Nicaragua is my favourite country in Central America and one of my favourite in all of Latin America. Despite my feelings about the country, I could never really put into words exactly what it is about the country that hits me in the right spot.
The food’s alright, the people are friendly enough, the landscape is memorable, and the sun is hot. None of these on their own particularly stand out, but there’s something about the country that pulls you in, and it’s hard to describe.
I’ve had this conversation a few times when asking other travelers their thoughts on Central America.
“What was your favourite country in Central America?”
“Oh, Nicaragua.”
“Why?”
“It’s – well, I think because – there’s just…I don’t know. I just loved it.”
I’ll do my best to explain to you what makes this country so special, but you may just have to go there for yourself to find out.
The History
I know a lot of people who love Nicaragua and don’t know anything about their history, so there’s certainly more to it than just that. For me, however, their history draws me in. I love an underdog story and especially when the bully is America.
So many Latin countries, and countries worldwide for that matter, have sort of rolled over when the big bad Americans come knocking. With the odds completely against them, Nicaragua fought back, and won (if you can call it a win). They lost about 40,000 people fighting against American interests over the course of about 10 years, but they never quit.
Nicaragua’s government was propped up by the U.S. military, but the people rose up against that to take back their country. They ousted the Somoza government after a bloody revolution, and then had to deal with the American-backed Contras for the next 10 years.
Perhaps I’m being too hard on the United States. The situation was of course complex, but from what I’ve learned, it was the U.S. that was the main instigator.
When you travel around Latin America for an extended period of time you will obviously learn about the Spanish Conquistadors, but then you’ll probably hear some rumblings here and there about the Contras or Operation Condor (both American-backed campaigns to sway political influence in Central and South America, respectively – and thousands upon thousands of lives were lost in these times).
You can’t help but get a sour taste in your mouth and feel resentment towards American imperialism.
Nicaragua is an example of a country that fought back and won. In that sense, it kind of reminds me of East Timor in Asia. Like East Timor, it’s a very poor country that’s been screwed over time and time again, but it has its independence. And people who have had to fight tooth and nail for their freedom, understand how important and incredible independence is. They don’t take it for granted. They cherish it. And there’s something infectious and alluring about that mentality.
Ties to the Communist World
Nicaragua is not a Communist country, but during its resistance against the American-backed military campaigns it received help from the Communist World. Russia, Cuba, and Venezuela were all supporting the Nicaraguan people as they revolted against their suppressive government.
I’ll say openly that I’m sympathetic and biased to the Nicaraguan cause in this scenario from being in the country, if it isn’t obvious already. Speaking with people who took part in the revolution, and seeing the streets and locations where slaughters happened were powerful experiences. While the USA was sending weapons to the Nicaraguan government to use on its own citizens, the Russians provided the largely student-led movement with weapons to protect themselves.
The current President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, was a prominent figure in the Nicaraguan Revolution and held on to his close ties to the Communist World from the days of the revolution.
But what does this have to do with my perception of the country? Even though Nicaragua isn’t a Communist country itself, you can tell there’s something just a little bit different here.
For one, baseball is the most popular sport here. In most other Latin American countries, you’re going to see kids playing soccer everywhere. In Nicaragua, the kids are playing baseball. It’s a different sight than what you’re used to seeing and kind of makes you smile noting how this country is a little bit different than the rest.
There’s just a different feeling in the air of being in a country opposed to American imperialism. You don’t see big American chain restaurants anywhere, or much of any chain restaurants for that matter. It’s all local stores and local restaurants. It’s refreshing. I know some people still like to get their Starbucks or McDonald’s when traveling, but in Nicaragua you’ll have to settle for the local choices.
It’s the 2nd Poorest Country in the Western Hemisphere
Why is good that Nicaragua is a poor country? Well, it’s not. But, I find that people living in poor countries tend to be happier and more grateful of what they have than people living in richer countries. After Haiti, Nicaragua is the next poorest in the West.
In richer countries, it’s expected that you are going to have electricity, running water, and food on your plate every night. And if you don’t have that, you can see all of the people around you that do, and that can bring you down.
In poor countries, first of all you’re happy if you are able to secure the essentials day after day. But if you can’t, neither can a lot of people around you either. You’re sort of all in it together and there isn’t a lot of looking at the lavish lives of others around you because there aren’t many people living lavishly in Nicaragua.
Nicaraguans get by alright with what they have, and most of them go about that very happily.
Here are my 21 travel safety guidelines. Follow these and stay out of trouble on the road.
It’s the Safest Country in Central America
How you judge the safety of a country is up for interpretation, but if you go by murder rate, Nicaragua has the lowest number of murders per capita in all of Central America.
I can without hesitation say that I felt 100% safe my entire time in Nicaragua. There is a correlation between poverty and crime, but Nicaragua doesn’t fit that stereotype. That’s not to say go to the country and be a dick without fear of reprisal. No, if you’re acting like a douche I hope you get your phone stolen.
Travel with an open mind and treat the people you meet with respect, and you’re unlikely to run into problems no matter where you are, and that’s especially true for Nicaragua.
Nicaragua Has Better Food Than The Rest of Central America
I’m not saying that Nicaragua is a culinary powerhouse, but I’m certainly not saying that about the rest of Central America either. Baleadas in Honduras are almost to die for, and I could eat pupusas in El Salvador all night long, but outside of those staple items, the rest of the food there falls flat.
Nicaragua has a wide variety of foods and they are fantastic with the barbecue. I don’t have any one item that I love like I have in other countries. I guess what I love the most is the variety. In other Central American countries I sort of feel like I’m just eating the same thing all the time. Nicaragua dances all over your taste buds instead of playing that one hit number over and over again.
It’s the Cheapest Country in Central America
Central America is fairly cheap on the whole. Costa Rica and Panama can get pricey depending on what you want to do, but in Nicaragua you get incredible value for your money. Transportation, food, accommodation, and excursions are all very affordable.
If you are at all like I was (in serious threat of running out of money), Nicaragua is a good place to settle down for a little while and focus on putting some money in the bank, if you work online that is.
The People are Fun and Love to Bust Balls
What do I mean by that? Their language is crude, vulgar, and funny (if you can understand it). The Spanish in Nicaragua has a distinct accent and they are very quick to give acquaintances shit with amusing slang.
I love this sort of banter. It reminded me of the way the people speak in Mexico – up front, vulgar, and with a lot of slang and enthusiasm.
As well, Nicaraguans enjoy life. The people here just seem to be happier than most other places I’ve been. I think it has a lot to do with some of the history that I outlined above, but they are often laughing with each other, celebrating hard, and carrying with them a big smile on their face.
The Landscape is Beautiful
You are almost never out of site of a volcano in Nicaragua. They dot the landscape and make beautiful backdrops for photos. They have both a Pacific and a Caribbean coastline, with a lush, green highlands in the middle.
On top of the landscape, you have beautiful colonial cities like Leon and Granada. If it weren’t so hot I probably would’ve settled down in one of these towns and started a family. That’s kind of a joke but who knows what would’ve happened.
Final Words
A few other things I loved about Nicaragua is that they have very fertile land for growing coffee and tobacco. I’m not a smoker, but hand me a nice cigar and I will sit back to enjoy that. Nicaragua has some of the best cigars in the world, with Esteli being the local capital of cigar production.
The currency is very nice. Nothing major but it has a nice feel and look to it. The colonial cities of Leon and Granada are stunningly picturesque.
And I think that’s pretty much it. It took me a little while but I’ve finally been able to figure out exactly what I love about Nicaragua. I’m sure there are things I missed, and of course the only way to really understand what I’m talking about is to go there.
If you are at all thinking about going to Nicaragua, don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions but I highly recommend that you go. You won’t regret it.
Safe travels!
If you have any questions or want to get more travel ideas, you can find me on Instagram.
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