We spent only 7 days in Nicaragua, therefore we don't pretend to offer a full exhaustive view.
But we offer you our emotional and travel experiences .
As we landed in Managua airport we found it clean, efficient and fast to get out the immigration; after paying 10 USD in cash only (note: there is inside the airport an tourist office which offers a nice map of Nicaragua just after the checking of the luggage.)
We found excellent roads ( at least the main roads) in Nicaragua (much better than in Guatemala)
When going out the airport , we crossed the parking and negotiate a taxi to Leon. we paid 40 USD to leon which we considered being a good price for 100 km) and much faster than to take a taxi to UCA and then a shuttle (same price for 2) and taxi was direct.
Leon didn't unfortunately met our expectation ( people told us it was a great place to visit, some sort of Antigua/Guatemala)
first, the weather was extremely hot, the town itself isn't so nice , needs urgent renovation.
We were surprised that everything closed at 21.30, even the face at the corner in front of the cathedral ( foreigners meeting point). At 21.15 they told us to finish our drink rapidly. there was one or 2 other places, with no one.
We look to buy food , everything was expensive especially the fruits and vegetables. The local supermarket 300 m from the cathedral shows prices 200 % more expensive than in Europe, local market double. We inquired if prices were for foreigners...alas not!
Above all, we found the atmosphere a little hostile to foreigners which is hard to understand to consider the number of young NGO working there in order to help or assist local facing poverty problems.
after Leon, we headed to San Juan del Sur, we decided to negotiate a taxi for 80 USD which is a good price as SJDS is about 242 km. Taxi driver was friendly and we took a more southern road than the one going through Managua. and enjoyed it.
San Juan Del Sur is the opposite of Leon, people were very friendly and there is a great deal of foreigners of all over the world. the overseas population is only there to have fun not to assist , and SJDS is a sort of Ibiza (Spain)
To find a hotel or a place to sleep is very easy , price range from 10 to 500 USD . we changed the first hotel for a second which was more convenient without difficulties. Note that there is an excellent Italian restaurant in SJDS runs by Mauricio (everyone knows) otherwise you can enjoyed the marvellous sunset with a Morito in hand for 1.25 USD for 2 drinks.
last and not least SJDS was extremely windy and water cold, sand is black and very hard. As I surf in Biarritz( France) found the waves very small in neighbourhood coast.
From SJDS we drove to Granada, again we negotiate a taxi for 35 USD (95 km) also a good price and easier than the bus (as you ave to change in Rivas) note we visited imopete island and were disappointed, however the fare to the island is very nice, but the shore on the island was muddy.
Granada very conservative town with nice architecture and patricians/bourgeois houses. In fact, there is only one street to hang out at night, first part next to the cathedral , where you can drink a 1 little bottle of beer for less than a USD, second part same price for a quarter litre and more restaurant orientated. At the end of the street is located the lake, however in sort of renovation (badly under way) opened air sewer going straight in the lake where children are bathing...note we weren't allowed to take a picture at the beginning of the pier for security reasons ( children were in security, at least...) Have a look at the market if you want an idea of what poverty means..and look opposite the street at the brand new big 4 wheels car. Paradox?
In Granada we found an upper style (pricy) café runs by friendly polyglot males, on Sunday it 's a nice place to stay. Named Expressionnista, located on the north road 500 m from the cathedral.
From Granada we also took a taxi to the airport for 30 USD and we flew back to Mexico via Guatemala.
We hope this short report will help further travellers.
that was a mighty fine trip report. thanks, i wish more would do like that. I dont care much for Granada or Antigua, and imagined Leon being in the same league.
Not many posters approve of Sjds here. Havent been there, but it sounds like my kind of place.
Are fruits and vegetables "so expensive" because of climate? I can see a potato or lettuce as being costly, but pineapples, bananas, and mangoes? What do the locals eat? Surely not the campesino poverty diet of northern Mexico...beans, tortillas, cheese and eggs...
Locals eat "gallo pinto" a mix of cooked rice and beans fried in fat with cuajada (kinda fetahlike cheese) , eggs and tortilla......like the poor mexicans do..Leon,Granada and SJDS are the rich parts of the country partly because of tourism, poverty is even worse at the "campo"......
Edited by: globaler
Leon was super cheap when I was there. Especially the produce. I think you may have been looking in the wrong places.
untracked might be cheap compare to some countries, but not compare to Europe and Mexico as well.
avocado or mandarins were at a price even not to be compared with Mexican produces as well.
I did inquire to be sure this wasn't only for tourists....unfortunately not.
Interesting trip report. The only thing I like most is the fact you did a great job negotiating taxi's between the main areas a typical tourist would go, showing you dont need a rental car in Nicaragua popular areas, just taxi and bus/paxeo.
That is interesting about the fruits and veggies prices indeed.
In what way was the locals in Leon hostile to a foreigner? And where are you from? Spain?
I found Nica's reserved compared to say Costa Rica, who are more outgoing and liberal in a social sense, but never hostile.
Thanks for the report.
We were in Nicaragua for 7 weeks and used mainly chicken buses and minivans. We found them convenient and cheap. I understand you only had a week and taxis got you where you wanted to go faster. We just think taking the bus is a great experience and often a lot of fun.
Leon is indeed hot but we loved it there. Kind of a less touristy version of Granada, lots of nice buildings and museums. When we were there the nightlife was booming (still going strong at 1 am)... so much so we opted for a hotel away from the "party streets". Of course Cerro Negro and other volcanoes were great as well and so was the beach. We found food cheap, certainly compared to Canada and Europe. People were friendly, we did not experience any hostility.
The sunset in SJDS is indeed amazing. We were there in November so it was not busy and we enjoyed a day on the beach and strolling around.
If with Imopete Island you mean Ometepe, I can only say we loved Ometepe. We climbed volcanoes, swam at Charco Verde, went to the natural spring pool... lots of fun.
Granada is fun for a day, we enjoyed walking around (and going to the market) and exploring the isletas by kayak.
Nicaragua is a developing country and of course there is poverty. We stayed at locally owned hotels and ate at locally owned restaurants whenever possible. When kids were begging, we often gave them something to eat instead of money.
Yes! Nicaragua is better ( people and way of life) than costa rica and much better than Guatemala.
We had bad experiences with chicken buses and shuttles in guatemala.
taxi prices indication was given here only for those who like to hire one.
Chicken buses are much cheaper. However shuttles for 2 weren't actually , with a taxi you can stop wherever you want to shoot a picture, buy fruits- even if expensive- etc..
hope this help.
Costa Rica seems to be for us a natural reserve'subsidiary of the USA, in that case I prefer the US, at better prices and better services.
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