Nicaragua
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Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings
Citizens of Slovenia (capital Ljubljana) do not need visas to enter Nicaragua.
Matjaz Lekan, Slovenia, (July 03)
There is NO official port of entry at Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui! If you want to take a trip on the Rio San Juan in Nicaragua by leaving through Los Chiles the only official way to re-enter Costa Rica is at Los Chiles. You cannot legally do the nice route of Los Chiles to Trindad, change boat to Puerto Viejo. You cannot legally continue to the gulf at San Juan del Norte and catch a boat to Tortuguero. We went down the river to Trindad only to be told by the Nicaraguan border post guard that he could not give us a departure stamp because Costa Rica would not let us in at Puerto Viejo. With some coaxing he agreed but told us to immediately go the immigration post at Los Chiles. Our dumb ass selves went down to Puerto Viejo and decided to just 'try out' the immigration post to see if we could get a stamp. If you get to Puerto Viejo from Nicaragua what ever you do, DO NOT ENTER THE IMMIGRATION POST!!!! The lady who runs it is insane! We had the entire border patrol scheming on a way to sneak us out of there since she wanted to send us back to Nicaragua. When we told her we had a plane to catch she immediately sent us to the main immigration post in San Jose. There we were told that she was a very bad person, very, very bad, and the forms she gave us were ripped up. The simple point of this is that the Rio San Juan is very beautiful and worth a trip but currently the setup is such that the border crossings may be against you.
Brian Hallmark, USA (Oct 01)
Nicaragua: if you are there only for transit and you stay just one night, ask for a transit stamp so you have to pay only 4 dollars airport tax instead of 25 when you leave the country.
Reinhard Enne, (Sept 01)
Travel Tips
The horse-drawn carriages - just say NO! Everyone who lives in Granada has horror stories about particular abuses they've witnessed. I cried when I saw how the horses were treated - standing in the HOT sun all day with no water, and was later told they are not fed or cared for whatsoever. Please please advise your readers.
Anonymous, Canada (Dec 02)
One travel book that I recommend is called, The Full Montezuma, Around Central America and the Caribbean with the Girl Next Door, by Peter Moore. Six weeks after falling in love with his next-door neighbor, Peter suggested a romantic trip through Central America- as you do! Over the next six months they battled hurricanes, mosquitoes, uncooperative border officials and over-sexed Mexican commuters. It shines an unrelenting spotlight on the highs and lows of traveling with a partner and proves once and for all that there is a world of difference between men and women.
Hiske van Haren, Netherlands (Dec 01)
Moving About
It is very easy to get to Costa Rica from Granada. From my reading of Lonely Planet's book "Central America on a Shoestring" I was under the impression I had to go back to Managua. But the Nica Bus which you mention leaving Managua also travels via Granada three times a day at 7, 8 & 11 am.
John Hill (Dec 02)
Scams & Warnings
As far as crime, I saw that there had been some incidents in the
past [on Little Corn Island]... I saw a troupe of about 3 to 5 police walking around the island.
Now is the place has 500 inhabitants, that is better than the town I
live in. Certainly better that places like Antigua, Guatemala or way
better than any big city in Central America. I can tell you that I
wouldn't stay at some of the places that the incidents happened at.
You get what you pay for...Full time police now live on
the island and the town has banded together to house and feed
them (which means they will stay on indefinitely). I wouldn't say
that there is no risk, but that the risk is equal to going to New York city. If you
went to Harlem or the wrong part of Queens at the wrong times, you
would be in trouble. Let's face it crime is everywhere.
If you want a Grand Cayman, then go there. If you want a place that
feels like your own personal island, a place that the 21st century
headaches hasnt reached - this is your place.
C. Fabre, USA (Sept 05)
I have something to say about Little Corn Island in Nicaragua. Last week I went
there and walking on the main path of Little Corn Island I got robbed in the
afternoon in daylight. They threatened to kill me with their knives if I would
do anything that did not please them. The Island is crazy: afterwards it seems
the whole island knew there are people who rob you but nobody mentioned it to
me before taking a (main!) path and getting robbed. Afterwards nobody wanted
to help me finding police.So I went to Big Corn Island, because
they have an official police-post. They took it seriously but told me
that Little Corn is dangerous. Because
of organized Drug-crime, the Island does not care about the fate of tourists.
So although it looks nice for tourists, it is not. The police highly recommended
not going to Little Corn as there lacks any official authority and police cannot
guarantee there services there. I felt I had to share this as I still see many
travellers in Nicaragua unaware of this danger of Little Corn Island!!!!!
Marcel van Oers, Netherlands (Apr 05)
I just came back from Big Corn Island, Nicaragua, where my friends and I were
brutally robbed, by 6-8 robbers armed with guns and at least one machete, inside
our "doorm". The manager, told us that "This does not happen very often," implying
that it has happened before. We also asked the police, who told us this was the 6th
time it happened this year. It is a very important stop for drug smugglers on their
way from Columbia to North America, obvious but still.
I stayed in a hut with hammocks, built by bamboo sticks and mosquito nets, no lock on
the door. My friends, that I met on the ferry, slept on mattresses up a ladder on the
far wall, i slept in the closest hammock to the ladder. 3.30-4.00 sunday morning i wake
up, terrified i realise that there are more people in the room, and that i am in
danger, so I scream. The moment i scream i am grabbed by 3 pairs of hands, and
someone pulls a gun to my neck. I fight as best I can while screaming for help,
untill the guy pressing the gun to my neck presses it even harder and
says "Shut up or I'll shoot you." I go quiet, and hear that my friends have woken up.
Steph climbs down the ladder, and we are both pushed to the floor, each having
a man behind us with a gun pressed to our head, them asking "wheres da money?"
"find da money!" and so on, while another robber has climbed up the ladder and
is making dominik give him money. They have already scattered our stuff all over
and taken what cash we had. when they realise that there is no more money one of the
guys grabs steph and pulls her up against the wall, another puts his arms around me,
while pressing the gun to my neck, presses his mouth against mine and demands I kiss
him. I cry and beg him to not do this. Someone grabs my feet and pulls me down on
the floor, the guy forces my sleepingbag off me and puts his had down my panties and
presses his fingers inside me, i cry desperately, telling him to stop,
to please let me go, and stop touching me. Dominik hears whats going on and walks down
tha ladder, demanding the man to get off me, when another man slams his gun in dom's
face so hard he falls to the ground. miraculously enough, they leave less than a minute
after, before thay have actually raped any of us. Steph heard one or two men outside
saying "lets go! Lets go!" before they left. Dom's nose is broken, but he manages to put
it right, and also he suffers from minor memory loss, we have to explain to him where we
are, he has a deep cut on his chin, and later on a hugely swollen lip.
the police did not care at all, but they told me that 4.30 that morning a local woman
had been raped and beaten badly another part of the island.
please print a warning in the next edition, it is extremely dangerous for lone travelers
to go here, as they can risk being the only tourist on the island, and as the
criminality is so high. Also, in february, march and april there were loads of robberies
on little corn, but they all stopped a month ago when the robbers were shot dead on the
beach infront of cafe del mar by the military, according to several island dwellers
that i spoke to at different occastones, because they had stolen from the military,
which pissed them off..
I would say a good advice to anyone traveling to the corn island is to stay somewhere
a bit hidden from the beach, and somewhere that has a lock on the door, and that they
use it!
Trude Blomseth Thy, Norway (May 05)
Matagalpa, La Selva Negra - Trails Warning:
Neither the trails map or the staff gave any indication that the higher altitude routes are almost LETHAL. We used one to ascend (the Peter and Mary trail?) and its parallel neighbour to descend. They are poorly marked higher up, and almost overgrown. A treefall meant we lost the track, but it was now too steep and slippy to descend. Going up, and I am your regular mountain goat who will throw myself at any challenge, needs ropes. Bushes became uprooted as we tried to cling on. It took us 2 hours to make 200m. An athletic co-traveller was in floods of tears...
There may well have been quetzales resplending at the top, but we were so spooked we didn't stop, allowing 3 hours to get down. Good job; the descent was the worst example of a poorly and totally irresponsibly-managed 'trail' I have ever seen. We needed to slide down whole sections of 20m on our backsides, and as an experienced hiker, you will know how much I hated to give in and grovel about in the dirt. We even needed to carve out footholds with our backwoods knife. We met one other walker who had, sensibly we now know, given up at the bottom, and later one other fit guy who also had a hell of a struggle to get back down. At least the trail maps need to say this, and warnings about the danger should be posted on site. There was no-one other than the restaurant staff at the bottom to make our observations to.
Chris & Sally Drysdale, UK (Jan 04)
Gems, Highlights & Attractions
Leon- Visited the largest cathedral and if you ask one of the curators, you can get to visit the top of the cathedral for $2USD (26 cordobas) each we got a great photo shoot out of it, just as the sun was low in the sky. The view is awesome, as you can see right across to the other churches and mountains beyond. Felt like we were on top of the world.
Be Yeo, (May 01)
Since last summer there's some kind of folkloristic festival in the Mercado Viejo, every Thursday night. It's very interesting for those who like to know something about the Nicaraguan culture as they perform traditional dances, play traditional music, like the marimba, a typical Nicaraguan Instrument and a lot more. Entrance is free and it's called Noche de Verbenas, which means something like 'nightly fair.' Susan Pot, Holland (November 00)
There is an awesome place along the pacific coast between Diriamba/Rivas called Chacocente--it's a sea turtle refuge/national park. Some nights, hundreds of turtles come out of the sea to lay their eggs. We went at about midnight to try to see this. You cannot use vehicles on the beach, but you can go up to a point, as we did, in a 4-wheel ATV, and then walk in to the park. The turtles appear in the surf, slowly come up the beach and dig a hole to lay the eggs in. We tried to move one (just to get a peek), but her flapper was the size of a bowling bag! The locals are paid to mark and watch over the nests. They build little "teepees" out of driftwood and rocks, and name the spots. The coast along here is amazing enough--black sand, jungle, clean warm water and no people! On a two-hour trek, we saw a guy on a horse, but that was about it. It's about an hour and a half outside of Managua. You need a car to get there, but worth it--just the drive is amazing.
Stacey, USA (Oct 00)
Yarns, Fables & Anecdotes
I was the last passenger left on the San Salvador bus when I exited the "blue bird" special in La Union, El Salvador. I picked up my gear and I was off to seek a ride across the Gulf of Fonseca to Nicaragua. I made a few inquiries around the waterfront and finally was directed to the nearby migracion office. There I found a person by the name Julio Merlos; Julio introduced me to a pilot by the name of Jose. Jose told me that he was taking a Nicaraguan across the next morning at 5.30 and for 100 colones he could take me along. I paid and after Julio stamped my passport, Jose took it over to the port authorities for their logs.
Because the tide was low early this moonless morning the boat was not visible from shore as we started trudging out through the muck. The four of us made it OK with the ayudante carrying the 25 hp Yamaha on his shoulder. When we were a little less than midway through our 4 hour journey the Yamaha abruptly died...dead. At first I didn't feel much anxiety but repeated tries by Jose to restart the engine failed. Then our young ayudante's efforts also failed and I started to feel a sense of urgency as I continued bailing. Fortunately within an hour a good Samaritan finally came along in another ponga.
We were towed to the island of Conchaquita, a large island but only populated by 300 people. It was a wonderful sight to me in more ways than one, as its rock and sand shoreline and its flotilla of small fishing boats gave way to hills that were checkered with small patches of pepper, bean and corn fields. I took this opportunity to visit this little village and followed a cement walkway that hugged the waterfront for its 500 yard length before winding back up inland and reversing itself again. Obviously these people weren't used to a gringo walking around as I was greeted with some somewhat startled looks at times, but smiles and salutations made for more of the same. Getting a friendly conversation was not a problem. I was the center of attraction as people gathered around asking me all the usual questions of nationality, family, occupations....I loved it and had just as many questions as they. I was so impressed that I wanted to stay a few days here....there were no hotels but I had accommodations offers. This wasn't to be though as Jose told me the legalities would not permit it...I was already on the zarpe to Nicaragua. I was resigned to return to La Union. The next day was a reenactment of our previous trip in that the newly repaired Yamaha again abruptly stalled in even heavier seas. My heart fluttered only for a short period this time however as we only needed to change gas containers. I helped with this chore and kept the empty one close by as my personal flotation device.
The port of Potosi consists of one short pier and nothing else within sight except a row of tall bushes along the shoreline. I found the migracion office a couple of hundred yards beyond the vegetation inside an almost empty warehouse. There I discovered a solitary migracion officer who reminded me of the "Maytag Repairman" He obviously wanted something to do and someone to talk to. If only customs should be so enjoyable and helpful everywhere...this man even changed Cordobas for me.
Blaise - US (April 98)
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