Mark Twain once described Nicaragua as an earthly paradise. It remains so today, and is as authentic and timeless a destination as you’ll find in Central America.
It is not for everyone, though. It’s raw and, for the most part, unpolished, with a bit of edge and a bloody past. But it’s also home to stirring landscapes, a rich cultural heritage and friendly locals who will go out of their way to find you delicious seafood, help you catch a wave, or show you the backroads.
Nicaragua may not have many obvious attractions—few ancient structures remain, and years of revolution, civil war and natural disasters have laid waste to its museums, galleries and theatres. What Nicaragua vacations offer in abundance are simple pleasures and plenty of adventure, peppered with outposts of (occasionally world-class) luxury. The country’s colonial architecture is gradually being restored, and its natural riches rival those of Costa Rica. Those who do make it to Central America’s largest country find themselves almost invariably falling in love and making friends to last a lifetime.
"For those in search of adventure, Nicaragua is simply spellbinding."
While almost every traveller arrives in Managua, most immediately hurry off elsewhere. Not to linger a couple of days is a shame in our view, as the city is one of Central America’s safer and more pleasant capitals, with great museums and shopping as well as a burgeoning food scene. Once you do leave to explore the rest of Nicaragua, it’s as if you had stepped back in time to the 1970s. You can sail its Caribbean waters in a catamaran, stopping off at a deserted palm-fringed beach to cook the lobster you’ve just caught. Swing in a hammock as you contemplate the beauty of volcano-lined Lake Nicaragua and its many islands. Or dance salsa in a corner bar in colonial Leon or Granada, one of the oldest cities in Latin America.
Despite being in its infancy as a luxury travel destination, Nicaragua contains, perhaps surprisingly, a handful of properties that are among the very best in Latin America. These range from yoga retreats on Lake Nicaragua and treehouse hotels perched above the Pacific to a former pirate hideout turned A-list hideaway in the Caribbean. In the colonial gems of Granada and Leon, old buildings have been repurposed into some of Central America’s most atmospheric boutique hotels, while a scattering of owner-operated remote lodges and ranches allow you to explore Nicaragua’s magnificent rainforests and volcanoes in comfort.
For those in search of adventure, Nicaragua is simply spellbinding. Ride motorcycles along dense jungle trails, descend the ash slopes of an active volcano on a board, or hole up in a sleepy fishing village on the Pacific and surf virtually empty lineups. The country’s furthest reaches—found in backwaters such as the Rio San Juan or the Miskito Cays—offer a sense of exploration rarely found elsewhere in Central America, with pristine wildlife and communities little changed since they were a hideaway for 17th-century English pirates.
