Nicaragua Route and Recommendations
If Nicaragua was a person, I would consider them someone I met once who made me laugh but was also very mean. I have very mixed feelings about this country.
I want to look back on my time here with a warm smile, but I don’t. I know it’s a beautiful place with lots to offer, and friends who’ve been loved it, but my experience just wasn’t an overall positive one. Feeling unsafe, being ripped off, rude locals, food poisoning, and being told stories about fellow hostel-goers being held up at gun-point on the beach.
To make things worse, I’m pretty sure this is where I got the parasite that would then sit in my body for the rest of our trip, causing a lot of issues then and long term. Also, I felt the most unsafe here. However, it was the beginning of the trip and I wasn’t used to being in that sort of environment. Saying that now makes me feel guilty, as now I look back and just feel grateful for the safety and comfort that I grew up in.
Despite my overall feelings, I will emphasize that there are some incredible experiences to be had in Nicaragua. Things that, in comparison to normal working life, would be magical for anyone.
You’ll find those highlights here, but also the not-so-fun bits. Since every person and every trip is different, you might end up feeling differently.
10 days in nicaragua: Our Route
Leon: 4 Days
Leon is a base for hiking the Telica Volcano overnight
Flew from Guatemala City to Managua, then bussed to Leon that same day
Granada: 2 Days
Not much going on here, but often used as a base for Laguna de Apoyo (which we didn’t end up seeing)
Ometepe: 3 Days
Favourite part of Nicaragua. Stay on this island for 2-3 nights at least
San Juan Del Sur: 3 Days
Surf town with lots of backpackers
LEON
This former capital city is surrounded by volcanoes and filled with revolutionary history, playing an important role in the political changes in the 1980s. You can feel the historical significance on every street, in every conversation with a local.
Normally I find history and museums boring, but it was important to learn about the rise against the dictatorship that ensued from decades of civil conflict and thousands of deaths.
The surrounding volcanoes bring fun hiking and sand boarding opportunities, and the cheap street food will keep you full all day long. Just be careful - but I’ll go more into food poisoning later.
Things To Do
Visit the Cathedral, a gorgeous white building that you can climb up to the roof for the perfect photo opp (as pictured above). Be prepared to take off your shoes because they like to keep it clean. Open between 8am-12pm and 2pm-5pm.
Situated opposite of the cathedral is the Museo de la Revolucion (Revolution Museum). Learn about the history of the revolution while standing inside bullet-ridden walls from local guides that participated in the war. $2 per person.
Do an overnight hike to Telica Volcano. You will get to see the Jacinto Mud Pools, the smokey Telica crater, and stay at a campsite with a perfect view of the milky way. We went with the company Quetzaltrekkars, a group of experienced guides who give back to the local community. They give you breakfast at the Quetzal building, then head out to hike up to the crater at sunset and sunrise. We heard you can do the hike on your own, but it’s recommended to go with a guide to prevent robberies and getting lost.
Visit El Museo de Leyendas Y Tradiciones (Museum of Myths and Legends). This is a creepy jail museum that made us laugh and is worth visiting if you’re there.
Go volcano boarding. We didn’t because of the apparent excess amount of wasps (which I’m allergic to), but heard it’s a highlight for most.
If you happen to be visiting on August 14, you’ll be there for the anniversary of the Momotombo volcano eruption that destroyed the town in 1610. Witness the outrageous series of events in which the locals pray to the gods in hopes that the volcano won’t explode again. Thousands of people gather on the streets to watch fireworks, pray, sing, and eat.
Leon
Campsite at the base of Telica Volcano
Erik being weird at the Museum of Myths and Legends
GRANADA
We came here before heading to Ometepe, and honestly I don’t think it’s necessary. People like to go just to see the Volcano Masaya, but we skipped out on that due to limited time (and funds). The city of Granada didn’t have much going on, and we spent our days wandering the streets feeling a little lost (mentally, I mean).
If you’re looking for the best things to do in Granada, you should go to a different site. But I will tell you what we did and what we heard we should have done.
Things To Do
What We Did: Top of Cathedral, Garden Cafe, not much else. We walked into a restaurant called El Camello for lunch, then left because of the over-priced menu. The owner came outside and called us back, where we ended up spending the afternoon with him and his family, getting a free meal too.
Tips From Others: Volcano Masaya, Laguna de Apoyo, Pueblos Blancos
The only photo I took in Granada
OMETEPE
This was the highlight of my time in Nicaragua by far, with more fun and adventure compared to the slower days walking around cities or the beach. Ometepe is an island situated on a big lake in the northwest with two volcanoes and tons of nature to explore.
There’s only four ways for tourists to get around the island - ATV, scooter, push bike or personal driver. We opted for the ATV, because we’re too poor to have a driver and I was too scared to drive a scooter after hearing horror stories (and seeing it first-hand) about people who had crashed and ended up in the hospital. Plus the scooters weren’t going to make it up the hill to the best waterfall hike I’ve ever done.
We explored the island in one day, but it would have been better to break it up into two or more. I have memories of us driving the ATV at full speed back to the hostel as the sun set, trying to return it in time. There’s a lot to do here so you have to pick and choose, but here’s an overview of what we did.
Things To Do
Get yourself some wheels. The best way to navigate the island is by ATV, motorcycle or scooter, as walking or bussing would take way too long. As more than half of the island’s roads are unpaved, I’d highly recommend getting an ATV for a smooth ride.
Hike to the San Roman waterfall. This was a glimmer of light in a bit of a dark time, feeling so plagued by my unexplainable disappointment, but the moment we arrived and I stood beneath the ginormous waterfall the feelings faded. It’s a bit of a trek to get there once you park your ATV/Scooter/Whatever but just keep going up the path and eventually you’ll see it. There’s a river that blocks the path about 30 minutes before the end, but don’t let that fool you - keep going! Plus, the drive there gives you a taste of the local life - from old, dirty houses scattered around to farmers walking their cattle along the roads.
Watch the sunset at Punta Jesus Maria for a view of sun casting a glow on the surrounding volcanoes. We ordered a tuk-tuk there from our hostel on the first night we arrived, and asked the guy to pick us back up after sunset. There were hundreds of fireflies in the fields as we drove home in the dark.
Hike up a volcano. We didn’t do this, as we had just gone on two overnight volcano hikes the weeks before.
Visit the Butterly Sanctuary. We took the ATV here before the waterfall hike to look at the hundreds of pretty little butterflies.
The island is filled with activities. We only had two days, so we didn’t get to do everything.
San Roman Waterfall, Ometepe
How To Get To Ometepe (And Avoid Being Ripped Off)
We took a chicken bus from Granada to Rivas, then got a “cab” to the San Jorge ferry port. Get on a ferry to Moyolgopa, Ometepe. Suggest getting a seat on the outside of the boat, as the smell of gasoline was nauseating from the inside.
Tip: do not pay more than 20 Cordobas each for the cab. We paid 150, and kicked ourselves after. As a tourist in Central America, it’s likely that you will be taken advantage of. We let this $5USD overpayment ruin our entire day. But on our tiny budget, this made a big difference at the time.
San Juan Del Sur
Writing this brings back memories of sweating my butt off in a cheap hostel with no AC, no working fans and my first stint of food poisoning. Throwing up all over the floor, with no towels anywhere in sight except my small quick-dry camping one.
BUT that being said, I’m sure many people have gone to San Juan Del Sur and loved it. I envy those people.
This small surf town has a great reputation amongst backpackers, as it has the best of both worlds. Chill coastal vibes mixed with an upbeat party scene. Unfortunately Erik and I were both sick the entire time, so we ended up swapping our cheap hostel for a hotel with air conditioning to lie in all day.
Things To Do
Take the bus to the Playa del Mar and rent a surfboard for the afternoon.
Hike up to the Jesus statue at the top of the hill. I didn’t personally do this because I was bed-ridden the whole time, but here’s a great post with directions.
Watch the sunset on the beach - this was one of the best sunsets we saw!
Just chill out! That seemed to be what most people were doing anyway.