NICARAGUA

Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings

Gems, Highlights & Attractions

Yarns, Fables & Anecdotes

Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings

You can buy a visa for $5 at the border, but you should know yourself if you need one because they will often try to sell you one anyway. We paid an additional $2 for "service" the 4 times we passed the border. Only when leaving from the airport nothing was charged and I got no stamp.
Christian Loncle - Netherlands (Sept 98)

A Nicaraguan visa is US$25 (from the embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras), although a Canadian couple without a visa only paid US$ 5 at the border for a 30 day stay.
Scott Hemphill (May 98)

Although Adrian did purchase a visa for Nicaragua (he's Australian), we were told by several travelers that it is not necessary as you can purchase a $5 tourist card at the border.
Erin Pass - US & Adrian Miller - Australia (April 98)

Travel Tips

Volcan Masaya: Entrance price has increased to $4. The parking lot on the far side of the crater is no longer open as the pavement is cracked, breaking away, and falling into the actual crater. It is closed off, however, you can still access the area "at your own risk." There is no longer a glowing red floor vent; only steam, smoke and sulfur rise up from the crater, but it is still worth the trip.
Erin Pass - US & Adrian Miller - Australia (April 98)

Gems, Highlights & Attractions

Corn Island The hotel Parismo is pure luxury! It's got 5 "semi-detached" villas with patios with hammocks. Inside they are large with en-suite massive shower and bathroom. There are mossie coils in the rooms and candles because the electricity is turned off at about mid-night until 7am-which can make it hot at night cause the fan goes off! You do need your own mossie net. They have a bar which has reasonable meals, eg 70-100 cordobas a meal. It's $35 US a night but down to $25 US out of season. It's run by a French couple who have dogs guarding the place- they also have a tame parrot. They don't take Visa or Mastercard yet. They offer a boat ride to Little Corn Island for a rip-off at 200 cordoba pp (minimum 4 persons). This means you have the boat and its driver to go where you want all day.
David & Louise Powers - UK (July 98)

Yarns, Fables & Anecdotes

I was the last passenger left on the San Salvador bus when I exited the "blue bird" special in La Union, El Salvador. I picked up my gear and I was off to seek a ride across the Gulf of Fonseca to Nicaragua. I made a few inquiries around the waterfront and finally was directed to the nearby migracion office. There I found a person by the name Julio Merlos; Julio introduced me to a pilot by the name of Jose. Jose told me that he was taking a Nicaraguan across the next morning at 5.30 and for 100 colones he could take me along. I paid and after Julio stamped my passport, Jose took it over to the port authorities for their logs.
Because the tide was low early this moonless morning the boat was not visible from shore as we started trudging out through the muck. The four of us made it OK with the ayudante carrying the 25 hp Yamaha on his shoulder. When we were a little less than midway through our 4 hour journey the Yamaha abruptly died...dead. At first I didn't feel much anxiety but repeated tries by Jose to restart the engine failed. Then our young ayudante's efforts also failed and I started to feel a sense of urgency as I continued bailing. Fortunately within an hour a good Samaritan finally came along in another ponga.
We were towed to the island of Conchaquita, a large island but only populated by 300 people. It was a wonderful sight to me in more ways than one, as its rock and sand shoreline and its flotilla of small fishing boats gave way to hills that were checkered with small patches of pepper, bean and corn fields. I took this opportunity to visit this little village and followed a cement walkway that hugged the waterfront for its 500 yard length before winding back up inland and reversing itself again. Obviously these people weren't used to a gringo walking around as I was greeted with some somewhat startled looks at times, but smiles and salutations made for more of the same. Getting a friendly conversation was not a problem. I was the center of attraction as people gathered around asking me all the usual questions of nationality, family, occupations.... I loved it and had just as many questions as they. I was so impressed that I wanted to stay a few days here....there were no hotels but I had accommodations offers. This wasn't to be though as Jose told me the legalities would not permit it... I was already on the zarpe to Nicaragua. I was resigned to return to La Union.
The next day was a reenactment of our previous trip in that the newly repaired Yamaha again abruptly stalled in even heavier seas. My heart fluttered only for a short period this time however as we only needed to change gas containers. I helped with this chore and kept the empty one close by as my personal flotation device.
The port of Potosi consists of one short pier and nothing else within sight except a row of tall bushes along the shoreline. I found the migracion office a couple of hundred yards beyond the vegetation inside an almost empty warehouse. There I discovered a solitary migracion officer who reminded me of the "Maytag Repairman" He obviously wanted something to do and someone to talk to. If only customs should be so enjoyable and helpful everywhere...this man even changed Cordobas for me.
Blaise - US (April 98)

For more news, views and the odd bit of gibberish, drop in on the soc.culture.latin-america and rec.travel.latin-america newsgroups.

For detailed up-to-date travel information check out Lonely Planet's Destination Nicaragua.