Nicaragua

Ohh Nicaragua, you are sooo beautiful. We totally fell in love. The country is still not so touristy, and that’s what makes it very interesting for us. The country has an amazing nice landscape and up till now there is no mass tourism. The beaches are still pure nature and absolutely not busy, you can always find a great place at the beach. The restaurants offer excellent food and cheap prices. The country is a real surfer paradise and we are sure that more and more people will be coming every year, because the coast area in Nicaragua is soo great for surfers.

Managua, the capital but it doesn’t seem like it

Managua is a little bit special… The streets are not very busy, except a couple of coaches. Nobody is honking and absolutely no chaos. It is quiet .. very quiet … For us it was a little bit weird, because we were expecting a quite busy city. It felt like 50 degrees during the midday heat, as we were checking out the city with our lovely guide Miguel.

On the main square you can admire a church, but unfortunately the church can collapse soon. That is because of a former earthquake and the government is not restoring the church. It wasn’t allowed to enter it. On the other side of the main square is the town hall. A very big building but also not so spectacular. At the promenade of the street you can find a lot of restaurants and snack bars. Especially in the evening these places are full of local people.

To brighten up the streets, the city came up with a great idea. They installed big street lights in the shape of trees which light up the city in all different colors. We think that’s very positive for the city and makes it very unique.

The old Coyotepe Fortress

Outside of the city there is a nice old fortress which was used as a prison, but now it is open for tourists to visit. You can rent a local guide there and he explains everything about the horrible history of the prison, unfortunately it is not so long ago, really cruel.

The prison has a two-floor deep basement and it is more than horrible how people had to live there at this time. Sometimes 50-80 people had to stay in one room. Honestly there is nothing to add…

The Masaya Volcano

We were excited like little kids. Because we have never seen an active volcano before and of course the volcano was spitting lava!!!!

The Masaya Volcano belongs to the most active volcanos in Nicaragua. In former times they threw people or prisoners in the crater to bring a ,,sacrifice ,,

Of course, nowadays they don’t throw people in the crater anymore and you can admire the beautiful natural spectacle. But indeed a lot of people had the idea to visit the volcano, so you need a little bit time, but it is more than worth it.

Actually we don’t like places which are very busy, but sometimes it is worth it. The closer we came the more we smelled smoke and sulfur and small eruptions all around us. It was really an indescribable feeling.

Granada City

The most famous picture of the city is of course the,, Cathedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion ,,. It is the highest point of the city and you can see it from everywhere. The city center is the ,,Central Park,, of Granada and is surrounded by very nice colonial houses.

To get a panorama view, we climbed up the bell tower of an incredible nice old church. From the top you have a really awesome view..

Granada offers a great nightlife, you can find a lot of live bands on the streets, which brings a unique atmosphere. Especially in the evening it is so nice to walk through the city. When everything is lit up, you can really enjoy the flair of so many different restaurants and bars.

Fruit-bar Granada

Barney 🙂

One secret tip from us: outside of Granada you can find a thousand years old crater with a lake inside, where you can be absolutely alone. The water is really warm and contains a lot of minerals and is very healthy for your skin. This place is an absolutely insider tip. And this place is even free of charge.

Mineral healthy crater

San Juan del Sur

The party city is located directly at the pacific coast. It is really awesome to go from one bar to another. We could hear a lot of weird voices in the pubs, because karaoke is very famous, especially Shakira. It is really fun to see all the people partying.

This city was fascinating us so much that we decided to stay one night longer. Before sunset we had to check the small city from the top. San Juan has a small Jesus statue located on a nice hill with an awesome overall view. The view is really incredible especially at sunset.

Best HotSpot for a nice view

Best view

Our first Surf lesson

Miguel (guide ) had a great surprise for us, as he was driving us directly to the beach on the next morning. He gave us our first surfing lesson ever.

Beach San Juan del Sur

Before we started our lesson, Miguel was telling us how important it is to wear a surfer suit and to cover your face with sun blocker.

After we put on all our stuff we started our ,,dry practice ,,. It´s not so easy for beginners to control your body.

After a couple of balance problems, we could finally ride the waves on our own. Miguel was the greatest teacher and you could tell how much fun he had teaching us how to surf. Really awesome and we were so proud of ourselves.

The beaches around San Juan del Sur are really fucking awesome. A real paradise, absolutely not busy and you can surf everywhere without disturbing others because there is so much space for everyone.

After this intense surf lesson we went out to a great Italian restaurant and enjoyed the rest of the night with a Gin-Tonic at the karaoke bar.

Ometepe Island

Selfie from the ferry 😉

Ometepe Island was one of our huge highlights on our journey through Nicaragua. With a small ferry and a couple of other tourists we drove to the island and spent 2 nights there. We had a great bungalow directly at the lake.

After a short refreshment and a snack we were renting a cross bike to drive over the island. The island is really beautiful. We drove around two vulcanos, but there are not active anymore. We really love this little island.

Our Conclusion

Nicaragua is safety 

We had a fantastic time in Nicaragua and will be coming back for sure to see the rest of the country. Nicaragua is especially nice for people that don’t like mass tourism. The country is very safe and very cheap and sooo beautiful. We felt safe all the time and Miguel was joining and helping us every day and made our journey through Nicaragua unforgettable! Thank you so much for everything, Miguel!

Our travel guide tip:

The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet Nicaragua, the most comprehensive guide to Nicaragua, is perfect for both exploring top sights and taking roads less traveled.

Did you like our report? Or have you been to Nicaragua before? We would be happy to share our post on the social networks or leave a comment 🙂

Infobox

Visa:

Visa free

Currency:

Nicaraguan Cordoba Oro

The current course you can look up at Oanda

Language:

Spanish

Local Time:

You can read the local times here 

High Season:

The best time for Nicaragua here 

Health:

Malaria:
You should looking for a doctor and tell him, which country you visit in the next time.
Malariaprophylaxe is very expensive but the health insurance will pay for it.

Yellow fever:
Yellow fever is very important. Even this will be paid by the health insurance.
Please tell them the situation.
Vaccination card must be available for the entry

Hepatitis:
Check your vaccination card from the doctor. The health insurance will pay for that.

Safety

You can find all entry requirements at the listed embassies

Embassy:

For US Embassy: link
For UK Embassy: link 
For AUS Embassy: link

Information about the guide

Name:

Miguel Josue

Contact:

e-mail: info@panorama-tr.org
phone: +505 2225 2370

Website:

http://panorama-tr.org

About Miguel

Miguel became a friend for us. He showed us the best places in Nicaragua. He even accompanied us in the evening for dinner. He is super reliable and always found great accommodations for the night.
Miguel has a big knowledge and is proud of his country.
Especially for people who like to surf, Miguel is absolutely the best!

Thank you Miguel for the unforgettable time in Nicaragua!

Saskia and Basti