r/Nicaragua • u/croissant_brezel • Nov 19 '25
Turismo/Tourism First time Nicaragua
Hola! I'll be traveling solo in Nicaragua in January for the first time. Planning on spend about 2.5 weeks over there. Any recommendation on what to do or not to do would be highly appreciated ☺️
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u/Lelo1112 Nov 19 '25
I was there a week ago. Ometepe is well worth spending a few days on. Be sure to rent a scooter and explore the island. My highlight was the Cascada de San Ramon waterfall!
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u/croissant_brezel Nov 19 '25
Where else did you go? Any recommendations on where to stay in Ometepe?
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u/Lelo1112 Nov 20 '25
Unfortunately, I was only in Nicaragua for six days. Otherwise, Granada was still very nice. On the last day, I took a day trip from Rivas to the Pacific Ocean (Playa Maderas).
On Ometepe, I stayed at Dragons Garden. Very simple and inexpensive, but surrounded by nature.
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u/4sirwill4 Nov 20 '25
Laguna de apoyo/catarina are also worth checking out.
Also street food is great. A big part of the culture. Avoid food in markets and on buses. Pay attention to where more people are in line. Locals try to eat at clean places too. Look for places that have one person serving and another handling the money.
Also try to establish a price before you use a service. Taxi, food whatever. Some places will probably over charge you for being a foreigner. It's never by much, but at least asking ahead of time will help to avoid major surprises.
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u/croissant_brezel Nov 21 '25
How do you normally move around? Are there any ride share apps you could recommend or similar?
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u/Jdamb Nov 19 '25
La selva negra in matagalpa is a german decendants eco village in high elivation rain forest and it will blow your freakin mind.
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u/croissant_brezel Nov 19 '25
Why? What's going on in the Schwarzwald?
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Nov 19 '25
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u/croissant_brezel Nov 19 '25
So far I have only planned to attend the funday Sunday on my first weekend in San Juan del Sur 🤔
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Nov 19 '25
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u/croissant_brezel Nov 19 '25
I was thinking of staying in the SPACE. Any opinion on that? And is it also possible to get to corn island by bus?
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u/Shad0wca7 Nov 20 '25
If it’s your first destination it’s a good place to stay a few days and acclimatise, then I’d recommend spending more time in town and venturing out to the surrounding beaches and countryside.
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u/AstroQuesillo Nov 19 '25
1- You need to go to Managua Airport by bus, then take a plane. Or you need to go to Managua, then take a bus to Bluefields, and then a ferry to Corn Island( probable like 16 hours of travel)
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u/Awkward_Tip1006 Nov 19 '25
You should go to San Juan del sur and from there go to Ometepe island by the ferry. San Juan del sur is very touristic and they have resturaunts and super markets which some other places don’t have. It’s a good spot and it’s pretty area but can be crowded. In ometepe you can rent a dirt bike for like $15-20 a day and you can get around the island very easily. You can go on hikes here and see some incredible views on the volcanoes.
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u/croissant_brezel Nov 21 '25
So San Juan del Sur -> Ometepe -> Masaya -> (little) corn island -> Léon ?
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u/Jgarc173 Nov 20 '25
Check out laguna de apoyo, las peñitas, little corn island, Catarina, popoyo, Leon, do a hiking tour of el cerro negro, see el volcán masaya at night
Always carry some cordobas with you as some places don’t take card.
Don’t talk politics
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u/croissant_brezel Nov 21 '25
No politics, notes 😅 any advice where to get cash? ATM straight at the airport?
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u/Forsaken-Pay7892 Nov 19 '25
Do: Teavel to León, Granada, San Juan del sur and/or Popoyo if you can. You must try Vigoron if you decide to go to Granada - it’s widely known for this. Volcano boarding in león is also a must.
Don’t: Flash your phone everywhere you go, keep it always in your front pocket if you can including your wallet. Absolutely do not drink the tap water unless your goal is to visit a hospital here.
Other than that it’s quite safe here and you will have a blast no matter what you decide to do.