Reasons to visit Nicaragua

Granada is the perfect example of a colonial city: cobbled street, bright colours, magnificent churches, airy squares and great museums, this city on the shores of Lake Nicaragua, located at just one hour from the capital Managua is the country’s biggest tourist attraction. León, two hours north of Granada (and one hour from Managua) may not be as well kept, and in fact is rather decadent and crumbling, but this decadence makes it even more gorgeous: the most intensely political city in the country is packed with young people, interesting museums and great art galleries and beautiful churches.

Nicaragua is known as the land of lakes and volcanoes. There are 19 volcanoes in the country and most of them are active. Anywhere I went in Nicaragua, at least a volcano was in sight. Nicaragua offers some of the best volcano hikes in the continent (but it is better to hire a guide as the vegetation on some of them is so thick that it is easy to get lost). The tiny Isla de Ometepe (which can be reached by ferry from either Granada or San Jorge, 6 km east of Rivas) has its own two volcanoes – Maderas and Concepción. Nicaragua is also where volcano boarding, an adventure sport that involves sliding off the top of a volcano, was invented. Just in case one wants to try something new.

Aside from the gorgeous beaches of the Pacific which are a paradise for surfers such as those around San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua has its very own Caribbean hideout in the form of the Corn Islands. At only 70 km from the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, Little Corn and Great Corn are remote. Getting there may be a bit complicated – it involves travelling to Bluefields, on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, and then either flying or taking a boat to Great Corn Island and then another boat to the tiny Little Corn Island. But it is well worth the effort: picture pristine beaches, white sand, no cars at all, gorgeous seafood, snorkelling and diving.

Various kinds of monkeys, sloths, jaguars and ocelots all live in Nicaragua, where it also possible to spot numerous species of birds such as the great green macaw, the motmot and the toucan. Furthermore, sea turtles also nest on the coast of Nicaragua. The best part is that all one has to do is laze on a hammock at an isolated hostel to be able to spot this amazing wildlife.

Food in Nicaragua is not as varied as it is in Mexico, but this small Central America country has some great fruit and interesting dishes, such as vigoron (which is a dish served on banana leaves which is made of a cabbage salad, boiled yucca and pork scratchings) and quesillos (which are corn tortillas filled with thin slices of mild cheese and a salad of pickled onions and tomatoes, all wrapped together and over which abundant cream is poured).

Nicaraguans are kind and welcoming and they are always willing to give a hand not only to each other but also to travelers. Poverty hasn’t toughened the heart of these people, who don’t try to take advantage of travellers but rather show pride for their own country. Where else in the world can you bump into a Christmas party to seek shelter from rain and be actually welcomed to join the celebrations?

Compared to Costa Rica, Nicaragua is much cheaper. 5 dollars will land a backpacker a bed in a dorm, and 3 dollars will buy a large meal in a local eatery. A litre of beer costs 1.30 dollars. A real splurge meal will cost no more than 15 dollars. Transportation is also very cheap.

The crowded, old buses that have been driven down from North America are the most common means of transportation in Nicaragua. They are uncomfortable and on the slow side, but they are very cheap, they go everywhere and they are great to get a picture of the local life.Read about: How to Survive Travel on a Chicken Bus

Nicaragua is never crowded with tourists, not even in its peak season (December through March). I’d dare say that this is destined to change though, for more and more people are getting to know this amazing country.Author Bio:Claudia is from Cagliari (Sardinia) and is obsessed with travelling. A former human rights lawyer and academic, after devoting her life to the protection of cultural identity, in November 2013 Claudia decided to give in to her biggest passion and started travelling around Latin America, and she has hardly stopped since. Blogging came as a natural consequence, for Claudia wanted to let her family and friends be updated with her adventures.Follow her travel blog at My Adventures Across the WorldRead Next: 11 Fun and Not-so-Obvious things to do in Cuba