Long live Nicaragua!

Before I went to Nicaragua, I actually knew very little about the country. The only thing I had heard was that it is quite similar in landscape to Costa Rica, but much cheaper. Now - after 3 weeks in Nicaragua - I can absolutely confirm that, but the country offers so much more than you think. Read on ;-)

After the "Isla de Ometepe" (my own blog post), Sarina and I returned to the mainland in Granada. We always travel with the so-called "Chicken-Bus" for about $2-3. It is actually the cheapest way to travel, it just takes a bit longer because the bus stops everywhere and people get on and off. But definitely worth it for short distances 🤗

When we arrived in Granada at the hostel "Oasis Granada", we were a bit shocked by our room: it was really small, dark, hot, and had no windows. It was recommended to us by a friend, but I don't think I would book it again. Although the rest of the hostel was actually quite nice with a courtyard, hammock, and swimming pool. I would have preferred to stay there ;-)

Granada is definitely a must-see in Nicaragua: it has a beautiful, charming old town and is located next to Lake Nicaragua.

The next day we went on a boat trip to the "Isletas de Granada". These are a total of 365 small islands in the lake. They were originally formed by the eruption of the Mombacho volcano thousands of years ago. Nowadays, you can buy the islands (if you have enough money ;-)) and about 1200 people live on them in total.

There were a lot of monkeys on one of the uninhabited islands, which came closer thanks to the feeding 🍌.

Otherwise, the old town of Granada is particularly worth seeing, especially the tourist street "Calle La Calzada". It is lined with restaurants and bars, and in the evening there are street artists, dancers, and vendors. There were a lot of people, but that was probably because it was Saturday night :-) it somehow reminded me a little of Barcelona.

After Granada, we took the chicken bus to Masaya (about 1 hour), where we stayed at the hostel "Ruta del Cacique". We really liked it there, especially the owner (Angel) was very helpful and accommodating. He also likes to do business and arranged everything for us, including a trip to the "Laguna de Apoyo" (a crater lake where you can swim) the next day.

In the evening, he took us to the Masaya volcano, where we could see lava. Apparently, nowadays it is only possible to see lava at 3 volcanoes worldwide (one in Hawaii and one somewhere in Africa). We had to drive up (it was the best road I had seen in all of Nicaragua haha) and then we were stuck in traffic for about an hour. During this time, the guides took us to the museum next door, so time passed relatively quickly. Afterwards, we only had 15-20 minutes to observe the lava. It couldn't be longer for health reasons (the smoke is probably not healthy) and because of other restrictions.

Although it was a bit cloudy when we were there, I found the lava to be quite impressive. Angel - our guide - even showed me some photos of what it looks like when the conditions are perfect and of course, if you have a good camera ;-)

In Masaya, we spent 3 days, but in hindsight, 2 would have been sufficient. Masaya is quite small (there are about 3-4 restaurants in the area) and we ended up seeing everything quite quickly. On one of the days, there was a market with various handicrafts (locally made products), which I personally found more interesting. You can find everything there, from vegetables to clothes to toothbrushes. I could have stayed there for hours (although we were always the only tourists there).

On our last day together, we decided to go to the capital city, Managua. Sarina had her flight home in the evening and I continued to León. It was actually a bit of a mistake because we hadn't really informed ourselves about the city in advance: It's huge, it doesn't really have a central area, but rather different neighborhoods, and no hotel was willing to store our luggage for a few hours (of course, for a small fee). In the end, our taxi driver almost went crazy because the second hotel rejected our luggage and he suggested that we could leave it at his parents' place for a few hours (muy amable :-)). After that, we left our luggage at a shopping center nearby and picked it up after 1.5 hours - at least we got to have a nice meal :-) Then he took me to the bus station, where I unfortunately had to say goodbye to Sarina (I hope she doesn't freeze in Switzerland ☃️🙈) and I continued to León by mini-bus.

In León, I booked the hostel "Poco a Poco", highly recommended. Clean, friendly, quiet but still centrally located - just the way I like it :-)

In the evening, the hostel always offers various activities, so I quickly found some company.

The next day, I booked a volcano boarding tour for $30 through another hostel (Bigfoot). After an hour's drive, we arrived at the volcano "Cerro Negro". From there, we had to climb the volcano for about an hour at an estimated 35 degrees. Luckily, there were some locals who would carry your board to the top for a few dollars (of course, I gladly accepted that service after about 5 minutes haha).

On the way and also from the very top, we had a wonderful view and could see all 7 volcanoes of Nicaragua.

As protection against the lava stones, we had to wear a yellow protective suit and goggles. When you look down from the top, you get a little rush of adrenaline, but as soon as you sit on the board, you never want to stop. I reached speeds of about 40 km/h, the fastest was probably about 70 km/h, and the slowest was 17 km/h (apparently, they set a new record haha). It's actually quite similar to sledding, you use your feet to brake and the further back you lean, the faster you go. In any case, it's an unforgettable experience and a must-do once in a lifetime ;-)

After the tour, we went to the beach "Las Peñitas" and there I got to experience one of my most beautiful sunsets (although I actually find all sunsets beautiful haha).

In the evening, I went with some people from the hostel to explore the nightlife of León and it got quite late (that's why I now have a headache in bed haha). But it was definitely worth it ;-)

The next day, I treated myself to some sightseeing and culture with the same group: first we went to the "Museo Historico de la Revolución" and there Carlos - a former soldier - guided us. It was quite impressive, even though I didn't know much about the history and the tour was in Spanish only, he made a great effort to explain everything with hands, feet, and many different pictures. In any case, León is the first city in Nicaragua to be freed from the Somoza dictatorship and years of war in 1979, and the people are particularly proud of that :-)

After an extensive meal at the local restaurant "McDonald's" (sorry, but sometimes you just have to haha), we climbed the cathedral in León, where you feel more like you're in Greece than in Nicaragua and have a wonderful view over the city and all the volcanoes. I would say it's a perfect ending to a wonderful time in a beautiful country. ¡Viva Nicaragua! 🇳🇮🤗