Nicaragua
Nicaragua was definitely a “do a tour” country. Every major city you visit you will find there are numerous tour options, more so than I have encountered elsewhere. The available choice is also expansive from chocolate making to volcano boarding.
During our 17 days in the country we managed packed in a lot of things from places to visit to tours. Below you can find links to the related articles of where we went.
Places we visited:
- Leon
- Las Penitas
- Granada
- Cocoa and Plantain plantation
- Laguna de Apoyo
- Mombacho volcano crater
- Ometepe island
- Maders beach
Accommodations we stayed in:
Our accommodation review is based on a private room and if possible with a private bathroom. The ratings below are 1 – 5, with 1 being awful and 5 being fantastic:
| Town | Place | Nights | Cleanliness | Location | Value |
| Leon | Hostel Guardabarranca | 3 | 4.5 | 5 | 4.5 |
| Las Penitas | Hotel Barca de Oro | 2 | 4 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Granada | Hostel Sacuanjoche | 6 | 4.5 | 4 | 4 |
| Ometepe | Finca El Zopilote | 2 | 2.5 | 3 | 3 |
| Playa Maderas | Casa Maderas Eco-lodge | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3.5 |
Breakdown of our costs in Nicaragua:
In total we spent 17 days in Nicaragua, over staying by 3 days on our original schedule. We did think about staying for 3 weeks at one point but I was eager to cross the border to Costa Rica and so decided to spend more time there instead.
We spent a total of £652 for the both of us, which worked out at £36 per day. This may sound quite high for Nicaragua but we packed in quite a few tours and also had our treat at the end of our stay in the mini resort of Playa Maderas. You could probably do the same for less if you opted for different tours.
Here is a breakdown of what we spent:
| Type of Expense | Total (GBP) | Daily Ave. (GBP) |
| Accommodation | 244 | 14 |
| Food (inc eating out) | 170 | 9 |
| Transport | 44 | 2 |
| Attractions | 169 | 9 |
| Other (customs, charges, etc) | 24 | 1 |
| Total | 652 | 36 |
For photos of our time in the country view our Nicaragua photo gallery.
