Nicaragua People & Culture

Definitly go to the museum! These amazing ancient stone statues shaped like lizard or jaguar people and other things as well! Fascinating!

i visited a number of places in nicaragua-all along the pacific (albeit not as well known for its beauty as other areas such as bluefields). out of the places i visited leon was most definately my favourite, i think this was largely because of the local people and how friendly they were. Leon is not as touristy as some other places such as grenada but theres still plenty to see, and lots of volcano trips to go on.

dont stay here to long, managua is a very built up modern city, it was rebuilt from scratch after the old city was destroyed, and it is nothing like the rest of the country. also keep your wits about you at all times people will try and scam some money out of you at any given oppertunity. Be V.careful with the taxi drivers, find out the cost BEFORE you set off, and double check it is in cords, not dollars. check it is for the whole taxi, not per person. and if you are getting the taxi to the bus station, make it very clear you want the bus station otherwise they may ask where you are going and try to drive you all the way there. Also, dont be on the streets after dark, its not safe, a friend of mine got stabbed in Managua, and some other friends got mugged.

Isla de Ometepe was spectacular, one of my favourite places in Nicaragua. The people were great, sunsets amazing and sights beautiful. I saw monkeys for the first time and even a very very large snake. It is well worth the trip, i'm sure you won't be disappointed.

One of the most beautiful turquoise color water beaches I ever been too! My father used to takes us on vacation there when we were growing up. It is humid, so pack light clothing,lots of sun block, insect repellent. It is a port. If you fly to Managua, you have to drive to the Rama River (it is shape like a branch) take a ferry or boat to get there.It was and adventure! They speak English there with a mixture of the native tongue. Nicaragua is a beautiful country with lots of friendly people, we have a lot to offer!You can use US $ they are accepted everywhere!

visit the cañon de somoto. it's a rough hike but definitely worth it.

Buses are infrequent but do exist. I got the impression that hitchhiking is commonplace and relatively safe (don't hold me to that, still use good judgement.) The ferries sail into Moyogalpa and Altagracia. The best place to stay on the island is the Finca Magdelena in Balgue. You can look up there website, bu you can sleep on a hammock they provide for $2.00 per night, there are other accomodations there as well. It is an Organic Coffee Cooperative, and they subsidise their income with Tourism. They offer many hikes and excursions, and cheap meals. Another very cool place to stay is with a Homestay family in the small town of Los Angeles. You can organise this with the Casa Canadiense in Managua, and I believe there are other places it is possible to organize this as well. Basically I think of Ometepe as paradise, so don't miss it, and stay as long as you can.

When you are visiting the volcano, definitely make sure to bring water and good hiking shoes. There are a lot of hiking opportunities around to get to the good views, both moderate and easy. From the parking lot beside the volcano, there are some steps that are a fairly easy climb if you're in any kind of shape, from which there is a great view. There is also a hiking path leading up to some other views, but this is a more strenuous ascent and in the hot climate, water is a must. Also make sure to bring sun screen and avoid visiting between 11AM-2PM, when the sun is unrelenting.

Build up the energy to hike a volcano on Ometepe. Sure, volcanoes are a dime a dozen in Central America, but not in the middle of an island like Ometepe!

Isla Ometepe is an island on Lago de Nicaragua. It's made of 2 volcanoes witch you can climb. The lake is so big you think you're on an island in the sea. We climbed the Volcan Maderas, when we arrived upstairs there was a lake. The hike was really nice, lovely nature and lots of monkeys! The rest of the Island is very nice too, you can rent a bike to ride around it and check lots of nice places... To get there, you have to take a boat in Rivas.

Take aboat over to Ometepe... definitely worth a visit and a climb to the waterfall... (second volcano)

a great place for chilling and planning some surfing around the corner.

beautiful caribic island ;)

Coming of the main road going straight to the beach, when facing the ocean, walk to your right for about 5-10 minutes and you will find a nice pizzeria, accesible from the beach.

Bring some type of towel when staying in a Hostel. Half the time they dont have any.