Nicaragua is a must stop when traveling through Central America. It has a variety of landscape and activities. Part of its charm is that it is less popular and touristy than Costa Rica and Guatemala. It still seems a bit undiscovered in some ways. Our time in Nicaragua was cut short due to a family emergency but I know we will be back.
Granada
We kicked off our Nicaragua trip with a few days in Granada with our friend Tyler. Granada is Nicaragua’s colonial gem. With its bright colorful streets, horse drawn carriages, and volcano views, whats not to love!? Spend your days by the water and your nights dining under lights on Calle La Calzada.
Read more about our trip to Granada here.
Leon
We only stopped in Leon for one night while making our way from Antigua to Granada. Leon is a popular spot for volcano boarding. I assumed the city would be a little more touristy because of this but when we tried to find dinner everything was closed and was even a little scary looking! We settled on some street food which was dirt cheap but we got bad vibes. The city was very dirty and impoverished. If we had more time here we probably would’ve ventured to the coast to Isla Los Brasiles. We met a girl in Paredon who worked at the Surfing Turtle Lodge there and said it is beautiful and fun!
Isla de Ometepe
We weren’t able to make it to Ometepe but I know we will return to Nicaragua just for this visit. It is an island on a lake with two volcanoes in the middle! It is popular to rent mopeds, visit Ojo de Agua and hike Volcano Maderas. We had planned on staying at Zopilote it looked like a really cool permaculture farm similar to the one we visited in Tzununa.
San Juan Del Sur
We had so much fun in San Juan del Sur. Surf all day, toñas all night! SJDS reminded me of our beloved PB in San Diego. It is such a fun party beach town. With little else to do besides hang at the beach or go to happy hour, it is Nica’s chill vacation spot.
Read more about our trip to San Juan Del Sur here.
Corn Islands
The Corn Islands require a little more effort to get to but they seem so worth it! We had to cancel this part of our trip as well but we will definitely be back to scuba dive these Caribbean gems! They are very simple and low key. I imagine they are pretty similar to Jost Van Dyke.
Nicaragua has a lot to offer and I definitely want to visit this beautiful country again soon!
Want more information to plan your trip to Nicaragua? Check out the Nicaragua Lonely Planet here.
Hasta Pronto Nica,
-Ray
