Nicaragua favorites: Highlights over 5 weeks of travel

Perfectly symmetrical volcanoes. Thick jungle dotted with tropical flowers and nighttime fireflies. Bright colonial cities. Caribbean islands with clear waters and tall palms trees.

I never expected Nicaragua to be as scenic as it was. I also didn’t expect to have as good as a time as I did.

While sure, it was a bit more expensive than I initially imagined, and some locations were becoming tourist central, I loved the ease at which I could travel around. Also, the scenery itself is enough to please most travelers.

I’d recommend anyone with a few spare weeks who wants an adventurous getaway to book a ticket down here asap. What’s even better is that Spirit offers an $80 flight from both Houston and Ft. Lauderdale. No excuses fellow Americans!

While you don’t need 5 weeks in Nicaragua to see the main sights, I was more than pleased with my laid-back itinerary where I could leisurely see the highlights and then also change my plans when they coincided with others.

Here are all the things which influenced my new found love for this Central American backpacker’s paradise.

Nicaragua’s Ring of Fire

If volcano porn was a thing, then for a short period of time this is exactly what my Instagram account looked like. I couldn’t stop taking photos of them and I couldn’t stop posting them.

Near Granada I took a sunset trip to the active Masaya crater and leaned over the edge into the smoke. It glowed red from the lava a couple hundred feet below. Near León I went volcano boarding down the volcanic ash slope of Cerro Negro. After that, I did the grueling hike to the top of El Hoyo where the entire strip of Nicaragua’s highest northern volcanoes were visible.

In Ometepe, I couldn’t stop staring at towering Volcan Concepción. And I think it became my favorite one of them all. While navigating the island on a scooter, the volcano acted like the North Star. Whenever Ashley and I felt lost we just looked around for the peak to gauge where we were.

I also can’t forget Telica and Momotombo, which both erupted while I was in the country. Volcan Telca’s peak was covered in so much ash you could see it from Leon like a snow-capped mountain. Momotombo was visible from our El Hoyo hike and the sunset and sunrise view was one I won’t ever forget.

Dancing to Reggaeton in Leon’s local clubs

It’s not too often in my travels where I find myself as the only non-native citizen in an entire bar or club. In León though, this happened almost every night. Whether I was drinking rum and cokes and listening to horrible renditions of Nicaraguan pop songs (karaoke is a popular thing I guess) or while dancing to reggaeton in a club, I loved the local and young scene the city had.

While not as pretty and well kept as Granada, León is a colonial town with a local university vibe. The tourist dollars forgot it, but where it lacks in appearance, it made up in atmosphere. With a friend from work in tow who equally enjoyed the sleazy lyrics and pounding beats of reggaeton, we would venture out together somewhere random and dance battle the nights away.

How glorious it is to find a country which doesn’t only play the same U.S. top 40 for once!

Feeling the thrill of galloping a horse down a private beach

Horseback riding is never something I’m particularly excited about. Most of the experiences I’ve had include a slow trail ride where I find myself dozing off as I slowly bob around.

Still, while with Ashley in San Juan del Sur, she assured me it would be amazing and I put my faith in her hands.

After a ride through the countryside to a remote and almost deserted beach, we disembarked our four legged transport and had a quick shot of rum. “Okay, it’s almost sunset. Who wants to gallop in the water?”

Sure, why not.

We got back on the horses, had a quick info session on what to do when the horse takes off and then lined up in the water.

The feelings that came next cannot even be explained. As I rode with one hand on the reigns and another holding onto the back of my saddle while the horse charged the coastline, I found myself in a strange emotional mixture of intense fear, laughter and exhilaration. How had I so immensely under estimated the rush of galloping on a horse?

At one point, while directly behind Ashley’s horse, I was being continuously drenched in muddy sand and sea water. It took Ashley turning around to realize why I was hollering so much. We laughed until I had to wipe the tears from my eyes.

After three rides up and down the beach, I was comparing the feeling to riding a helicopter over the Grand Canyon. It was really a feeling I’ll never forget.

Slow travel around colonial Granada

Before arriving in Granada, I had heard many mixed reviews. Tourists seems to have a love/hate relationship with the city. I really had no idea what to expect.

Upon first arrival, I wasn’t pleased. The traffic was busy, the horns were constantly honking and the cat-calls were pretty horrid. After a day or two though, I let go of its pitfalls and started to really like the place. Not only was it beautiful, but there was so much to do in the surrounding area. I spent almost a week there, chilling in my hostel pool, meeting fellow travelers, going on day trips and enjoying buckets of beer on the breezy pedestrian streets.

Sure, I never brought a bag out at night after the hostel receptionist told us it would surely be snatched. And there were a few times when I felt uneasy while walking at night, even within a group. Still, with a few precautions Granada’s dangers were pretty unavoidable.

In no means is Granada perfect, but I really couldn’t of had a more perfect time there.

Feeling like I was part of a community on Little Corn Island

One of the biggest issues I have with my life of travel, is the lack of community I feel. Long stretches in San Diego drive this home for me even more. Even there, I often find myself heavily weighed down by the desire for community.

I want a group of friends to make plans with. I want to know that there is always someone to call to get a drink with at the end of the day. I want the routine of seeing the same people and getting to talk about our lives. Maybe these are the things that some people take for granted, but whether it’s a co-worker community or just friends, the extrovert in me craves this reliable social circle.

And while of course at home in San Diego I have some great friends, American work life, constant Southern California traffic and driving distances make planning social outings more difficult than easy.

On Little Corn I got to cherish all those little things I’d been craving.

As soon as I arrived on Little Corn I was met by two blogger friends I had met in Greece. I soon met all their friends, local and expat, and then took a diving course where I made another circle of friends.

I couldn’t walk around the island without seeing at least one person I knew. I spent every night at the same local bar. All the bartenders knew my name and I didn’t even ever have to bring money, I had a tab system and just paid my bill at the end of my 10 days.

I could walk around in the morning and spot a friend and join them for breakfast. I always had a bar to go to for lunch where I knew the bartender and could easily sit there and chat. Every morning I said hello to the locals as I passed their houses and to the ones I started to know personally, we would joke and catch up.

Trivia night. I think we won a combined $5.

While I was still just another random tourist passing through, for that time being, I didn’t actually feel like one. I felt involved in life there. I felt like I got a glimpse of the sense of community I had been craving before. Add in a whole bunch of new friends and a short romance and of course I had to go back for my last few days in the country.

Little Corn did have a few characteristics which made me realize I couldn’t live there for a longer period. The bugs loved me, humidity and I don’t mix and the lack of basic shops and constant electricity was a struggle. Still, a taste of the island life was a unique part of this trip I’ll never forget.