I was really anxious to travel to Nicaragua a few months ago. People warned me and told me it was a bad idea, with all of the political issues going on. I was so torn about what to do because I definitely wanted to be safe, but something pulled me toward this country that my Nica (people from Nicaragua) friends rave about.
After a lot of research I made the decision to go and I can’t wait to go back.
I LOVE Nicaragua and while I was there with my friend we promised everyone we meet that we would spread the word how safe we felt the entire time and much we love their beautiful country!
I’m not a huge fan of blog posts that beat around the bush for 5 pages and then don’t actually answer the question. They end with something like, “Okay now you decide, based on the vague information I shared!”
I’m just going to give my short and honest opinion about my feelings, regarding tourist safety in Nicaragua.
*Please remember, bad things can happen anywhere you go. Problems can still happen in Nicaragua, like anywhere else.
To put it short, I felt 100% safe the entire time and I would 100% go back as a solo female traveler, with my two year old, or with family/friends.
With that said, I do have some helpful tips to help you have a better experience in Nicaragua.
I cannot stress enough how safe I felt in Nicaragua. I was so surprised (after everyone’s reactions to my decision to travel to Nicaragua) how much everyone I met was just living their normal life. People were working, playing, laughing, drinking, and living life normally.
*That is not to trivialize anything that has happened in Nicaragua over the last few years. Just to assure you that it felt good to be in Nicaragua. The whole time.
1) Stay Out of Politics
This is a very important part of traveling to Nicaragua in 2020.
It is not the same country it was 10 years ago.
In April 2018, demonstrators in several cities protested against the social security reforms that President Daniel Ortega had made. These reforms increased taxes and decreased benefits. About 30 people died.
Protests had been going on for several years earlier, but in 2018 things got very bad. Ortega declared political demonstrations illegal.
A lot of people are very unhappy with Ortega and how he has ruled the country. Other people are very loyal to his cause.
While we were there, we saw absolutely no signs of political unrest or ever felt pressured to state our political opinions. But there is no reason to seek it out or try to be a part of any of that right now.
As a tourist, it is important to not be politically involved.
Nicaragua welcomes tourists with open arms. Tourists are a huge part of their economy and they want tourists there. The problems in Nicaragua have nothing to do with tourists.
2018 was not that long ago. A lot has gotten better in the last 2 years, but politically things are still not perfect.
2) Be Smart with Your "Stuff"
This is a common rule anywhere you go.
You don’t need to be flashing a $3,000 watch or hanging a camera off of your shoulder that costs more than a car.
I like to have two wallets with me when I travel. One I keep next to my skin with most of my money. A second with a few bills that I can pull out easily so I am not flashing all of my money while trying to buy a $1 drink.
I didn’t bring my GoPro to Nicaragua because I was freaked out by everyone’s concerns. I wish I would have brought it.
Just be smart.
If you are staying at a hostel, bring a lock for your backpack/locker. And then carry a day pack with you throughout the day that has just the bare minimum of what you need for the day.
Keep your bag with you at all times. On your lap on the bus, in front of you in huge crowds, etc. Always be aware of your “stuff”.
Sometimes I carried my passport with me in the same wallet as my bigger bills, close to my skin (if I was going to be just walking around for the day). Other times I left it in the hotel/hostel (on days I would be swimming and it didn’t make sense to carry important documents with me) if I felt safe with my accommodations.
3) Ask Locals for Recommendations
There are bad people out there, but in my experience, most people are not looking for you to get cut up and shipped home in a body bag.
I like asking the locals when I travel about where to go. There have been times that they recommend I do not do a hike I was planning on doing, or they confirm that it is safe to go somewhere I was uneasy about.
I have always had a good experience taking advice from the locals! It makes sense that they know all of the best tips and hints about their country. 🙂
They know the best restaurants, the best viewpoints, where the night life is (so you know where to go if that’s your thing, or where to stay away from if it’s not haha), and how to find hidden gems that other tourists may not know about.
4) Go with Reputable Agencies
THIS DOES NOT MEAN TO BOOK THINGS WITH TOUR AGENCIES BEFOREHAND. PLEASE DO NOT! The surcharge is ridiculous. Everything can be booked when you get there.
I try to do my research before I travel and find out some hotels/agencies that I can trust.
This helped me in Nicaragua when I rented a scooter. I had received several recommendations from other people about who to rent from in Ometepe.
Some people won’t make you pay a deposit and then when you return the bike try to make you pay an insane amount of money for “damage”. I even heard of some owners calling the police and threatening to keep the customer there until they paid.
I was really grateful to work with a recommended family that rented me my scooter. I had to pay for damage, but they gave me a good deal and were fair and honest about it. I deserved to pay for the damage, but I did not feel cheated or unsafe.
Once again, recommendations help a lot! These can be from your hotel, a restaurant you are eating out, other tourists you meet, or the locals (although sometimes they just want to recommend their friend to you)!
5) Eat the Street Food
Yes, it’s safe! We ate a ton of street food while we were there and never had any problems. My friend Sasha is into trying every typical food and every new fruit she can find, so we plowed through the streets of Nicaragua on a food hunt!
I have had terrible food poisoning while traveling in Peru, the US and The Bahamas and I know sometimes it is just random, but we had a good experience with everything we ate in Nicaragua. And we ate at markets and in some super “hole in the wall” restaurants!
I like to carry immodium with me in case anything doesn’t sit well. I also try to wash my hands as much as possible and just stay away from places that are cutting up meat and then fruit with the same knife.
Any restaurant with a lot of customers is usually a go-to sign for me!
7) Be Smart at Night
This is another general travel tip. If I am going out at night, I like to ask my hotel/hostel owner which streets and areas of the city are safe for me to be in.
Nicaragua was a very chill and happy place. People hang out late at night eating with their families and I saw so many children playing soccer in the street way late at night.
People are out having innocent fun.
We even got invited into a quinceanera and danced the night away with a Nica family and their friends. It is one of my favorite travel memories of Central America!!!
I try not to get cash out of ATM’s at night. It’s just asking for trouble. Stay in well-lit areas where other people are and you will feel safe.
6) Be Prepared for a lot of Attention
If you are a young girl in Nicaragua, there is unfortunately a lot of cat-calling. I never felt afraid, but it definitely is a bit excessive at times.
Covering up helps with attracting less unwanted attention.
We also sometimes pretended we were asleep on the buses so people would stop trying to sell us food haha. People come on at every stop and try to sell everything from cool drinks and hot bread to legit hamburgers (which they were CONVINCED the American tourists were dying to have hahaha).
8) Watch out for Taxi Drivers
This was literally the only negative part of Nicaragua for me. I understand that a lot of people are hurting for money, but I got so sick of being lied to by taxi drivers.
Once again, I never felt unsafe. But I also never felt confident that I was being told the truth.
It was really common for taxi drivers to promise there was no other route, I had missed the last bus, or the price for the ride was 3x more than I found out someone else was charged.
Ask the locals how much it should cost. Decide on a price before your ride starts. And if you don’t feel comfortable, or feel like the driver is being dishonest, don’t get in the taxi. Find another taxi.
I am SO glad I took the chance and went to Nicaragua. It is one of my favorite countries I have visited in the last year while living in Costa Rica.
I love the people and how kind and accepting they are, despite what many of them have been through.
I love how full the country is of adventure and volcanoes and beautiful bodies of water and so many incredible things to see.
I love how CHEAP it is, especially coming from Costa Rica which is insanely expensive.
It was a surreal experience being in Nicaragua. We were told that tourism was down by 65%. We did not meet a single other American while we were there.
There were places that looked post-apocolyptic: Restaurants along the waterfront in Granada that are now abandoned, empty streets, and tourist agents that have gone to look for work elsewhere.
This was really fascinating for me because I feel like often while traveling everywhere is over-crowded and over-touristy. I felt sad for how much Nicaragua’s economy has hurt from the lack of tourism, but it was definitely a unique experience.
I laugh at my pre-conceived ideas of Nicaragua (leaving everything of slight value at home, feeling terrified at my first ATM that I was going to get attacked, researching the best way to hide money on my body, literally not sleeping at night the whole week before I left) versus how it actually was.
It is a beautiful and safe country that is very welcoming and kind to tourists.
They need us and I hope to go back!