The complete guide to Nicaragua
With active volcanoes, cloud forests, colonial cities and crowd-free beaches, it won’t be long before Central America’s best-kept secret is out in the open, writes Sarah Gilbert
The largest country in Central America is still one of its least visited. Nicaragua’s Pacific coast has long been a haunt of surfers-in-the-know but, until recent years, it was the preserve of backpackers. Now sustainable yet stylish boutique hotels are springing up around the country and it’s being dubbed “the Costa Rica of 20 years ago”, with increasing numbers discovering its lakes and volcanoes – there are 19 active cones to climb – crowd-free beaches, wildlife-rich forests and vibrant colonial cities.
Where do I start?
International flights land in the sprawling capital, Managua. If you arrive late, the colonial-style boutique Hotel Los Robles is a good place to spend the night.
Most people head straight for picture-perfect Granada on the shores of vast Lake Nicaragua. One of the oldest cities in the Americas, it’s packed with opulent churches, leafy plazas and cobbled streets lined with pastel-coloured colonial houses. Stay at the super-stylish Tribal Hotel, feast on local produce at The Garden Cafe, drink award-winning Flor de Cana rum at the bar of the Hotel Plaza Colon and wake up to organic coffee. It makes the perfect base for exploring Masaya Volcano’s bubbling craters, Mombacho Volcano’s cloud forest and the crystalline crater lake of Laguna de Apoyo.
Further north, Leon was the colonial-era capital, and has the dynamic feel of a university city. It’s home to the largest cathedral in Central America, eclectic museums, and art ranging from the contemporary Museo de Arte Fundacion Ortiz-Gurdian to revolutionary street murals. A short hop from the city, adrenaline junkies can surf down the black ash slopes of still-rumbling Cerro Negro volcano. Try hearty local dishes, such as gallo pinto – rice and beans – at the stalls of Mercado La Estacion, then sleep in a former 17th-century convent at Hotel El Convento.
Island life
Escape the city on Granada’s diminutive tropical isletas – the result of an age-old volcanic explosion – with a stay at the environmentally friendly Jicaro Island Ecolodge.
Reached by ferry from San Jorge, the bucolic island of Ometepe rises majestically out of Lake Nicaragua. With two volcanoes – one rocky and fiery, the other verdant and dormant – it’s scattered with coffee fincas and banana plantations and expats who’ve set up biodynamic farms, farm-to-fork restaurants like Cafe Campestre and sustainable accommodation, such as Totoco Ecolodge.
The pocket-sized Corn Islands tick all the Caribbean boxes – palm-fringed white sand, crystal-clear water and a chilled-out vibe – without the price tag. Car-free Little Corn is a short flight from Managua followed by a bouncy 40-minute boat ride from Big Corn. At its northern tip, Yemaya Island Hideaway has 16 beachfront bungalows-on-stilts, where you can snorkel the pristine reefs from their wooden sailboat, dine feet-in-the-sand on lobster, then flop into a hammock.
Calala Island, a luxe private-island resort in the Pearl Cays, is even more blissfully remote, with just four shaggy-roofed suites a pebble’s throw from the water, with front-row views of spectacular sunsets.
Pacific paradise
Leon was the colonial-era capital, and has the dynamic feel of a university city
San Juan del Sur is the Pacific Coast’s laid-back surf-and-party central where Playa Remanso is perfect for novices and Playa Maderas has the best beach break. In town, the Barrio Cafe is a cool bar, restaurant and boutique hotel rolled into one. Meanwhile, at pioneering ecolodge Morgan’s Rock, secluded bungalows are tucked into tropical forest overlooking a stunning beach and you can hike, bike and horse ride, kayak through mangroves and salute the sun from the yoga shala.
Wild beaches stretch all the way to the Honduran border: further north, the eco-chic all-inclusive Malibu Popoyo on Playa Santana offers surf and yoga, and Magnific Rock, halfway between the surf breaks of Santana and Popoyo, has accommodation to suit all budgets.
Jungle fever
For the ultimate jungle adventure, take a boat along the Rio San Juan, the watery frontier with Costa Rica. Explore historic El Castillo, with its 17th-century Spanish fortress, or head east to the rustic cabanas of Sabalos Lodge, where you can hike the trails of their wildlife-rich private reserve, kayak along the river and discover the Indio Maiz Biological Reserve, the largest area of virgin rainforest north of the Amazon.
How do I get around?
Bus is the most common mode of transport, with comfortable long-distance vehicles and former US school buses that rattle between towns. La Costena has daily flights from Managua to the Corn Islands for around $80 (£64) return.
Travel essentials
Getting there
Trying to fly less?
Intrepid explorers can get a cargo ship from London all the way to Limon in Costa Rica over the course of 23 days. From there, catch a three-hour bus to San Jose, the Costa Rican capital, followed by an eight-hour bus to Managua in Nicaragua.
Fine with flying?
American Airlines flies from London Heathrow to Managua via Miami and Dallas.
Journey Latin America offers escorted group tours and tailor-made holidays in Nicaragua from £2,210 per person for a 10-night holiday, including flights, mid-range hotels on a B&B basis, transfers and excursions.
More information
Check out the website of the Nicaragua Tourism Board.
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