Lake Cocibolca, Nicaragua
Indigenous Nicaraguans treated the largest lake in Central America as Cocibolca. On the volcanic island of Ometepe, we realized why the term the Spaniards converted to Mar Dulce made perfect sense.
VISA AND OTHER PROCEDURES
Holders of a Portuguese or Brazilian passport do not need an entry visa for tourist stays of up to 90 days, as long as they have a passport valid for at least three months after the scheduled departure date from Nicaragua.
HEALTH CARE
Nicaraguan authorities do not require any proof of vaccination to allow entry into the country. Vaccines for Hepatitis A and Typhoid Fever are recommended. There is a risk of contracting malaria throughout the year, especially in the Autonomous Region of Atlantico Norte, with eventual spread to Boaca, Chinandega, Jinoteca, Leon and Matagalpa.
For more information on traveling health, see the Health Portal of the Ministry of Health and Tropical and Traveler Medicine Clinic. In FitForTravel find country-specific health and disease prevention advice (in English).
TRIP TO NICARAGUA
A American Airlines fly from Lisbon to Managua, via London and Miami for from €900. THE Iberia it also flies from Madrid to Managua with two or more stopovers. As a rule, flights are substantially more expensive than those of the American Airlines.
INTERNAL FLIGHTS
the airline The Coastal connects Managua to Caribbean coastal destinations such as Bluefields, or offshore, in the case of the Corn Islands, about 60 km off the Atlantic coast. Flights to the Corn Islands take place in light aircraft, which greatly limits the weight that can be carried by each passenger on board (hand luggage only). The trip by plane takes 1h30 instead of a full day or more by land and boat from Managua.
TRUCK
A vast but austere fleet of buses and microbuses – many of them old buses imported from the USA – run on Nicaraguan roads for less than €1 for short trips and €3 or €4 for longer journeys.
The so-called Expressos, more modern buses, with tinted windows, air conditioning, curtains, reclining seats, movies shown on TV, which do not take more passengers than the seats they have, circulate between the largest cities far away from each other. Travel on these buses costs around €4 or €5.
SHIP
The boat is the only way to reach the island of Ometepe or the Solentinames archipelago – located on Lake Nicaragua – usually on old medium-sized ferries that cannot navigate when the wind becomes stronger.
Many of Nicaragua's coastal towns are only accessible by boat, some have regular services, but many can only be accessed by renting a local boat (panga) which will cost you between €35 to €70 per hour, which you can divide by more passengers.
CAR RENTAL
You can rent a car for less than €15 a day to explore the Pacific coast and the center of the country, recently equipped with new paved roads in good condition and others, dirt but quite acceptable. If you plan to get off the main roads during the rainy season, rent a sturdy 4WD for €40 to €80 per day.
If you don't have a good jeep or similar vehicle, don't proceed to the Caribbean area. The access roads to this area, and even the coastal ones, are invariably dirt and of very poor quality, which is aggravated after long periods of rain. For this part of the country, it is still better to go by bus.
It is strongly inadvisable travel at night in most of Nicaragua.
The country has a series of climates specific to different regions. On the Pacific coast, the rainy season runs from May to September, with September and October as the wettest months. The tropical summer lasts from November to April and is the ideal time to visit this area and also the most touristic season. On the Atlantic coast, the dry and rainy seasons are almost impossible to see. The same is true in the mountains of the center of the country, where the seasons are lost in the recurrent morning mist. The regions around the San Juan River are among the wettest on Earth.
The currency of Nicaragua is Cordoba (NIO). ATMs only exist in Managua and other major cities. With the exception of the Caribbean coast where terminals are rare, credit card payments are commonplace, even in some small businesses such as grocery stores.
ACCOMMODATION
A night in a double room in a basic hotel with TV and air conditioning costs around €8 to €20. They have opened several resorts in the most idyllic places in the country with sophistication and refinement unknown in the country just a few decades ago. They have higher prices, but they are not out of step with the country's reality.
FOOD
A conventional Nicaraguan meal in a normal street restaurant costs up to €3. You'll struggle to find significantly more upscale restaurants.
INTERNET
The so-called Cybers are predominant, internet cafes with net at very acceptable speeds and generous prices: around €0,50 per hour.