Nicaragua is probably the most naturally beautiful country you've never even THOUGHT about visiting. It's a land of shocking bio-diversity, with enormous tracts of raw wilderness, rugged volcanic mountains, sparkling jewels of lakes and rivers, with Caribbean islands on the east and a long string of Pacific beaches that offer not only undeveloped natural beauty, but some great waves that should make surfers sit up and take notice.

For many years, Latin American travelers have suspected that Nicaragua would become "the next Costa Rica", and today, it seems like that prognostication was correct. Much of the country still lacks tourism infrastructure, and it is still very much a "land of opportunity" for the investor bold enough to get in on the ground floor, but the potential is undeniable, and the Sandinista government surprisingly pro-tourism and pro-development. Some areas are already bearing the fruit of early investment, and there is more than enough to make a Nicaragua trip a very rewarding experience.

For travelers like me, Nicaragua is an exceptionally fine destination because it's so damn cheap! You can get from one major city to another two hours away, for less than $10. You can find inexpensive hotel rooms for $10-20 a night, and even in beach bars, you'll be hard-pressed to find a place that will charge you over $1 for an ice cold beer. In Managua, you can find big, international chain hotels with considerably higher prices, but once you get beyond the capital, they just don't exist. It's wonderfully refreshing, and it encourages (maybe even forces) you to eat local, sleep local, and see and do local. Of course I must tell you the one big "gotcha" of Nicaragua travel: this is very much a country that will be hard on anybody who doesn't speak Spanish and who doesn't understand latino customs: there just are not many English speaking people around --- not even in hotels or larger cities. If you're cool with that, Nicaragua just might be THE most rewarding Latin American travel destination these days, but it definitely won't be for everyone...not yet anyway.

I think the people who'd most like Nicaragua would be adventure travelers and nature lovers seeking out the most stunning wonders of nature. It is indeed like Costa Rica of the '60s and '70s: all the natural beauty is here, but it's raw, undeveloped, and untrodden by crowds of American and European tourists. Costa Rica is very much *ON* the map these days, but Nicaragua is not. If you want "off the beaten path" and you're bold enough to forge your own way, Nicaragua is for you.

Here's a few of the places to see and things to do that make Nicaragua worth putting on YOUR travel map...


The Cities of Nicaragua....
There's three cities that warrant some discussion, all in the western part of the country: Managua, Leon, and Granada.

Managua is Nicaragua's capital city, and it's got the only airport in Nicaragua that handles long-haul international flights. It's a modern city with few historical landmarks, but it's also the government, business, and cultural hub of the country and it has enough to see and do to make for a fairly pleasant experience.

Leon is a colonial city that's long been viewed as a center of intellectual idealism as well as a place where Nicaragua's artistic and religious heritage could be discovered. The downtown area is pleasant, has a wealth of colonial era churches, and is a decent place to hang out and explore for a couple days. It's also tantalizingly close to a number of Nicaragua's mellow surfer beaches, and the easy connections from Leon to Managua make it a tempting destination.

Granada is the crown jewel of Nicaragua's colonial past --- a beautiful 450-year old city set on the shores of Lake Nicaragua, against the dramatic backdrop of dormant (and not so dormant) volcanoes. It's a place with charm, character, history, and unique attractions like the chain of 350 small, green islands that cluster along the lake shore, and the fabulous rain forest environment of nearby Mombacho National Park. A great vacation could be simply flying into Managua and taking a taxi direct to Granada, never straying more than 20 miles from town over the course of a week, month, or a year. It's a beautiful old city surrounded by the artistry of nature.


Eco-Tourism Green Spots in Nicaragua....
If you like nature, you'll LOVE Nicaragua! It's one of the greenest countries on Earth, with a very low population density, no humongous cities, and vast areas of wide open nature. There's vast jungles where jaguars roam free, macaws and their similarly colorful winged friends nest in the thick forests, and monkey howls fill the air. There's wild rivers, cascading down through rugged mountain passes, towering volcanoes spewing clouds of sulfuric smoke, and untamed backcountry beckoning to very off-road adventurers.

A few places that you might want to know about include the volcano national parks like Masaya Volcano or Mombacho Volcano, the San Juan River, and the wealth of lakes, from small lagoons filling the craters of extinct volcanoes, to humongous lakes like Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua (which is almost as big as Lake Erie!) You can do canopy tours, visit coffee plantations, go bird watching, hang out on a remote island, or prowl the wetlands of the Mosquito Coast. The possibilities for eco-adventures are simply endless in Nicaragua!


Nicaragua's Pacific Coast Beaches....
Most of Nicaragua's most famous and most popular beaches are along its long Pacific coastline. The coast is very similar to what you find in Costa Rica, or even in Mexico. The beaches tend to be a little rougher in the surf and they reward the surfer much moreso than the scuba diver or the casual swimmer. Die-hard surfers have discovered that Nicaragua has a WEALTH of spectacular surf beaches with something that much of the world's great beaches lack: dirt cheap prices and mellow moods.

There's hundreds of spectacular beaches in Nicaragua, but only one significantly developed, tourist oriented beach area: San Juan del Sur. San Juan del Sur still caters to a very international surf-mentality traveler, but it's proximity to the Costa Rican border has drawn some of the surfers northwards, and today, it's easy to find a beach villa to rent or a place to grab a pizza in the evening. It's still mellow. There's still VERY few gringos there. But it's got everything you want, and it's easier to find luxurious perks here than anywhere else on the coast.


NicaRibbean Coast and Islands....
The Caribbean side of Nicaragua is oddly deserted. Most of it is deader than Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. There's a few towns there. Some development too, mostly on the two main islands --- called the Corn Islands --- but for the most part, there's no real tourism in eastern Nicaragua. The only viable way to visit the area is to catch one of the light planes heading there from Managua a couple times a day. Flights go to either Big Corn Island or Bluefields, but that's pretty much it. If you really want to experience a very low-key kind of Caribbean experience, visit the Corn Islands --- the waters are just as spectacularly bright turqoise as they are up around Cozumel or Belize, but you sure won't worry about getting overrun by tourists. There are none.


Bottom Line....
Nicaragua is rugged, wild, beautiful backcountry, full of wildlife and full of potential for spectacular adventure travel. It can be somewhat challenging to get around, and a limited range of travel service providers (many of whom speak no English). For the right kind of traveler though, Nicaragua is simply unbeatable!


A Picture is Worth 1,257 Words....
As I've done numerous times over the years, I'm putting some of my photos online. See for yourself how beautiful Nicaragua can be! They're online at: community.webshots.com/user/mrkstvns


Recommended: Yes

Best Suited For: Friends
Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May