After sunset you should try to not walk around alone. With the sun setting, crime rises everywhere i

I’m in Nicaragua for the second time in three years and I have to admit that not that much has changed to my surprise. I m here with Conni from Planet Backpack because we launched our ultimate online course for german bloggers alaskan cruises vancouver ! Everything is a bit slower here. In Central America everything is actually much slower but in Nicaragua alaskan cruises vancouver it seems like as if time sometimes stops. You sometimes need an hour being the only customer in the restaurant until you get your fresh made juice and dinner served. Also you can’t really alaskan cruises vancouver trust the opening hours, they open and close whenever they feel like and when there is business to be made. Everything is made with a gut feeling. And this is, what makes this country so special. The feeling that everything is possible but nothing is necessary…
alaskan cruises vancouver This is what they say right now, that Nicaragua is the new Costa Rica . I’ve read in many international magazines that it’s an up and coming destination. A destination where only the hardcore and experienced travelers that are willing to wear their things on their back will make it to the country they say. It clearly shows that some of those journalists that wrote those articles were stuck behind a desk in a cubicle. While the infrastructure isn’t as good as in the neighboring countries that are already very americanized I think that Nicaragua alaskan cruises vancouver is also a country for the less experienced backpackers among us and should definitely be on your bucket list ! Nicaragua has everything you need and a many things that you don’t! Nicaragua has beautiful coast, perfect waves, Caribbean Islands, alaskan cruises vancouver the best rum in the world and friendly people . But it also has a lot of crime, not very rich cuisine and little money!
In Central America everybody probably thinks of the crime statistic first and how corrupt everything is, and it often is true if you travel without using your brain cells. alaskan cruises vancouver It is important that you pay attention to your surroundings, and follow a few rules to travel safely in Nicaragua
Outside of Managua there should be no problems. However, in Managua you should be really careful taking taxis from the side of a street. If you have to travel in Managua (I really don’t know why you would do it) take a taxi from the hotels. Most hotels have their own taxis. Otherwise take the official radio taxis, their drivers wear red shirts. It often happens that taxi drivers cooperate with gangs and drive tourists into dodgy neighborhoods where they get mugged and robbed. If possible always travel alaskan cruises vancouver with a companion!
After sunset you should try to not walk around alone. With the sun setting, crime rises everywhere alaskan cruises vancouver in the world. Three years ago I escaped a robbery in the middle of the night while walking down to the beach in San Juan Del Sur after partying alaskan cruises vancouver with some friends. Luckily nothing happened but it would have been our own fault, we stumbled down the street and clearly showed that we were intoxicated and wouldn’t be able to defend ourselves.
Leave your passport, walled and other important things in a safe (In your packing list, you should always have a padlock) and split your money in your pockets. Never have bigger amounts of money in just one pocket. This way you’ll alaskan cruises vancouver never show people that you are carrying that much with you when paying a bill. Better have a 1000 cordobas split into four pockets with 250 cordobas in each than having a big roll of money in one of your pockets!
I would say yes! It is as safe as in other countries in South America or Central America. There are a few things to take into consideration. Best thing is you check out this post by Tanja about Travel Safety for Solo Women in South America!
Nicaragua, unica… original! That’s the official tourism slogan by the country and they are right! Nicaragua is unique and original and I couldn’t agree more even though the logo looks like it was created in the 1990ies. But this is what Nicaragua is like, it’s a bit  slow and it feels like you are traveling in the past. It’s like the time stopped for a bit!
In the south western part of the country, alaskan cruises vancouver close to the boarder to Costa Rica you will find San Juan Del Sur. It used to be a small, sleepy fisher town and today is the epicenter of surf tourism alaskan cruises vancouver in Nicaragua . The town now has plenty of hotels and hostels and profits a lot from tourism. The region around San Juan Del Sur is known for its good surf breaks and perfect for surfing, yoga and party. Your personal paradise that you’ve alaskan cruises vancouver been looking alaskan cruises vancouver for! From San Juan Del Sur you can easily travel to the beaches of Playa Hermosa and Playa Maderas where you can easily learn how to surf. Renting a surf board coasts around 10 Dollars a day or 50 Dollars for a week. Most of the waves are shoulder high. Perfect for beginners and intermediates. In the back country you can easily mountain bike in the mornings. In the afternoon it would just be too hot. Some shops in town rent mountain bikes, bikes and quads. You could also try to bike or walk up to the second largest Jesus staue in the world from where you have an amazon alaskan cruises vancouver view over the area! For more inspiration about things to do in San Juan Del Sur, please alaskan cruises vancouver check out 100 Things alaskan cruises vancouver to Do in San Juan Del Sur ! San Juan Del Sur is the perfect start for your Nicaragua trip . It’s one of the most expensive places in the country but from here everything becomes cheaper and you can slowly get used to the culture, the people and the country!
From San Juan Del Sur you should travel to Isla Ometepe . You can easily take the Chicken Bus from the Market or share a taxi with other travelers to Rivas. From there you can take a ferry from San Jorge to Moyogalpa on Ometepe Island. The ride takes about 60 minutes and the ferries run almost every 30 minutes. It costs between 2 and 3 dollars per person. There is also the possibility to travel from Granada to Ometepe and from Ometepe to Granada by ferry. I haven’ done it yet but apparently it takes only 4 hours and costs around 4 dollars per person (1 st class 9 dollars). The ferry leaves Ometepe from Algracia! Isla Ometepe has a lot to offer. It is located in the middle alaskan cruises vancouver of the Nicaragua lake and consists of two volcanoes and has quite bad infrastructure. Once you arrive, you can take a taxi or wait for a bus that will take you around alaskan cruises vancouver the island. I would recommend that you rent a motorbike, quad or a horse once you arrive at your accommodation to easier explore the island. You should definitely explore the volcano and drive to the Ojo de Agua a natural spring with clean water. alaskan cruises vancouver I stayed at the Landing Hostel near the port and at Monkey Island Hotel . Both were great. The Landing Hostel is closer to the Ojo De Agua on the northern side of the western island and the Monkey Island is on the southern alaskan cruises vancouver side of the eastern island closer to the entrance of the volcano.
North of the capital Managua you’ll find the old capital Léon. Léon is the intellectual home of the country and has the best universities of the country. “Without the students, we wouldn’t have much business here” my cab driver said when driving me from Léon to Las Penitas, a small beach town 20 Kilometers away from the city. While other cities go to bed once the sun sets, Léon really starts to come alive. Many bars will play loud music where students meet to play a round of pool, talk or party! The Bigfoot Hostel is the biggest and most famous hostel in Léon and also introduced volcano boarding years ago!
This little town is my personal rendition of nicaraguan heaven and truly Off The Path. It’s located on a very long beach and only 20 kilometers away from Léon. You can’t do much around Las Penitas, except relax, surf, eat, drink, work and enjoy life. There are a few hotels, alaskan cruises vancouver hostels, bed and breakfasts and a few small restaurants along the coast. The atmosphere is just incredible. You have to come here if you want to relax and aren’t looking to experience a lot. Come here to detox and to find yourself a bit. Single rooms start at around 20 Dollars. If you are traveling with a few people you can share a private alaskan cruises vancouver room for 10 Dollars or less each. You can go for endless walks by the beach and if you like to surf or want to learn to surf you’ll love this place even better than San Juan Del Sur. There are almost no people on the beach and you often have the waves to yourself. No need to worry to hit another surfer! If you just want to chill and maybe work on a longer project then you’ll love it here. I’m sure you’ll wonder about the internet situation. I will talk about his in a bit… keep reading!
The bus network in Nicaragua is pretty good. You can easily get from one bigger city to another for a very small price. Usually buses run every few hours between the cities. From San Juan el Sur to Léon you can travel for about 130 Cordobas. That’s around 3,70 Euro for 4 hours of travel. Buses in Nicaragua and Central America are called Chicken Buses. That is because people are cooped up in the busses like in a hen transport. If there is no space in the bus you can also travel on the roof rack, you just have to pay attention at all the branches that are on the way…
If you like it a little bit more comfortable and don’t want to travel with the locals you can also take a shuttle. Many accommodations will be happy to organize a shuttle for you. You will be sharing a cab with other travelers and the driver will drop off and pick up other travelers on the way. A shuttle from San Juan Del Sur to Léon casts 20 Dollars!
If you don’t have too much time and want to explore the country on your own and have the pocket money you can also use private taxis. Usually the day rate for a taxi is about 120 Dollars. From San Juan Del Dur to Léon you pay between 80 and 100 Dollars.  From Managua airport to San Juan Del Sur you’ll pay around 100 Dollars at night. We booked through an agency a few days before we arrived in Nicaragua that picked us up from the airport and drove us to San Juan Del Sur.
Yes. But most countries can get a visa on arrival. If you come from Europe you will probably travel through alaskan cruises vancouver Pana