Nicaragua or Ecuador?

Telstat,

I have been to many of the places you mention, and will be in Nicaragua next month. Please give us an idea of what types of activities you enjoy on your travels and I'll try to give you my perspectives.

Best wishes,
Arturo

The upside for Nicaragua seems to be a lesser number of tourists

Nicaragua is very small country in comparison to Ecuador, and it its highlights very concentrated, so the 5 main things you would want to see, will also be popular with tourist, and July-August is a period in which schools are out and people vacation, it will ba close to a peak time as far as tourist go, and this will be concentrated in Leon, Granada, Ometepe, SJDS and Corn Islands. To base a trip on whether there are lost of tourist is self defeating, you are a tourist. But, that is not to say there are lots of tourist either, as Nicaragua is still under the radar IMHO, and as long as you accept the fact tourist go where you want to go, then its no big deal. Paris is touristy, and I could go there every weekend.

The down side is likely the weather, it's cloudy and a little rainy during North American summer

Since when is weather like some clouds and rains from time to time a factor? Not to mention, it is the tropics, and it is actually the prime time to go, as the canopy is very lush, and the landscape very pretty, not brown and dried out like Dry Season, Dec to April. October is bad month for rain, otherwise, the afternoon rains are a welcome respite from the intense heat, and Nicaragua lowlands, and all the placed mentioned above, are hot as hell.

The upside for Ecuador seems to be that it's a compact country? Have you looked at map? You can drive across Nicaragua if a road went coast to coast, in 7 hours.

with varied geography It does have the mountains, but not 2 oceans, and a chain of volcanos to hike from a great town.

nice people but probably more tourists and therefore higher costs

I have never hear that analogy, and it is not correct, Vietnam gets tons of tourist, and is still a great value. The economies and your travel budget dictate what is expensive. Choices of lodging and transport in a well developed tourist country, actually adds to the ease of getting around, and having more choices in your budget,

But it appears the weather is nicer in July and August. I don't think I will visit Galapagos, since it seems extremely expensive, and probably should be a separate trip of its own

True it is a pain to get to, but the highlight of going to Equador, is the Galapagos, and is the ONLY reason I would go to Equador for a vacation.

You seem to have your priorities based on tourist, weather, and a cost. You should not base a trip to a new culture on this soley, IMHO, and go because you want to see, smell, eat, drink, and enjoy a new land.

Also, how will you ever conquer traveling to most the world, with your concerns about about weather, and tourist? Nepal? Nepal? Burma? India? Japan? Amazon? Italy? Iceland?

I have not been to Equador, but your criteria and statements about Nicaragua are not correct, so I imagine your ideas about Equador are incorrect as well, and would post this in the SA TT. I have the Equador LP Guidebook, as I almost went 2 years ago for 10 days, but my travel partner father fell ill, and we canceled the trip. I still plan on going, and unless its snowing, I have little concern about, weather, tourist and my budget, in South America, Latin America. The plane ticket tends to be the cost problem for most people, me included.

Also, the highlight of the Central America region is Guatemala, and this should be a priority, culturally speaking, as far as Mayan culture is concerned, and southern Mexico.

A side trip to Panama? Thats not easy, 2.5 days of busses, or $300 airfare? What about Costa Rica? The most Bio Diverse country in the western hemisphere, besides the Amazon> Its 2 hours bus ride?

Thanks so much for the replies.

You're right, Arturo, I ought to have been more specific. My intention is to spend at least 2 or 3 weeks studying Spanish somewhere. Then I'd like to do some travelling. It's hard to say what specifically I'm interested in, since it depends on where I am. Last Christmas, for example, I was in Turkey and was amazed at the archeological sites such as Troy, Ephesus and Pergamon. Last summer, I loved Potosi in Bolivia: simply the vibe of the city itself and it's colonial/historical importance. From what I've seen in my preliminary research, Ecuador offers the interest of it's somewhat isolated coast, the Andes and the jungle. Nicaragua has great lakes, two coast lines and interesting tropical islands. But "sites" don't really make a trip for me: it's more the contact with local people that I find memorable.

Thanks for taking so much time to answer Soho. But please remember that I was asking for your opinion, not a personal critique. Comments such as "have you looked at a map" seem more designed to inflate your ego than to assist me.

Speaking of inflation, I think it's hard to dispute that high levels of tourism tend to inflate prices and turn a visit into a mechanical transaction. And yes, I agree that there is a double-standard in criticizing tourism when I myself am a tourist. However, I suppose I am speaking of mass tourism, which becomes unpleasant and depersonalizing. I would imagine Galapagos was a nicer place to visit 20 or 30 years ago.

Anyways, thanks for the info.

Hi, I won't speak to all the points you are making in your indecision as to which country to visit, but will offer that July-Aug in Nica are not the heavy rainy months, and in fact I think there is a mini dry (drier?) season in mid July for several weeks. I was there in early Aug last year on the Pacific coast and it was only a brief shower, maybe, in the afternoon, it was no big deal, with sun the rest of the day. I can't imagine you'd go wrong with any decision, what a great dilemma to have!!

If you enjoyed the people of Bolivia {who in my opinion are the wealthiest people in the world if you donot use material wealth as a yardstick} you'll enjoy Ecuador. That would be my reccomendation from personal experience of the places mentioned for you experiences. Galapagos does not become a factor to my reccomendation.

Tim, your self-appointed arrogance is showing a tad bit...again...

Since I haven't been to Bolivia yet, but from shmuck's statement above, it sounds like Bolivians and Ecuadorians are the same type of people. In Ecuador, I was amazed at how everybody went way out of their way, to help, to assist, to carry, to show, to give directions...anything. I am not talking about the hotels and haciendas or the staff at any of these places. I am talking about people we passed on the street. Taxi drivers. People standing on corners. Everywhere, everyone wanted to talk to us and help us in any little way. It was surreal....

We were walking around with smiles on our faces all the time, simply from being so blown away by their genuine and sincerest generosity.

It still blows my mind....

Who is measuring the two countries by its people? I never even mentioned the people. I am not being arrogant, and sorry if thats the impression you get.

My post concentrates on arguing the points the OP made about Nicaragua, period. How can I compare anything, I have not been to Ecuador, I was trying to convey the Nicaragua scoop-

I am sure both are great, but the OP is not being realistic about the impressions of Nicaragua, and its positives and negatives. Thats all.

The OP seems to be very comfortable with South America, which I can relate to totally, as SE Asia and the warm cultures their have kept me going back 5 years in a row at Xmas.

Granada may be touristy, but its also very special, due to its rich old spanish colonial heritage, like Luang Prabang Laos French Influences, just because they are both touristy will not keep me from enjoying the culture, thats my point.

Nicaragua has a lot over Costa Rica, but thats not apples and apples, anymore than the comparison of Nica and Ecuador...

Tim

Telstat,

As I mentioned earlier, my first trip to Nicaragua will be next month. If you are still considering Nicaragua then, don't hesitate to pm me and I'll share my impressions. For now, I'll share my impressions on other Central American countries and on Ecuador.

I LOVE Ecuador and have been several times. As other posters have mentioned, the people are wonderful (for the most part -- other than the two guys with knives who robbed me in Quito one evening). Ecuador offers great variety in a compact area. Quito is a fairly typical capital city -- great restaurants, entertainment, a colonial center, etc. There are LOTS of Spanish schools in Quito, with plenty of hostels nearby. For a capital city, costs were relatively low. However, because it is such a cosmopolitan center with students from all over the world at those schools, my impression was that the majority of the students spend much of their free time with non-Ecuadorians. That's fine, but not as much cultural immersion as you seem to prefer. Not far out of Quito are gorgeous, ice-covered volcanoes on the equator and Otovalo, a tourist market mecca noted for the Ecuadorian weavings and alpaca products made by the Quechua indigenous people.

Cuenca is a smaller colonial city (beautiful, in my opinion) and has a few Spanish schools. It reminds me of Antigua, in Guatemala, somewhat. Another popular spot for Spanish schools is Banos (sorry, no tildes in this post), a small but VERY touristy town in a wonderful setting. If you like hiking and waterfalls, it is worth visiting. However, again, because the main focus is tourism, it is less authentic a cultural experience than other areas. Not far away is Puno, an even smaller, more remote town, which is the entrance to the Amazonic area. I don't recall if there are Spanish schools or not. I spent a week or more in Guaranda (working), a relatively small town in a rural area; it is known for a fabulous Carnaval. The people were absolutely wonderful. I am certain you could find someone to offer Spanish lessons, but I doubt there is a formal school as there are almost no tourists other than at Carnaval. I would advise against considering Guayaquil -- although it probably has Spanish schools, it was a large, unattractive city with, in my opinion, little of the appeal of the bulk of Ecuador.

You might consider Guatemala, another place I truly enjoyed. Guatemala City is a typical Central American capital city - more expensive than the rest of the country and more crime. Granada is the most popular place to study Spanish. It is a colonial city with thriving tourism. There are lots of reputable Spanish schools there, but the cost of living is a little higher than in some areas of Guatemala because it is such a tourist mecca. Again, with SO many foreign students, it may not be as "typical" a setting as you seem to prefer. Another popular place to study Spanish is Panajachel, on Lake Atitlan (or you can find Spanish schools in some of the smaller villages across the lake, like San Pedro). Like Granada, it is pure tourism, but a gorgeous setting. To study Spanish in a less touristy area and to have more contact with the local culture, many people go to Quetzaltenango (known as Xela). It is a medium size city with relatively little tourism. The Spanish schools there have good reputations and there is less tendency for students to segregate themselves with other foreign students.

As a tourist, I truly enjoy Panama, but the costs there are higher than in Nicaragua, Ecuador, or Guatemala. Costa Rica is beautiful, but, like Panama, tourism is well established and costs are higher.

I wish you well and hope your enjoy your time wherever you choose to go!

I think arturo meant Antigua and not Granada