About Nicaragua

General Information:

Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America. It borders with Honduras to the north, with Costa Rica to the south, with the Pacific Ocean to the west, and with the Caribbean Sea to the east. Nicaragua lodges two great lakes: the lake of Managua, or Xolotlan, and the lake of Nicaragua, Cocibolca, which is incidentally, the biggest in Central American and the only one in the world where one can find fresh water sharks.

Nicaragua has a lot to offer. You can enjoy a vacation of relaxation, wellness, sports, nature, colonial architecture, pre-Columbian culture, history and tradition; You can visit amazing and private beaches; You can even join tours to discover local artisan products such as coffee, cocoa, cigars, rum, tropical fruits or take part in immersive language courses. It does not get boring here, and the best – you will always have blue skies and sunshine!

Safety

In recent studies Nicaragua was rated as the safest country for travelling in central America and one of the top 5 countries in all Latin America (safedestinations.com). According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) Nicaragua is safer than the UK or the USA. These rankings take into account the likelihood of common crime, violence, the probability of terrorism, and the extent to which the police services can be relied upon to provide protection from crime.

Health Care

US Tourists traveling to Nicaragua have access to the best Hospital in the country, the Vivian Pellas Hospital, which is one of the three JCI-accredited Hospitals in the region (Joint Commission International). The Joint Commission joint International certifies that the quality of Vivian Pellas is comparable to hospitals in the United States and Canada.

Climate

Nicaragua offers warm and sunny climate all year round. Even during the rainy season skies are blue and the sun comes out. Rain showers tend to be short lived and happen mostly in the late afternoon or at night, thus they generally do not affect tourist activity. The dry season starts in December and ends in May. The southern part of Nicaragua and the Caribbean register temperatures between 20 and 40 degrees Celsius (April is the hottest month). However, in the northern mountainous part (in the departments of Matagalpa, Estelí, Leon, Juigalpa) temperatures drop below 10 degrees Celsius.

Language

The official language is Spanish, English is very common.

Documents and Visa

Entrance to Nicaragua requires passport with at least 6 months validity, no visa is required. Vaccinations: Vaccination against yellow fever required in case of origin from countries considered to be at risk, only if permanence in those Countries is longer than 8 hours (coming from Europe: especially Panama).

Money /Bank Services

The official currency is the cordoba, however the US dollar is used, for any payment, like the cordoba. The euro is not accepted. Credit cards (visa, american, mastercard) are very common and accepted almost everywhere. ATM have a capillary diffusion. N.B. Do not change the money at the airport because you get an unfavorable change, better go to the bank.

Tips

They are generally included in the invoice and amount to 10%-12% of the base price.

Airport Taxes

10 US$ entrance to the Country.

Voltage

110 volts, with two-blade electrical outlet, as in the USA. It is advisable to provide an adapter.

Time Zone

7/8 hours less than in Europe (depending on the solar/legal hour in Europe). There is never a time change in Nicaragua.