🇳🇮 Planning a Trip to Nicaragua: 12 Practical Things To Know

Receiving over a million tourists annually before the pandemic, Nicaragua is a country that’s building up its tourism sector and is known for its raw natural beauty, surfing and beaches, colonial cities, and affordable travel.

Having spent two weeks in Nicaragua, I share well-researched and firsthand travel tips that are especially useful for first-time visitors.

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📌 Planning

Popular Places l When To Visit l How Long To Visit l Entry Requirements

Popular Places

• Granada – a city known for its Spanish colonial architecture, the kayak-friendly Islets of Granada, Mombacho Volcano, and the nearby beautiful Laguna de Apoyo.

Granada is the closest tourist destination to Nicaragua’s only international airport in Managua, so it’s many visitors’ first stop.

• Ometepe – an island with two hikeable volcanoes (the active Volcano Concepción and dormant Volcano Maderas) that you can see from almost anywhere on the island. Other attractions include a remote waterfall, warm beaches, and a chocolate factory.

• León – a city famous for being the gateway to Cerro Negro, where people can experience adrenaline-rushing volcano surfing.
• San Juan del Sur – a tourist-friendly town with several nearby beaches known for its excellent surfing.

• Corn Islands – a Caribbean island known for its white-sand beaches, snorkeling, and diving.

I visited all the places above except for León, which I regret not prioritizing, and Corn Island.

• Granada – my least favorite place. It was pretty small, with little to do after a full day there. But visiting the nearby Laguna de Apoyo and swimming in its warm water was a highlight, so it’s worth a brief stop.
• Ometepe –a beautiful island with its two towering volcanoes. The island also has a main road that you can scooter around, which was fun. It’s very worth the easy and cheap ferry ride.
• San Juan del Sur – not a town I would spend much time in, but I enjoyed spending several days learning how to surf in the nearby Playa Maderas and Playa El Remanso.

My Nicaragua trip planner has firsthand tips for each destination.

When To Visit

• Dry season (November-April) – a more popular time to visit. The country is warm and sunny (77°F to 95°F) but more crowded and expensive.

• Rainy season (May-October) – a better time to visit if you want fewer crowds, lower costs, and can tolerate the frequent rain in the mornings or evenings.

I visited Nicaragua in late October and didn’t get rain that significantly impacted my plans. There was a day when it stormed, and I got “stuck” at a beach restaurant for an hour, but that was the only inconvenience I encountered. All days were hot enough to swim in a lake or the ocean.

How Long To Visit

• 1 week – enough time to visit 1-2 top destinations
• 2 weeks – enough time to visit 3-4 top destinations

I spent 15 days in Nicaragua: 4 in Granada, 5 in Ometepe, and 6 in San Juan del Sur. If I could do it again, I would still spend 2 weeks but spend less time in Granada to make time for León.

Check out my 10-day Nicaragua itinerary that you can shorten and lengthen.

Entry Requirements

• not required for US citizens visiting Nicaragua for up to 90 days.
• all visitors must pay the tourist card fee of $10 at the airport upon arrival.

I tried to pay the tourist card fee with a card and learned it must be paid in cash (USD or Nicaraguan córdoba are both accepted). It’s also a lot simpler if you have the exact change.

💰 Logistics

Money l Getting Around

Money

• Nicaragua’s economy heavily relies on cash transactions, so bring cash.
• USD and Nicaraguan córdoba are both widely accepted. USD must be in good condition, or it will not be accepted.

For detailed tips on money, see my Nicaragua budget breakdown.

Getting Around

• The country only has one primary international airport, Augusto C. Sandino International Airport (MGA), in Managua.
• The primary ways to get around are by shared shuttle, licensed taxi, or chicken bus (the budget option).
  • Nicaragua does not have Uber or public transportation.
  • To get to Ometepe, you need to take an hour-long but very cheap ferry each way.

Transportation costs in Nicaragua are pretty standardized (e.g., there’s little difference in the prices drivers and tour operators give). You can negotiate during the low season, which I was able to do sometimes.

Except for the chicken bus, I took all the transportation above. The main tourist roads (e.g., between Managua and Granada, Granada and Ometepe, etc.) are flat and well-maintained. I had to worry less about motion sickness in Nicaragua compared to Costa Rica and Guatemala.

For detailed tips on getting around, see my Nicaragua trip planner.

💊 Safety

Health l Crime

Health

• generally not considered safe to drink except in Granada.
• disease-carrying mosquitoes are prevalent, so bring bug repellent (I use this repellent lotion).
• Nicaragua has many stray dogs, so you might want to get the rabies vaccine as a precaution.

I didn’t have any health-related issues in Nicaragua and recommend taking some precautions:

• Tap water – I refrained from drinking it but saw plenty of locals drink it in Granada. Some accommodations will also provide filtered water, but not all of them, so be prepared to buy plenty of bottled water (which costs about $1 for 1.5 liters).
• Mosquitoes – I got bit everywhere I visited unless I covered myself in DEET. Most restaurants are open-air, and not all accommodations have screened windows, so you can’t hide from mosquitoes. Granada had the least number of mosquitoes when I visited, and I experienced the most aggressive ones in Playa Maderas (I could hardly be outside for 30 seconds before attracting them).
• Stray dogs – I encountered them everywhere I visited. They’ve also learned that visitors tend to feed them, so you should get used to having dogs beg for food whenever you sit down to eat. I only felt nervous once when I was walking in the dark with my phone flashlight on in Playa Maderas, and a group of dogs started barking and following me. They left me alone once I turned off my light.

Crime

• Nicaragua has safe and unsafe areas. Sticking to well-known tourist spots is a good precaution to take.
  • The country has a travel advisory level of 3 per the US government.
  • It’s ranked #113 out of 163 safest countries by the Global Peace Index (for reference, the US is ranked #132).
• Some typical scams to watch out for include overpriced/unlicensed tours (book with a reputable group), taxis not using meters (make sure to agree on a fare beforehand), and overcharging at restaurants (check your bill).

Despite Nicaragua’s reputation for facing political instability since 2018, I felt very safe traveling and visiting the tourist areas. Many areas that looked “underdeveloped” had families out and about on the streets. There were two Airbnbs I stayed at where other guests didn’t even bother to lock their doors.

🌍 Culture

Language l Food l What To Wear

Language

• Spanish
• not widely spoken (only about 10% of locals speak it)

Compared to other Central American countries I’ve visited, I found that Nicaragua has the least English speakers. Many locals assume you speak Spanish and will default to speaking it with you, whereas in other places, it was most common for them to first ask, “Do you speak Spanish?” That said, getting around with just knowing basic phrases is still reasonably easy.

Food

• gallo pinto (fried rice with black or red beans, spices, and some vegetables)
• nacatamal (corn tamale filled with pork or chicken, rice, potatoes, and spices, all wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed) and vigorón (boiled yuca topped with crispy pork rinds and a cabbage salad).

Be prepared to eat a lot of gallo pinto. You’ll easily find it at any restaurant serving typical food, and it’s eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. While the dishes are delicious and cheap, I started missing white rice after a week of gallo pinto.

My Nicaragua trip planner reviews all the places I ate at and how much I spent at each one.

What To Wear

• What to wear – Nicaragua has a tropical climate. It’s almost always warm or hot year-round, so pack many lightweight summer clothes. Don’t forget a swimsuit if you plan to visit a beach.
• How locals dress – They typically dress casually and in non-fancy clothes. Many wear jeans, a jacket, and a T-shirt, even in the heat. Women sometimes wear traditional clothes.

I didn’t use my long sleeves or pants except to protect myself from mosquitoes or on a rare night that wasn’t that hot. My warmer clothes were only really needed when I hiked Volcano Concepción.

💡 Miscellaneous Tips

Other practical observations I made during my trip:

• No hot showers – one of the biggest things to know about Nicaragua is that hot showers are rare. All of the accommodations I stayed in only had cold water. Hot showers are only available at more upscale hotels or expensive lodgings.
• Bring soap and floss – budget and mid-range accommodations in Nicaragua do not often provide body soap, shampoo, or conditioner. It’s also hard to find floss in some places (I couldn’t find any on Ometepe or Playa Maderas).

A comprehensive packing list is included in my Nicaragua trip planner.