Why you need to put Nicaragua in your future travel plans now!

So why do you need to put Nicaragua in your future travel plans? 

While it’s not exactly “undiscovered” (hotspots like San Juan del Sur are pretty popular stops on the infamous “Gringo trail”) Nicaragua is often overlooked compared to its popular neighbor Costa Rica, which is a huge shame! Nicaragua has so much to offer! 

Nicaragua has remained one of my favorite countries and I keep coming back.  Maybe it’s the gorgeous, not-a-high-rise in sight beaches lined with palm trees, the warm welcoming smiles of everyone I’ve met—happy to share the beauty of their country with visitors, or the fact that you can rent a bomb beach house for less than $100 a night… 

Visiting Nicaragua is like coming back somewhere I belong.  While its had its share of tough times, with political protests and instability a couple years back putting a pause on the tourism industry so many rely on, when I returned this past Christmas and rang in the New Year everything was perfectly tranquilo. 

My first experience in Nicaragua was way back in 2011 when I studied in Costa Rica for a semester of college.  Looking for an adventure during Semana Santa, I took a trip to Granada and San Juan del Sur with a group of friends. If you’ve heard anything about San Juan del Sur’s Sunday Funday party crawl you know we had a blast.   (in Latin America the week leading up to Easter known as Holy Week is a big holiday.  Students get time off from school and everyone is pretty much flocking to the beach and taking their vacations at this time. If you’re planning a trip around this time of year—book early!) 

While my more recent trips back have involved a lot less wild nights out, I’ve gotten a chance to explore more of this beautiful country.  Each time, I keep falling more and more in love.  And I think you will too—whether you love to surf, hike, party, or chill by the beach there’s really something for everyone.  Because it’s a small country, it’s also the perfect place to rent a car for a week or two and have an awesome road trip. 

Here’s some of the places that made me fall in love: 

Granada

This city is a great place to start of your Nicaragua adventure.  It’s only about an hour from Managua so you can grab a cab, bus or drive a rental straight from the airport.   Granada is one of the oldest colonial cities in Central America.  Once you get a glimpse of the architecture, its clear.  I’m in love with the colorful buildings. And, like most Latin American cities—there’s a few churches in the Spanish colonial style.  I’d recommend visiting and climbing the stairs to the top of the bell tower for the best view of the city. 

Calle la Calzada is the main center of town.  You can see the iconic yellow Cathedral in the plaza.  This is also the best spot to sit and grab a cold drink or some food.  In the evenings, the street fills up.  Filled with restaurants, bars, street venders…You can see it’s the main spot to hang out. 

Fun Day Trips Nearby

Masaya Volcano

When I visited in 2011, we were able to hike in and see the volcano; however on my most recent trip the park was closed due to volcanic activity (though it appears to be open again this year!).  If you get the chance, it’s cool to see.  

We booked a tour with our hostel to see it and I recommend to visit with a tour as well.  I’m usually more independent and prefer doing things on my own, but this is one of those times I am so glad I chose to opt for a tour. To visit the park at sunset, which seems the best time to come, you need to visit with a tour as the park is officially closed. 

The guide took us to see bats flying out from a cave at sunset, then took us inside and explained how during the Civil War, local families hid their boys in here to keep them from being enlisted to fight.  

After our cave tour, at this point the light was beginning to fade after sunset, we took a short hike over to see the crater of the volcano itself.  Coming at sunset, as the sky darkens you can see the magma of the volcano glowing! While slightly unnerving for me, I trust the scientists know the volcano’s not going to erupt anytime soon—it was amazing to see!

Isletas Tour

The city of Granada is located on the shores of Lago Cocibolca.  We decided to take a boat tour around the isletas, or little islands, throughout the lake.  Some people live out on these islands and have vacation homes (we saw the fancy looking villa owned by the owners of the Toña beer company).  We even saw one of the isletas with a for-sale sign.  If you’ve ever dreamed of having your own private island… 

The highlight of the isletas tour for me was seeing some adorable monkeys!  There was a monkey island and, for the safety of the monkeys, while you cannot leave the boat, the monkeys were curious (or hungry for some snacks) and climbed over.  We handed them some fruit and they climbed around the boat.  I was very happy that the tour only fed the monkeys snacks that were healthy for them, like fresh fruit, and they told us not to touch the monkeys but that they could come up to us and take the food. The island is a special place for the monkeys where they can have their own habitat away from people—no one is allowed on the monkeys’ island but them. 

Isla de Ometepe

We only spent one full day here, and I recommend that you stay longer.  We really wish we did! This is one place that I am really looking forward to visiting again.  The island is very rural and spread out so I’d recommend having a rental car to get around.  We were able to bring our rental car onto the ferry near Rivas.  The ferry ride was about an hour and fairly calm water—it is a lake so no big waves.  You can see the island’s volcano while you’re riding up to the island which makes for a pretty cool view.  

We checked into our accommodations and then went for a swim in the Ojo de Agua, a fresh spring-fed pool. The water is amazingly clear, but don’t let all the amazing Instagram and Pinterest photos fool you—this place was pretty crowded with people when we visited.  However, we still had our own space to swim and enjoyed our time.  Just don’t expect a secluded, isolated lagoon. There were people selling souvenirs, snacks and drinks.  We got a couple coco locos—fresh coconut with a little rum and condensed milk mixed in.  It was a great spot to hang out and cool off.

We stayed at an eco-guest house which is pretty typical of the accommodations offered on the island (no big resort-hotels here) and I loved it.  You can find similar places to the one we stayed in here.

Located on the shores of the lake, this is the perfect spot to listen to the gentle waves and breeze over the water while you sleep. We had dinner at our guest house, some grilled fish, which was super delicious. There’s just something about eating fresh seafood by the water.  

Unfortunately, we didn’t have much time to explore the island or hike around the volcano as we’d purchased a round-trip ferry ticket which was leaving pretty early in the morning.  I’d recommend staying longer—at least 2 full days—so you have more time to experience all it has to offer.  Isla Ometepe,  I will be back! 

Leon

On my most recent trip to Nicaragua, I spent a few days in Leon.  This city holds a lot of historical significance.  It’s home to the country’s oldest university.  Also, it’s the heart of the revolution.  Throughout the 1960s-1980s, Nicaragua was in the midst of a revolution between the ruler Somosa and the Sandinistas.  Several key events in this time went down in Leon.  The revolution ended in the 1980s and today, Nicaragua is considered the safest country to visit as a tourist in Central America. 

Museo de la Revolución

 If you’re interested in learning more about its history, I highly recommend taking some time to visit the Museo de la Revolución in Leon. It’s located in the main plaza across from the cathedral.  While the museum itself is fairly small, its located in an old telecommunications building and houses a collection of photographs and newspaper articles, the best part of the museum is the tour.  

Our guide, Marcello, had fought with the Sandinistas in the revolution when he was only 14 years old!  It was an amazing experience to get a first-hand account of the historical events from someone who’d experienced it himself.  When we visited, they didn’t have an English speaking guide so I’d recommend you have a Spanish speaker in your group to do the tour. 

Volcano Boarding

A unique day trip from Leon is volcano boarding at Cerro Negro. There are several tour operators, and we booked ours through our hotel. As its one of the most popular activities in Leon, your accommodations will likely have a contact to book the tour.   

 I’m fairly terrified of heights and sliding down a very steep volcano slightly unnerved me, but it really wasn’t that scary at all!  This is actually the only place in the entire world where you can go volcano boarding!  The best way I can describe it is that it’s kind of like sledding, but a lot more dusty and a lot less cold.  You hike up the volcano with your guide. The hike is pretty steep and the altitude can make it a little challenging so be sure to bring some water.  I’m not an experienced hiker by any means and it took us about an hour to make it to the top. 

 The landscape on top of a volcano is unreal.  It felt like visiting outer space.  If there aren’t too many clouds, you can get a good view of the other volcanos around and even a glimpse at the ocean. Once you make it to the top your guide will explain exactly what you need to do to slide down safely, give you your very attractive jumpsuit, and your group will take turns sliding down.  Our guide got us some great video and photos to document our descent.  This was one of the coolest and most unique experiences I’ve ever had.  If you find yourself in Leon, take a day to go volcano-boarding, you won’t regret it!

Where to stay:

I highly recommend the Hotel Mariposa.

It’s a little outside the city center, so its best if you have a car or don’t mind calling a taxi, but the pool and garden area feel like a little oasis after a long hot day. It’s a family run, local BnB type vibe.  The family just opened the hotel a few months ago after returning to Nicaragua from France.  Their dog Cusco is also super cute!

You get your own little bungalow to zen out and being outside the city center, you get a quiet night’s rest as well.  Also, the open-air showers were the coolest thing for me! 

Las Peñitas

If you are looking to relax and unwind, this simple, quiet beach town right outside of Leon is the perfect place to unwind and live out your perfect beach bum dreams. We rented a beach house with AirBnb for the week, and I must say—that is the way to do it! (Use this link to book with AirBnb and get $40 off your first booking!)

 This is one of the quietest beaches I’ve ever visited, though it picks up on the weekends with locals from Leon visiting for the day.  If you’re looking for an authentic Nicaraguan experience—foreign tourists appeared to be the minority when we visited Christmas week into the New Year. Most of the people there were Nicaraguan families on vacation. If you happen to visit around a holiday be sure to book ahead, New Year’s day this quiet beach town pretty much exploded—traffic looked to be backed up all the way from Leon—that beach was lit!

Suya is a great spot for cocktails while watching the sunset over the ocean. They’ve got a great Mediterranean inspired menu—I recommend the pizza! If you’re looking for a nice dinner on the beach—this is the spot!

For a big seafood lunch the beach side restaurant at the Hotel Suyapa had a great selection—whole fish, shrimp, lobster… Typical offerings.  Though if you’re visiting on a weekend, it tends to get crowded—which for me is always a good sign about the food!

San Juan Del Sur

 If you love to surf/party this is the spot for you. It’s a well-known spot on the well-worn Central American backpacker trail—aka the Gringo Trail so their tourism infrastructure is well-established.  If you’re looking for an easy trip with family or friends with plenty to do, this is a great spot for those looking for some adventure.  There’s great surf and plenty of adventure activities to do. 

The beach in San Juan del Sur itself isn’t the best for a beach day—its more of a harbor for fishing boats.  So if you’re looking to spend the day on the beach, taking a short ride out to one of the neighboring beaches will be your best bet. If you’re looking for night-life, I’d recommend staying closer in to town as that is where all the bars and restaurants are located.  If you’re really looking to party, make sure you visit on the weekend and stay at one of the participating hostels in Sunday Funday—the infamous pool-party crawl. 

Playa Hermosa is a great place to hang out for the day.  Most hostels have shuttles for a day trip out here, or if you’ve got a rental vehicle its just a short drive.  There is one hotel located out here, Playa Hermosa Eco Lodge, if you love it so much you want to stay, though it is pretty isolated at night as far as if you’re looking to go out and enjoy the night-life. 

 Playa Marsella is close by and a more chilled out vibe if you’d like to stay somewhere more relaxed.  Also, if you like to stay right on the beach, this is my recommendation and what we ultimately chose.  We had a car so staying out here was perfect, it was just a 10 minute drive into town when we wanted to have dinner.  For a night out, a taxi ride back to the hotel wasn’t completely outrageous—just make sure you negotiate the fare before getting in.  

A little further out than Playa Marsella is Playa Maderas—a smaller beach town about 20 minutes from San Juan del Sur.  Like Marsella, its got a more tranquil vibe than San Juan del Sure as well as a great surf beach.  

Selina’s Playa Maderas has got some super cute teepees if you want to take a glamping adventure.  While I haven’t stayed in this location myself, I’ve always been impressed with the Selina properties I’ve stayed at in the past. 

Places I haven’t visited yet, but are drawing me back

Corn Islands

After visiting Panamá’s Bocas del Toro and San Blas islands, you can see I’m in love with Central America’s Caribbean Coast and its islands.  A little more remote than those near Panamá—you pretty much have to fly to reach them—Nicaragua’s Corn Islands have been on my bucket list for awhile. Pristine untouched beaches, snorkeling and diving the coral reefs… it sounds like paradise!  I hope to make it out there before too long. 

Along Dusty Roads has got a great guide on visiting the Corn Islands if you’d like to plan a visit as well. 

Esteli: Canyon hiking in Somoto

After having more outdoorsy, hiking experiences like Big Bend, TX and the Cocora Valley in Colombia, I’ve been adding some more to my ever growing bucket-list.  Up front for my next Nicaragua trip will be hiking the Somoto Canyon near Esteli, Nicaragua.  The rock formations look absolutely magical, and I’m always down for a hiking adventure where you can cool off with a swim! 

Check out The Sandy Feet’s guide to hiking Somoto Canyon. 

Matagalpa and the Highlands:  Cowboys, coffee, and the jungle!

I love coffee!  And having visited the coffee growing regions of other countries—like Costa Rica and Colombia, I really enjoyed seeing the agricultural side of things.  I’d love to explore northern Nicaragua and experience their cowboy culture and visit a coffee farm in Matagalpa. Matagalpa is also close to the Peñas Blancas nature reserve which looks to have some beautiful hiking through the jungle.  It’s looking like my next Nicaragua adventure will be filled with some great off-the-beaten-path adventures in nature. 

The Wandering Blonde writes about her experience in Matagalpa here.

The Sandy Feet has a great guide for hiking Peñas Blancas.