GENERAL
TRAVEL TIPS FOR NICARAGUA
(Specific
locations are below)
As
with everything you do, do it with a positive attitude. We’ve heard a lot
of clichés but one that I think fits here is “if life gives you lemons, make
lemon aide”. Damn man, I’ve seen too many people piss and moan about the
weather, where they are, who they’re with, excreta, but they DO NOT make any
attempt to change anything and move on. If you take a positive attitude
where ever you go, the people you talk too, places you see, and most everything
else will be good. With one major exception, we can’t change the weather
so suck it up, be prepared to change your plans to inside activities or plan on
being hot, cold, or wet. It’s life, live it.
Immigrations
and Customs
MANAGUA
International Airport (As of October 2013)
Entry (as of July 2013) - Routine. Since the airlines usually give passengers the
Immigrations and Customs forms to be completed prior to landing. Having it done prior to entering the terminal
minimizes your time and processing through the line is complete within a matter
of minutes.
One thing to pay attention to is the length of stay
the Immigrations agents writes in your passport. DO NOT take his word for it, look at it. I arrived on 27 July and told the agent I
would be in the country until the first week of November. He said that was fine and he would extend my
visa until 27 November (a total of 120 days).
When I reached my final destination on Corn Island, I looked and found
out that he had written 90 days in my passport.
Departure (as
of October 2013) -
Routine. When checking in with the
airline they will (or should) give you the departing Immigrations
document. This is the first and only
form that will be checked by Immigrations so complete it prior to going to the
security screening area. Nothing special
about the security screening process, just remember to take your computer out
of the carrying case.
While you can't see any food vendors or shopping
prior to entering the secure area there are plenty of both.
PENAS
BLANCAS (As of
November 2012)
the
land border crossing between Costa Rica and Nicaragua on the Pan American
Highway
Entry – I entered Nicaragua via bus from Costa Rica and can
only explain the process I experienced. Traveling through in a small group or
by private auto may be different. The
bus initially stopped at the CR immigrations where my passport was stamped for
your departure. We were greeted on the
bus by a Nicaraguan who took our passports and $13 USD to get our inbound visa
for Nicaragua. We then rode the bus for
a few hundred meters to the Customs inspection of our bags which took about 30
minutes.
Departure – As with the entry, I’ll only explain the process I
experienced. About 15 minutes from the
border crossing we picked up a Nicaraguan and gave him our passports, but this
time we only gave him $3 USD (he stayed on the bus with us to the
crossing). As we entered the Nicaraguan
side the guy with our passports got off and we proceeded to a parking area to
wait. At this point, if you’re a
tourist you’ll need to show proof that you will be departing Costa Rica (can be
an airline itinerary or bus ticket).
Within about 30 minutes he returned with our passports stamped for
departure and we rode a few hundred meters to the entry point of Costa
Rica. We again got off the bus and
entered CR immigrations where they checked for our proof of departure and
stamped our passports for entry.
Our
bags were supposed to be inspected at this stop, but the bus driver did his
“driver magic” and when we got back to the bus our bags had already been
“checked”. I know it was magic because
my bag was locked and I knew they didn’t look inside (but I didn’t have
anything to hide).
General
Challenges and advice
Taxi Service
Taxi Service
Use
an “official” taxi service; one that is affiliated with a company.
I
once made the mistake of not riding in an “official” taxi; I stopped a local
taxi with no affiliation with a taxi company.
While this mistake was not expensive, I did pay an additional few
dollars for a 10 minute taxi ride.
As
a tourist you usually don’t notice the difference; some of the things to look
for are:
-
Specific license plates; may or may
not have the words “taxi” on them
-
Governmental assigned numbers on the
exterior of the vehicle
-
Company named painted on the vehicle
-
Government issued identification;
this does not mean they are affiliated with a company, just that they are an
approved taxi
-
Fare meters; most companies at least
have meters in their cars
Hotels
near Managua Airport
There
are several decent hotels within minutes of the Managua International Airport
with many of them offering free shuttle service.
Prior
to my arrival I’d made reservations at the Best Western – Las Mercedes in Managua. It was listed as closest to the airport, but
I didn’t realize how close until I actually rode the shuttle. We pulled out of the terminal, made a left
and before we were past the airport we turned right into the hotel. So the place is literally located right
across the street. It is within walking
distance and your only challenge will be the multi-lane road you have to cross.
Tour
Operators
If you're going to get together with a group of friends and take a "self guided" tour be sure to:
- Make sure the attraction is open
- Find out the hours of operation of the attractions you will be visiting
- Find out if there are special things you need to bring (i.e. no open toe shoes, rain gear, towel, plastic to keep your belongings dry, etc).
In
Granada, I was with a small group that went to visit an active volcano only to
find out it was a local holiday and the attraction was closed. Our “tour” operator was licensed, did not do
the appropriate checking, and we were stuck with the taxi fare to and from the
volcano. This was according to the
tourist police, because the taxi driver fulfilled his part by taking us there
and back. Our “tour” operator got nothing
for his time and effort and was warned by the tourist police that only
“official tour operators” make arrangements.
GRANADA
on LAKE NICARAGUA
(As of November 2012)
In Granada, internet service is
available in most hotels and there are various internet cafes and other
locations that offer Wi-Fi service.
The roads are generally pretty good
but there are still sections of the roadways that have some issues with pot
holes.
Places to see (these are things I
did or talked to other tourists that recommended them)
Lake Nicaragua and the small islands
in the Granada area; there are hundreds of these islands, some privately owned
with others owned by locals. Many of the
islanders don’t go to the mainland very often as there are islands used for
schools, cemeteries, shopping, and living.
Choco Museo;
this is a museum that offers a tour of a cacao (chocolate) tree farm and a tour
on the Nicaraguan history of chocolate, culminating with you making your own
chocolate bar.
Volcano Masaya; I did not go here because it was closed, but according to
other tourists this is a must see place.
You can visit during the day or evening and in addition to the normal
volcano sightseeing, this volcano has an active lava flow you can see (I tried
to go in the evening to see the glow of flowing lava).
Places to stay (these are the places
I’ve stayed and recommend)
Hotel Spa Granada;
this hotel has a great staff, location, and atmosphere. The hotel has a spa, pool, courtyard, a bar
by the pool, and a limited service restaurant.
I stayed here and strongly recommend it
Hotel Granada Nicaragua;
I also stayed at this hotel and it too has a great staff and atmosphere. Due to the use of dark floor tiles and stone
walls the interior is darker than I like, but it too is worth staying at. This hotel also has a full service restaurant
and bar.
Places to eat or have a drink (these
are places I ate and recommend)
Comidas Tipicas y MasBar/Restaurant; specializing in local foods; inside and outside seating
KedeKe Restaurant/Café; mainly local food
El Corral Bar/Restaurant; variety of food, nice atmosphere which has a more romantic
appeal at night
Big
Corn Island, Nicaragua
I traveled to Corn Island via La Costena airlines from Managua;
their office is located on the right end (as you’re facing the front of the
Managua International Airport). The cost
of a one-way ticket costs $120USD or if you know your return date you can
purchase a roundtrip ticket for about $160USD.
There is virtually no crime on Big Corn Island. During my three month stay I either walked or
rode a bicycle to most every part of the island and at no time did I feel
unsafe or in danger.
The roads are a bit narrow and do not have adequate lighting
at night. The sidewalks are spotting and
those that you do find are uneven, have holes, and in some places have been
removed and not replaced. The cars don’t
give a wide birth when passing pedestrians or bicycles so watch your six
(back). They do like honking honks but
there used more as a greeting than a warning.
Once you arrive on Corn Island a taxi ride to anywhere on
the island will cost $1USD per person per stop.
There are plenty of lodging options ranging from around
$15USD per night in a hostel to over $100USD for the few “top end” hotels. I stayed at a Vacation Rental By Owner and
while I stayed free (I was on a house sitting assignment) the cost of a studio
type apartment started at $45USD per night.
If you’re staying longer, talk to the owners about reduced rates.
As with the lodging there are several options for dining and
relaxing with a drink. Many are either
ocean side or right across a street.
Also even though a place is marketed primarily as a bar they usually
have a small selection of food. The same
concept goes for restaurants as all the ones I went to also had an attached
bar.
Casa Canada; nice restaurant/bar directly on the water
overlooking Long Bay. They have a decent
selection of food and drinks with prices around $15 for a dinner meal and
drinks about $5. Friendly staff with
good service.
The
Buccaneer at Hotel Paraiso; nice restaurant/bar with all dining and drinking
in open air seating. Again a good menu
selection with food prices about $15 and drinks for around $5. Friendly staff with good service.
Big Fish Café; quaint and enjoyable restaurant/bar with
ocean views. The menu is more a local
style with food costing about $12 with $5 drinks. This place has a bar-b-que and dining area
across the street (on the beach) from the main building. Again, friendly staff with good service.
These locations are primarily bars but do also have a small
food selection. I will not comment on
the price or quality of the food because I did not eat here. Victorias, Spekitos, Island Style, and Nicos
all have drinks and they will run you about $4.
The atmosphere is not the same as the restaurants, at times the service
was slow, but generally speaking they were nice places to relax and watch the
sea.
I stayed at The Crows Nest (owners have a second unit call The Tree House) on Long Bay which is a vacation rental property listed on Vacation Rental By Owner and AIRBNB.
The Crows Nest is directly on the beach while the Tree House is across the street. Both units are studio type apartments with minimal cooking facilities in the room. They have a semi-private beach, wireless internet, bicycles available to rent, house keeping, night security, and the area is very relaxing.
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