Nicaragua...?

Question

ill be going to managua, nicaragua with a friend to visit her family in april. what is there to do and what will i expect to see, encounter, etc...

Answer 1

Mountains. That;s all I know.

Answer 2

Get ready to eat anything...If you are picky with food, bring your own lunch...LOL...

By having relatives there..you can count on them to keep you entertain...now...their way to entertain is not the same as the US....for instance...they might take you to the lake, hiking or just site seeing.  It is a third world country, so not too many things like Air condition or hot water...so be prepared.  Food is good, but remember they have different taste than you.

Bring some Tumms, pestobismol and exlac for stomach virus. They are likely for you to get because your amune system is not used to those conditions.

Plus your dollars will go very far...

Good luck

Answer 3

As with any other Latin American country, expect to see many volcanoes and a lot of biodiversity. April will be extremely hot here in Managua, the heat is unbearable and the humidity is super high so bring water bottles so you can freeze some water. Tap water is fine to drink but there is more chlorine in our tap water (each country is different) so your stomach might not be able to adjust like us Nicaraguans who are used to it. Thats no problem, just buy bottled water. You will encounter some of the friendliest people, i can assure you. As for crime, we are rated the safest country in Central America. However, precautions are always standard. Never go out alone at night, if you take a taxi, make sure he knows where he is taking you and make sure they have their license taped on the window. I always take those "unregistered" taxis because they are cheaper, but i live here and know when or when not to get into one so its a different situation for me. Also, you will encounter people on the streets selling just about anything and everything, its no surprise my country has a high poverty rate, but these people are just trying to make money to live, so if you see some gum or something (they sell them cheap) don't hesitate to buy some, it could be the money that feeds them for the day. Poverty is not a disease, and many children and/or adults just want to make a living for themselves.

As for things to do, i can name many. Typical things you might encounter with your friend is going to buy food at a super (Pali, La Union, ect) or a mercado (Mercado Oriental, Mercado Mayoreo, ect). A super is like any other supermarket in the U.S. (Ralphs, Vons, Albertsns, ect). A mercado, on the other hand, is a lot cheaper but very hectic and very hot because it is open, meaning its not in a building. Its the equivalent of a farmers market... just.. a lot hotter. Whatever you do, do not use the busses (chicken busses as they call them in the U.S.). I'm Nicaraguan and i'm not even crazy enough to step foot in one, they are hectic, extremely crowded and just have to avoid them at all costs. Taxis here are cheap and are a better way to get yourself from place to place. Also, you can rent a car, but let your friend drive... we have to street names here and addresses are given with local landmarks, some of which don't exist anymore and only us locals know).

It depends on what type of things you want to do. If you stay here in Managua and you're into nature and things of that sort try the Chiltepe peninsula here in Managua. It is located in Lake Managua, Central America's 2nd largest lake. You can do a canopy tour and do a zip line and see the old Managua downtown. Also, you can visit the waterfalls that are located in the Chocoyero Natural Reserve. The water is cold, which is good considering how hot it is here in Managua. The Natural Reserve is one of 78 here, if you're into bird watching you can find many birds whom we call "chocoyeros", they are beautiful and sing. You can also take one of 5 or 6 different trails (i forget how many) and they are all different lengths and difficulty.

If you're into sightseeing, definitely head to one of our Art Galleries here, or museums. You can also head to our old downtown which contains many structures and building which survived the earthquake in 72 tat destroyed 90% of this city. They are all within blocks of each others. Also there is the Plaza de la Revolucion (Plaza of the Revolution) where there is a park (just in front of the old Cathedral and National Palace) where there are many monuments. I was just there on Sunday with my cousin who is visiting. There is a huge fair going on right now. You can also head to the colonial cities of Granada and Leon, they are the oldest colonial cities in mainland Americas, both founded in the early 1500s. Other nice finds would be the house of our most beloved poet, and one of the Spanish Languages' greatest writers, Ruben Dario. The house is very interesting and you can also visit the church in which he is buried in Leon, it is the largest church in Central America. Also, a World Heritage Site (by UNESCO) is in Leon, it is called "Ruinas de Leon Viejo" Runins of Old Leon, it is a wonderful site that i was surprised not many tourists knew about (i work with many tourist-related businesses here in Managua).

If you like just to relax, i suggest you head out to the Corn Islands. They are two islands on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua. A plane ride is only about an hour away and $100. Everything there is cheap and the water is a beautiful clear white with dark blue spots. Coral reefs, amazingly beautiful and colorful fish, scuba diving, great Caribbean/Chinese/African influenced food and white soft sand beaches. It is nothing like other Caribbean islands which are infested with 60 story skyscrapers, it is honestly one of the last Caribbean islands with its charm... Hawaii may be beautiful but it is overrun with tourists who don't appreciate its people and culture a they do the beaches and cheap food.

Other places you should visit are the islets of granada, Ometepe island, Lake Cocibolca aka Lake Nicaragua, volcan mombacho, the city of Bluefields and Esteli.

If you want adventurous type things head to the city of Leon. There you will find, what i think, is the only active volcano in which you can ski down. I have been there plenty of times, its an adrenaline rush! The gear and everything only costs about $5 and you have to hike to the top and they provide a board and suit for you to slide down... its an absolute must.

Traveling in Nicaragua is not hard, Many cities are of driving distance from Managua. For example, both Leon and Granada are less than an hour away. Traveling to the Caribbean coast is where it gets tricky. If you drive it will take you about 2 days, the ONLY road to RAAS (where the city of Bluefields is located) takes about 2 days and it doesn't even take you all the way there. You reach a river (called Escondido river) and you have to take a boat to reach Bluefields.. hectic journey, i've only done it twice, i always take a plane now. A plane ride is the fasted way and is not too expensive. Planes to Bluefields and Corn Islands depart from Augusto Sandino International Airport, in Managua.

I have heard tourist say over and over that the friendliness of this country's people is what keeps them coming back. I work with many tourist operations and provide city tours and it amazes me how people use to think of Nicaragua before they got here. They think there is still a war gong on.. the war has been over for decades. They also think that Central America is dangerous, while that may true, Nicaragua has been rated the safest country in Central America and statistics put it as th second Safest in Latin America, after Uruguay. Homicide rate in 2007 (as of late November) stood at only 12 per 100,000 compared to 58 per 100,000 in El Salvador

Yes, finding addresses is tricky is you're not a local. We have no street names (except super major streets [very few]). The majority of the addresses given are according to landmarks, some of which don't even exist anymore so only locals know when they are. But, we also use buildings, for example, the officess for La Prensa (a newspaper here) is located right next to the Coca Cola factoy, so people would use one of those to get to a nearby house. The address to my house would be difficult for a tourist since i/we use "de donde fue la maber" which means "from where the maber use to be", meaning its no longer there. Then followed by something like "4 cuadras al norte sobre el lago" El lago meaning "Lake Nicaragua" which i can see if i go on my rooftop.

Answer 4

im going there this summer i have family there... it may not be the best country in the world but it has some pretty cool stuff. you can go to the beaches, (i love them), visit volcanoes, mountains, historical site.. lots of things to do just be careful its one of the poorest countries and do not take vaulable stuff trust me it will get stolen.. its happed to me before and goood luck hope you like it! =D