The Nicaragua Notebook: Doce Días
Exactly a week ago I touched back down in America (sadly) after backpacking through Nicaragua. Nicaragua, set between the Pacific Ocean and the Carribean Sea, is a Central American country known for it’s volcanoes, beaches, and vast lakes. Sharing a border with Costa Rica, I was drawn to the idea of going somewhere new but still close to “home” (Costa Rica Itinerary found here). I quickly discovered that while there were many similarities between the two, their differences are far greater. One of our friends we made along the way couldn’t have said it better, “Costa Rica is run by Americans while Nicaragua is run by Europeans.” As always, I wish I had more time in this beautiful country but you gotta love that corporate world and America’s mentality that “two weeks” is the most you can take for vacation! One day, this little blog of mine will let me leave that world and I’ll blog from the middle of a rainforest or from a palapa on the beach – shoot for the stars right?
THINGS TO KNOW:
Toña and Victoria = Nicaragua’s national beer. Victoria is WAY better.
Cordobas = Nicaragua’s currency
Rainy Season = May – November
Dry Season = December – April
Flor de Caña = Premium rum manufactured and distributed by Nicaragua
Macuá = Noted as the national drink of Nicaragua. Flor de Caña, guava juice, and orange juice. AKA my favorite thing ever.
Chicken Buses = Old school buses that are used as public transportation. These bad boys are only $1 and will take you anywhere. Be ready to be packed in there like sardines with the locals.
Horse Drawn Carriages = do not take these, these poor horses are mistreated.
If you are traveling from any of these countries before entering Nicaragua you must get the yellow fever shot. They will not let you into the country without it…don’t find out the hard way and get deported (Eric, we love ya).
They take U.S dollars but give you change back in cordobas and short you about one dollar each time. Get Cordobas beforehand at your bank!
GETTING THERE:
Managua is the capital of Nicaragua and where you will fly into. Once you get to Managua, instantly leave Managua. We got our tickets for $520 round trip. I always use Hopper to set flight alerts and justfly.com is where we purchased ours from. Although we went during the dry season, I HIGHLY recommend you go during the rainy season where the rainforests, wildlife, and the entire country are just beautiful.
Flight path: LAX, California > San Salvador, El Salvador > Managua, Nicaragua
Total flight time took us 7 hrs and 33m including a 55m layover in San Salvador.
Granada – 4 Nights
Granada is a Nicaraguan city on the shores of Lake Nicaragua. It’s home to multiple Spanish colonial landmarks that have survived repeated pirate invasions. Granada amazed me; every building is a different color with beautiful wooden doors. Behind these impressive entry doors is where the hidden nightlife is. We stayed at a hostel called Boca de Boca. It was $26 per night for a private room with its own bathroom. Breakfast is included, they have a “make your own” banana pancake bar and they have a bar in the hostel where drinks are cheaper than most places in town. We spent time reading in the hammocks, drinking way too many piña coladas, and playing pool. Granada is HOT so bring light clothing. While the town is small and easy to walk around in, we rented a motorcycle for $25 a day which gave us the freedom to explore outside of Granada as there is much to do around this area.
Catedral de Granada
Visit this colossal landmark. An orange church in the central park of Granada. There are many vendors in the park selling trinkets, restaurants, and mini supers where you can get a cold Toña and watch the performers in the park. Eat at garden cafe, Gallo Pinto, or Bocadillo. Bocadillo was our absolute favorite! They are a tapas restaurant with delicious plates all for $3-6 U.S dollars.
Laguna de Apoyo, Crater Lake
This freshwater lake is breathtaking and beautiful. While lake Nicaragua is the largest lake in Nicaragua, it is not the cleanest and its beaches go hand in hand. Laguna de Apoyo is the complete opposite. This is about 25-minute motorcycle ride from Granada or there are shuttles and drivers that can take you here. Visit Laguna Beach Club, it is $6 for an all-day pass. This gives you access to use their kayaks, paddle boards, and lounge chairs. Swim out to the deck in the lake, bathe in the sun, and grab a Macuá for the perfect afternoon.
Iglesia De La Merc
Climb up the tower of this historic church (right next to Boca de Boca) to get an insane view of Granada! We did this on the first day to get our barrings and feel for how the city was laid out.
Cigar Factory
Learn how to roll your own cigars at Mombacho Cigars. Sadly, this was closed when we were there but I have heard from many others that this is a must-do!
This is a hostel that straight rages. They have parties Tuesday – Friday and it is a unique venue. It is 200-m high, in the jungle, built into the side of volcano mombacho, surrounded by howler monkeys, and has a 60-m canopy bridge. Make sure to wear closed toed shoes, the hike up the huge hill is tricky in the dark, especially after a few drinks. There are frequent shuttles that go to and from granda as it is a little outside of town.
San Juan Del Sur – 3 nights
San Juan del Sur is a town on Nicaragua’s southwest coast. It’s known for a string of nearby Pacific beaches, such as Maderas Beach with its strong-breaking waves, and Hermosa Beach where Survivor was filmed. To get there, we took a chicken bus from Granada > Rivas > San Juan Del Sur. The bus schedule can be found here. Make sure to plan out your trip so you are here on a Sunday. Sunday Funday is what San Juan is famous for (see below). This town is crowded and it’s main beach is not the cleanest. Do not walk on the beach at night, it is not safe. While a fun town, we preferred exploring out of town up on the hills where the views were breathtaking. Be ready to spend a little more money here, San Juan is on the pricey side due to the number of tourists who visit. We stayed at a Hostel Hola Ola for $40 per night for a private room. This place has two pools, breakfast included, and a great staff. They have fun parties and even do an open bar before Sunday Funday for $10. They offer shuttles to go in and out of town at night. We rented a motorcycle from El Gringo’s for $25 per day.
Jesus Statue
The Jesus of the Mercy statue is located on top of a hill looking over San Juan. You can do the hike up to it or simply drive up the road. It is $2 to enter and is open 8 am – 5 pm.
Yoga
We took a class at Yoga Sana for $8 and loved it. The studio is a high up palapa right next to the beach. There is also Zen Yoga that offers sculpt classes in town.
The notorious pool crawl AKA Sunday Funday. You go to a total of 3 bars/hostels with pools and don’t remember much of it but it is a GREAT time. Hundreds of backpackers partying all day. It is $30, does not include drinks, but you do get a Sunday Funday t-shirt. The party begins at 2 pm at Pachamama Hostel. Hydrate before, grab a swimmy, put on sunscreen, and you are ready for a great time.
A beautiful beach that is a 20-minute drive north of San Juan. Famous for a being beach break, spend the day surfing or lounging on the sand.
Pelican Eyes
A resort that is nestled into the hillside of San Juan. Tell the guard you are eating at the restaurant who will let you in. Be ready to climb some stairs. There are 3 pools at all different levels. Stop at the first pool, grab a drink, then climb all the way to the top! We had so much fun here – the view is worth the climb.
Playa Gigante
This was our favorite part of the whole trip. If I were to do it again, I would spend less time in Granada and San Juan so I could have more time here. Playa Gigante is a tiny fisherman’s village north of San Juan Del Sur. We took the chicken bus from San Juan > Rivas then got a taxi for $25 to Playa Gigante. The town itself consists of about 300 locals, a handful of expats, a couple of surf camps, and a couple of beachfront restaurants. It is located on a beautiful bay which is great for swimming, and located directly south of some excellent surfing beaches, accessible by foot. We stayed in one of the most amazing airbnb’s I have ever been in. Casa Swell has a full kitchen with a personal deck, ocean view, and swimming pool. Although a little more expensive than the hostels ($65 per night), traveling with two made it affordable. While small, this place has everything you need! I was able to cook dinner for 5 people one night in that little kitchen. There are two tiny supermarkets in town that will have the basics for groceries if you plan to stay somewhere with a kitchen.
Quick side note: I sent the boyfriend into town one night while I was making a tagliatelle veggie pasta to get some fish to add to his pasta. He came back with two FULL fish in a shopping bag….eyeballs and everything. “I don’t know how to cook this! How do you cook a full fish?!” Through laughing and a little screaming of disgust (on my part), we turned on the oven, added lime, butter, salt, and pepper, and we cooked those fish. Over a romantic candlelit dinner on the balcony, we happily enjoyed our new-found fish accomplishment. 
Playa Amarillo
Just before the famous Playa Colorado (another surf spot) lies playa Amarillo. Great for surfing or hanging out on the beach. There are a few beach bars here where you can grab something to drink after a day of surf.
Motorcycle Rentals
If you are not staying directly in town, I suggest getting a motorcycle from Machele’s Place.
ATV Tour
Pastora Tours offers many different kinds of tours but we did an ATV. You sit side by side and tour all around Playa Gigante! If you’re lucky, you will get to see some howler monkeys.
Massages
We got a couples massage at the Acqua Wellness Resort as one of my gifts to my recently turned 25-year-old boyfriend. If you are on a budget, just grab a drink at the restaurant and you will be able to walk down to the private beach that this resort lies on.
Booze Cruise
While not on a huge catamaran like most booze cruises, this “cruise” takes place on a fisherman’s boat! The max people you can have is 10 and it is $25, alcohol included. The captain takes you out to cliff jumping and private beach where you get to hang out on! It departs from Gigante Bay. This Hostel is also a great place to go at night if you are looking to party. Junto’s is also a great night-life spot where a lot of expats like to hang out – food is also amazing here.
To get back to the airport when the trip has come to an end, you can take a taxi for $70-90 or the chicken bus from Rivas. Nicaragua, you are one heck of a place. Thank you for having us!
