first destination. I stayed at Hostal Monte Cristi in Managua and arranged a free airport pickup as I arrived rather late; the driver was waiting in the arrival area carrying a card with my name written on it. The owners (Calvin & Molly) were super accommodating and found my stay to be comfortable and very affordable ($25 USD).

Granada

Spend 2-3 days here. Getting to Granada from Managua was very easy and cheap ($1 USD). Grab a taxi from your hostel/hotel to the UCA Microbus Terminal, from here it will take approximately 1.5 hrs to Granada. The UCA (“OOKA”) does not leave until it is full, however, don’t count on waiting long as they get packed quick. When we arrived at the UCA terminal, the driver grabbed our bags from our taxi, tossed them on the front dash of the bus (where they road shot gun the entire way) and ushered us onto the bus where we were lucky enough to secure a seat. The revolving door of vendors hopping on and off the moving bus selling fresh fruit in bags and trying to ensure we got off at the right stop on our bus ride was an adventure in itself!

We stayed at Hostel Oasis Granada  for 2 nights and found it to be very comfortable (at $20 USD) and close to the Central Park (main square), making it a great location to walk to all of the main attractions in Granada. Granada is a Spanish Colonial style town with brightly colored buildings. You can explore all of Granada on foot, soaking in the beauty of the buildings and the views from within them.

To spice things up a bit from the sleepy small town vibes of Granada, I highly recommend staying one night at The Treehouse. The Treehouse is an actual treehouse tucked away in the jungle, built into the side of Volcano Mombacho. The treehouse is a quick (free) shuttle ride from Granada where you will be dropped off for one of the most epic nights of hammock sleeping, followed by a howler monkey wakeup call in the morning.

Things to do: 

• Laguna De Apoyo – Take a day trip here and swim in the crater lake. In a country with as much geothermal action as Nicaragua, you don’t want to miss out on taking a dip in a big warm lake!
• Iglesia La Merced – Try stopping here at sunset for amazing city views. One thing to note is the sun sets at 6pm year-round, so plan accordingly.
• Wander the streets and view colonial style buildings.
• Catedral De Nicaragua (Yellow Cathedral) – This stunner is located in Central Park and is one of my favorite sights in Granada.

Isla Ometepe

Spend 1-2 days here (or longer, depending on your preference). Getting to Isla Ometepe from Granada is a jaunt and will take several hours as you will need to travel (1.5 hrs) to the Port of San Jorge to take the ferry (1 hr) to the island. The island is fairly large, making it impossible to walk entirely on foot. I would recommend heading to the island’s second largest town, Altagracia, for an island vibe in comparison to Moyogolpa, the harbor village hosting the ferry port. Out of all the areas visited in Nica, we had the hardest time connecting with Ometepe. You might fall madly in love with Ometepe as many travelers do, or you might not.  Regardless, I still recommend you spend at least a night here for the experience.

Xalli Beach Hotel is an affordable ($40 USD) place to stay right on the beach at Lake Nicaragua (the largest fresh water lake in Central America), with a cute restaurant where you can grab a quick bite or cool off with a drink. We enjoyed a sunset swim in the lake, which unbeknownst to us is home to BULL SHARKS – YIKES! Aside from our dip with the sharks, the highlight of our stop in Ometepe was renting scooters and sharing the road with livestock instead of cars. Talk about an adrenaline rush! Wear a helmet, trust me on this, we almost collided with a horse (or two) in the middle of the road.

Things to do:

• Rent scooters and meep around.
• Swim in the lake (if you don’t mind the sharks).
• If you are brave, hike one of the two volcanoes : Concepción Volcano or Maderas.
• Take a dip at El Ojo De Agua – pack your bikini and a towel for this.
• Visit the Ancient Petroglyphs – this is a bit of a hike and if you are lucky you will spot wild pigs along the way!

San Juan Del Sur

Spend 3-4 days here (or never, ever leave). Getting to SJDS is a quick taxi ride from the Port of San Jose. While SJDS was our last stop, this is where my real love affair with Nica began.  SJDS is a vibrant beach town which offers the most gorgeous sunsets, beaches full of surfers and thatch-roof restaurants serving $1 cervezas (beer).  The beach front bars, our favorite being The Beach House, are a great place to catch a cotton candy sunset.

We stayed at Casa Oro, an eco friendly hostel, that offered an amazing FREE breakfast right in the center of town. Casa Oro offers private rooms starting at around $10 USD and is a great place for budget and solo travelers. We were in walking distance to the beach, great restaurants and hiking.  Our favorite things about SJDS were wandering the streets, enjoying the laid back vibes and hanging by the beach eating lots and lots of tacos.

Things to do:

• Embark on the forty minute uphill trek to the lookout at the Christ of Mercy statue. The 25 meter tall statue of Jesus offers gorgeous views over the town.
• Head to Zen Yoga for vinyasa with a view.
• Take a surfing lesson.
• The spicy passion fruit margaritas at The Beach House are EVERYTHING. Drink tons of these.
• Sunday Funday Pool Party– It is no secret SJDS holds Central Americas most notorious party scene. If this is what you came for, you can pay $30 USD for a tee shirt and a wrist band for SJDS’s most epic bar crawl.
• If you want to experience a bit of night life and Sunday Funday isn’t quiet your speed, go to The Loose Moose Canadian Bar (yes, there is a Canadian bar), Iguana Bar and Nacho Libre.

Final Tips Before Heading to Nicaragua

• It is HOT, HOT, HOT. I was sweating from places I didn’t know that could sweat. Pack plenty of breathable lightweight clothing.
• Don’t overpack –  you won’t wear all the cute outfits you have planned…trust me. I lived in light dresses and shorts and was too sweaty to care.
• Many people traveling through Nica are backpackers. I would suggest investing in a backpacking backpack for traveling ease. I love my Deuter and find it to be small enough to meet carry-on requirements on larger airlines.
• Get yourself some packing cubes  – these are a life safer, especially if you are only taking a backpack.
• Invest  heavily in bug spray, if you are packing light try bug wipes instead. Remember to use them or you will get eaten alive. I used mine and still somehow ended up with some bug bites.
• Cool off with a cervaza or two, or three. There are two national beers in Nica: Toña and Victoria – drink the Toña.
• You can use both USD and Cordobas (NIO), which is SUPER confusing and weird. It is what it is. Make sure you have both on hand.

Safe Travels!

Xoxo,

-A