Nicaragua Travel: 8 Tips for Incredible Travels in Nicaragua

If you’re planing to travel to Nicaragua, there’s some information you should know before you go.  Here’s eight tips that will help make you journey a bit easy — and a lot more fun.

1. If you enter Nicaragua by airplane, you will land at the international airport in Managua. If you, like many other travellers, want to exchange money, do NOT exchange it there. The exchange rates are way too high! There are many other money exchange services in Managua or every bank can exchange your money with reasonable rates.

2. Handmade and fresh cheese, tortillas, butter, bread, cookies, cakes, etc. can be bought in small shops (pulperias), cheese shops, local bakeries and so on and not necessarily in big supermarkets. The food from the small vendors is fresher, more delicious and cheaper. A good deal I would say.*

Nicaragua Travel: 8 Tips for Traveling in Nicaragua

3. Very often, mangoes, avocados, bananas, lemons, etc. can just be picked from the trees or the ground below the trees.

4. In some areas it’s better not to walk at night–especially dark and abandoned streets. Always walk in groups or at least with another person. It´s better to take a taxi at night. Especially as a woman solo traveler, you need to be a bit more careful.

Wall painting

5. Avoid traveling on Sundays if possible. Busses (except the high frequented routes, e.g. Granada – Masaya – Managua – Leon) or ferries don´t serve very regularly. Even locals often don´t know the timetables or if buses or ferries serve on that day at all.

6. If you fall sick, avoid the public hospitals. They are free but the hygienic and service standards are just horrible. It´s always better to spend your money in private hospitals that have doctors with good standards and expertise.

Nicaragua Travel: 8 Tips for Traveling in Nicaragua

7. Avoid taxi drivers who want to force you to take their taxi and put a lot of pressure on you (e.g. in Managua). Tell them that you don´t need their service and look for a taxi driver on your own. Especially in Managua, taxi drivers ask tourists for a lot more than the usual price. Ask a bus driver or some local pedestrians for advice about the normal taxi price, so that you can bargain reasonably.

8. It’s a “must” to speak some Spanish if you want to travel comfortably in Nicaragua. Many people, except in touristy areas, don´t speak any English. If you don´t speak Spanish, try to learn at least some common words and sentences before you start your journey. That way you will definitely enjoy it more.

I hope these tips are useful for you! If you think something is missing, feel free to add a comment below.

 

Nicaragua Travel: 8 Tips for Traveling in Nicaragua photo by Unsplash.