What's special about Nicaragua

If you loved Guatemala I am sure you would love Nicaragua - so many similarities. I am a senior solo budget traveler and I recently traveled from Cancun to Panama. I never saw children begging. There were starving street dogs in every country. I was there just prior to rainy season so it was hot and brown, I think those factors are determined by the time of year you plan to visit. I enjoyed Granada, just seemed to be a larger version of Antigua. The people were wonderful. Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador were my fav. countries.

I think you will need to go and see for yourself. They are both very different from each other and yet have some similarities.

Nica has tons of culture and yeah it can/will be hot as hell is the lower areas but head to Esteli, Matagalpa and/or Jinotega you'll have nice weather, cool nights and see beautiful nature and great hiking. The folks are incredibly friendly.

Leon was my favorite town, incredible place to explore and blows away Antigua, IMO, it's not as pretty but that's one of the many things that makes it special. You might like Granada more.

Ometepe is full of nature as well as the San Juan river area.

As for beaches, where did you go in CR? I loved the area around Jiquilillo, big wide open beaches and fun to play in, it's not the Caribe. Las Peñitas gets good comments on here.

It's a very safe country, cheap, fun and fascinating country, highly recommend it.
Starving street dogs are required by law in every Latin American country, part of the scenery.

Hey did you make it to Guatemala for the elections?

Nicaragua has lots to offer. Ometepe Island is a natural wonder. I would recommend Little Corn Island for beaches. The people are very nice and still rebuilding after the devastating war. Costa Rica has some of the best Caribbean Beaches of all but you have to go to the Caribbean side. I have never been to Cuba but I certainly would not stay in Havana!

No, I didn't make it for the elections in Guatemala. I chickened out at the last moment. I'm heading to Guatemala AFTER the elections- when things calm down a bit. I know I'm missing history in the making. Then I was planning on heading to Nicaragua.

I'm so happy to hear that the Guatemalan President stepped down and that he has been arrested. Guatemala and its people deserve an honest and competent goverment that will be for the people. Viva Guatemala! :-)

Thx for replies.

In Costa Rica I was in Manuel Antonio area.

I was not impressed by the beaches. In the park, the water was rough, with strong riptides. And the color of water was a dark green that didn't appeal to me. Although it was nice that it was surrounded by jungle with monkeys. But I prefer Carribbean beaches.

Adventureglo, did you like Panama?

I was thinking of also adding Belize and the Bay Islands of Honduras, but I haven't heard much about Panama. Except that the city is similar to Miami.

I love both Guatemala and Nicaragua. Nicaragua does not have the Maya ruins and the very visible Maya population like Guatemala does. But Nicaragua does have lots of culture, much more than Costa Rica. It does get very hot. Although there is often a lake or a beach nearby for cooling down and, as mentioned above, the northern highlands (Esteli, Matagalpa, Jinotega) are a bit cooler.

I love Leon, a great colonial city with churches, museums, murals. I like the market and the street food but Leon also has many restaurants and good nightlife. I like the volcanoes near Leon. And the beaches. Las Penitas is a fishing village with a nice beach and a nature reserve. But lots of waves, fun to play in but too rough for swimming. The beaches in Jiquilillo are deserted. It is a rural area. Very laid-back. Again, there are waves and people surf but we enjoyed our daily dips in the warm ocean a lot.

Leon feels more real somehow compared to Granada. Granada is pretty and compact, you can see the main sights in a few hours. I love the view from La Merced. Many day trips possible : Lake Apoyo, active volcano Masaya (they drive you right up to the steaming crater), volcano Mombacho (cloud forest).

Ometepe is an island composed of two volcanoes. It is dramatic and impressive. The volcanoes are visible from everywhere. The soil is fertile and there is lots of farming going on. The island has nature, wildlife, beautiful landscapes, nice beaches, natural reserves and rural communities. There is history too and you can see petroglyphs and statues.

The Rio San Juan is great for river life, rainforest and wildlife.

Go to the Northern Highlands for coffee, cowboys, mountainous scenery ,cloud forest, bird watching, hiking...

Nicaraguans love firecrackers. And if you are there for one of the many festivities it will most likely be noisy but very interesting as well.

We felt very safe, people are friendly, public transport works well to get around. Not many begging children. There were a few kids begging in Granada and Matagalpa. They wanted food and we shared our food on a few occasions.

There are many nice hotels and although some people are not fond of the local food we loved the gallo pinto, plantain, yucca, cabbage salad, vigoron, indio viejo, tres leches... and we loved the street food. But in for example Granada and Leon you can find all kinds of great restaurants as well.

The best crafts are probably found at mercado Roberto Huembes in Managua. Masaya has a crafts market but it is very touristy. Masaya does have great hammock makers and San Juan de Oriente is known for pottery. Matagalpa is known for smooth black ceramics.

For lush and green go in November/December, right after the rainy season.

In Costa Rica I was in Manuel Antonio area.

Well, you hit one of the most overrated places in CR, heck in CA, I didn't care at all for MA, the beach or the NP, it's also a tourist pit.

The Caribe side of CR is beautiful, one of the best strips of the Caribe in CA, IMO, From Tortuguero all the way down to Bocas is outstanding jungle, beaches, wildlife and fewer people.

Yes, if you have the time Bay Islands are great, especially if you dive but even snorkeling is outstanding.
Don't forget about the coolest town in CA, Copan, outstanding beautiful town with tons to do, great people.
Lago de Yojoa is another fantastic place, really beautiful and great easy birding.

Adventureglo: why El Salvador ? I haven't been. It's on our list!