Managua and Nicaragua
Replies: 32 - Last Post: Dec 7, 2012 9:30 AM Last Post By: miamimikechitre
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Very, very dangerous. Please stick to gringo-places like Granada and San Juan del Sur. Travel with taxis, avoid contact with the local crowds. Contact Paxos to go straight to Granada from the airport. Take care...!Edited by: globaler
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I was recently in Managua and it was safer than say, Guatemala City or Tegucigalpa (Honduras).There ARE some red zones, but if you've been to any country in Central America (except Costa Rica) it is relatively safer in the city than in the other countries. As usual you have to be careful of how and where you transport but if you know anyone that lives there youll be fine.
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Keep your wits about you and you should be fine. We (two women in our late 20s) traveled primarily by public transportation two years ago throughout the western side of the country and to the Corn Islands, and we felt fine. In fact, we were just talking about how nice the majority of Nicaraguans we met were - in general friendlier than in some other CA countries we've visited.(I will say that we did not spend any time in Managua - we only transferred taxis and microbuses there.)
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You will be fine - just don't travel and walk around at night and don't flash any nice equipment around. Avoid walking in lonely areas and ask advice off your hostel or hotel for areas you need to avoid. Remember, you are just passing through so it is highly unlikely you will even be robbed.Don't worry.
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Wow, these recommendations frighten me! I do hope some of the regular posters chime in soon!I have been to NIC 6 times in the last few years. Granada, Leon, Laguna de Apoya mostly. PERFECTLY SAFE. Beautiful country, beautiful people. I am especially fond of Leon (mostly cause I can pee on the walls in the pool halls - you have to go see).
I travel early in the day (mostly so I can find an alternate if we get a flat tire etc).
I go to restaurants at dark but don't stay out "late."
I stay close to my lodging and ask the desk areas to avoid etc.
I don't wear a watch or anything at all flashy.
I drink, but close to my lodging.
I exchange cash early in the morning.
I would send my mom to NIC. (I do like my mom).
enjoy!
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Ticabus, for your convenience, has nice, clean hotels right in their terminals such as this in Managua http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r__xrQTQ61g also in Tegu so if you are (perhaps overly IMO) concerned you stay right there.13
You can always stick to safe places like L.A.You can try to look local and poor, too. I mean, a ripped shirt over freckles and red hair will convince everyone. That way you can blend in and not stand out.
Also, when you get out of the taxi, run to your door screaming "I don't have money" (No tengo dinero). That wards off robbers.
Big cities are very bad because crowds of people contain some bad guys. And people who don't conform. So stay out of the loop and don't get involved because it is too dangerous. Better safe than sorry. Find out if Maupintour does Nicaragua.
Hope that helps.
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I was in Nicaragua 8/27/2012 to 9/22/2012. I was with a delegation sponsored by NicaNet and SOA Watch. We stayed at Los Felipes near the Ticabus station while in Nicaragua. The owners of the hotel warned us that the neighborhood was not safe. Despite that I never encountered an even slightly threatening person there. A friend, a 70 year old very petite woman, took the Ticabus from Costa Rica to Managua to join the delegation. She arrived in Managua about 1 AM and walked to the hotel from the bus station without any problem. The only incident of concern occurred in Esteli'. A drunk squeezed the buttocks of a couple of the ladies. Nicaragua seemed safer to me than Costa Rica which I visit a couple times a year.Honduras on the other hand is now the most violent country in the world, especially for journalists. The US State Department issued a warning about it last month.
