Is Nicaragua as dangerous as the US State Dep't. website claims???

Guess it's all relative to what one is used to when it comes to matters of safety, street smarts, etc. I actually lived and worked in NYC's Spanish Harlem for more than a decade; figured if I could survive there I'd make it anywhere throughout my travels, and have probably taken far more risks than the average person. (and Pedro, I was brutally mugged/stabbed/robbed by four of those 'middle schoolers' you spoke of, two blocks from the old Yankee stadium in South Bronx.)

I'm drawn to larger cities; especially when traveling and have been fortunate - so far. While I'd like to think that comes from a sense of street smarts and general awareness, I also won't underestimate luck or an overworked guardian angel.

Hoping to finally visit Nicaragua, maybe as early as this summer despite any U.S. State Dept. warnings. How many of those government officials have been there; at best beyond a diplomatic position? The information from real travelers on these boards is worth more; something even as recent as this. I would have undoubtedly done the 2km walk, thought nothing of it regardless of helpful warnings, and may or not have ended-up another statistic. It's valuable (unfortunate) posts like this that make me stop and think!

State Dept warnings need to be heeded for the fact it alerts you to the possible issues in recent reports to the Embassy there.

If you look at say Turkey? Bali? Bangkok? Even French suburbs (Protest) there are all sorts of risk, but a few ATM bombs in Istanbul or a old Marriott bombing in Bali will not deter the average thrill seeker looking for new culture.

Now getting hung up in Thailands airport fiasco would be a drag!

Lets not forget more US Passports are stolen in Costa Rica than any other country in the world. (Car Break Ins)

Edited by: SoloHobo

Terrasol is close to the cathedral

My experiences with crimes, or people I knew, while living in Nicaragua:
1. Crimes of opportunity
We learned not to leave anything outside unattended. Our hammock and a fish trap were stolen. After that first experience, we kept everything of value in our house and never experienced another problem.
A Peace Corp volunteer had her laptop stolen, but she left it unattended for a short period of time.
A hostel owner befriended a street child and had $4,000 stolen. It was hidden in his sock, in a drawer in his house, and the street child knew where it was located.
2. More violent crimes
A Peace Corp volunteer was dating a local girl and the exboyfriend found them together. The Peace Corp guy's jaw was broken and he had to be flown back to the states for reconstructive surgery.
A business owner was returning from the states with medical supplies for the local children. Their truck was hijacked a few miles from the Managua airport. Their passports were stolen as well as all the medical supplies, computers, luggage, etc. They were left on the side of the road without their vehicle.
A local gay guy was left near death after a severe beating by a local gang.
Eric Volz....we all know what he went through while living in Nicaragua.

Would any of these incidents deter me from returning to Nicaragua? No! Nicaragua is a beautiful country. The majority of the people are gracious, friendly, and spirited. Use common sense and don't let fear overwhelm you. Walk with confidence, understand the culture of crimes of opportunity, and enjoy your trip.

All of those incidents above would happen in NYC, Bangkok or France. Maybe nobody would steal the tarp/hammock, and maybe the street child thing was a set up....how did he know where a sock in a drawer had $4000?

The bandits ona commercial truck can happen in NJ!

I´m a single woman, 63, traveling solo in Nicaragua right now. I´ve been here for more than 2 weeks and have not had one scary moment. In fact, what I´ve found is that some nice Nicas usually come along and take me under their wings. One guy helped me with the border crossing from Costa Rica, a family took me along on a tour of Volcan Mombacho, I always meet nice people on the buses. I think the US State Dept could be called the Department of Fear. Sheesh. This world is full of wonderful people. I´ve had a chance to watch the news a couple of times and it seems like everyone in the US is shooting themselves or each other or their families. Sounds scarier there than here! I´ve been in Granada, which I found to be very polluted, and am now in Esteli, which feels very nice and clean. Everyone here seems pretty reasonable, even if they do look at me as if I just got off a spaceship from Mars.

If you let the State Dept run your life you´ll miss out on a lot of fun. :o)

Good attitude!!
If you're in Esteli, you should MIRAFLOR NATURE RESERVE definitely visit

Nicaragua is a nice country with lot of very nice people, but like anywhere
you can have crime problems, especially if you make poor choices. Use
ATM machines, wear an under clothing money belt, travel in the daytime,
use hotel safe deposit boxes or a Pac-Safe/ Travel-Safe 100, stay out
of high crime areas. be aware of who is behind you or in front of you,
learn to cross the street or walk in the middle of the street if there is
danger. Most victims are people who help the criminals set them up
for a hit.

Unfortunately there is nothing common about common sense.

I just got back from Nicaragua and felt totally safe, although I didn't spend any time in Managua. Don't worry- just use caution as you should traveling anywhere abroad. And yes, the Moon Handbook was the best.

I don't know that it's as dangerous as the State Department site claims, but I can say from firsthand experience that the types of crimes they cite on their page are quite accurately described.

I've always felt the DoS site was a little over the top in terms of frightening people, and I've at times traveled to places they don't advise (northern Ghana under a travel warning, Casamance, DRC, parts of Joburg, and Nigeria.

However the experience my husband and I had in Nicaragua on Jan. 11 has made me slightly more appreciative of their service. We were victims of an "express kidnapping" very similar to those that are outlined on the site. Fortunately we both survived with minimal injuries and made it back to the US the next day, but I'm not going to downplay the dangers that exist.

And before people jump all over me, we're hardly naive, inexperienced travelers. I've lived and worked all over Africa, in refugee camps and war zones. I've backpacked throughout West and southern Africa, India, the Caucasus and South America.

I wouldn't recommend against travel to Nicaragua, we had a fantastic trip aside from the incident on our last day, and I'd love to go back and spend some more time on Ometepe, but some of the flippant "you'll only be a victim if you're stupid" attitudes on this board are a bit much. Bad things happen. They happen in the US, in Europe, and yes in developing countries. And if you're obviously an outsider who is clearly from a wealthier country, no amount of risk avoidance is ultimately going to protect you if someone really wants to rob you. So yes, don't carry valuables, don't wear fancy clothes, etc. But also do read the advisories from the US State department (and Canada, the UK, etc.), there's no harm in being aware of the dangers that are out there, and having a solid understanding of the type of situation we were in and how it would likely play out enabled us to make the right decisions and ultimately survive.