6 of the 7 Continents For The Budget Traveler: Nicaragua: Banished and Redemption

Nicaragua Summer 2018

As I embarked out of the Panama Airport I said goodbye as I always did wondering when I would come back (not knowing it would be less than 3 hours). I landed in Nicaragua and arrived at customs, I speak fluent Spanish and it went something like this after the standard immigration questions...

Immigration Officer: ¿Tienes una tarjeta de fiebre amarilla?
Me: ¿Que?
Immigration Officer: ¿Tienes una tarjeta de fiebre amarilla? (louder)
Me: ¿Que?
Immigration Officer: Do you have a yellow fever card? (now in English)
Me: No, I understand what you are asking for, I just don't understand why you are asking me for this?

A brief argument ensues, I tell them I have been all over the world and have never been asked for this, I've worked in emergency medicine for 15+ years, I'm healthy etc. But at some point when you are in a foreign country, have only $100 or so cash, a phone that doesn't work, and you have no idea what they are doing with your passport, you give up. I was kicked out. I have been kicked out of a few bars in day, but I never was kicked out of a country before. I was politely and cordially escorted up to the terminal and placed back on a plane to Panama City.

It was a hard travel lesson learned. The rest of that trip was actually pretty epic, you can read about it here. I was upset that I couldn't visit that beautiful country, and explore the beautiful land. But I learned many times in life, for some things you should never give up!

Nicaragua Summer 2025

Memory is a funny thing.... I'm a little nervous at flight check in, maybe I'm banned from entering? Check in goes smooth, real smooth actually, as I'm upgraded to Business Class (Thank you United). The flight is smooth, the landing is smooth, I feel... Smooth... But then I disembark the plane, I walk the jet way and enter the terminal, the memory hits me like a crash. I've probably been to over 500 airports at this point in life, if you teleported me to JFK or LGA where I grew up I couldn't tell you for sure which one I am in... But suddenly my body and my memory, know damn well I am in Augusto Sandino airport,Managua. It's like I remember every step. And sure enough, the first part like last time is the health check....

Of course at this time I have the Yellow Fever Card, but I am not coming from any high risk areas, it is not even asked for. The process is easy, the customs line is short since I was in business class, and before I know it, that ever epic moment happens where you see the customs official stamp the passport and here the signature beautiful click clack sound of the passport being stamped. "I'm in."

The rest of the time in this beautiful country is nothing short of amazing. It's a short trip, 4 or 5 days,but I couldn't ask for anything more. Here's my go to advice on exploring and visiting this magnificent place.

Let's start with the obvious, and this goes for any country, but I learned the hard way here, check the entry requirements before entering Nicaragua, be wary if you are entering from a country other than your own if the rules may be different.
There are a lot of great spots to visit in Nicaragua, I would have loved to visit the whole country, but time was an issue as I do not travel full time as a job (that's soon to change though!), and to be honest there was a slight fear of being deported again that made me not plan too deeply this time around.
I chose Granada as my base, and more or less it was the only area I saw. I loved the colonial charm, the architecture, there were near by hikes to do, the town had enough culture, and night life to make for a great weekend trip, and since this was the summer, I though it would be nice to stay close to the lake in case I wanted to swim, I later learned the lake has fresh water sharks! So the swim didn't happen, but boat rides were fun.
I rarely give free advertising to a hotel, but Socialtel Granada was a great spot. The absolute center of the city. I only took a taxi to and from the airport, and one tour by car, other than that this place was right in the middle of everything. It also had a pool which was nice since the lake was not going to be used.

Delicious breakfast too!
I was there in June, the humidity is no joke! People do get dressy on the weekend, but make sure your clothes are light.
The volcano hikes have been hit or miss for some travelers, it was a miss for me, check if there are road closures or low activity before booking.
Great dining options from casual street food to an amazing steak dinner my last night.
Boat tour is a must, of course... Don't swim!
This is a definitely a budget friendly travel country, my last night I had around $10 USD in whatever amount of pesos that converted into, I decided to go out for a beer and go home, the $10 paid for 4 or so drinks and the cover charge into a night club.
I did a little city tour, normally not my jam as I like to self explore, but the driver for the day as good to cover a lot that I wouldn't cover as quickly on foot. Minus one trip to the mountains though, all of it was walking distance.
Zero safety issues for me as far as anything serious, in the main plaza during the day people constantly trying to sell tours, but they were polite when I politely refused. That being said it is a third world country with problems so travel smart as you would anywhere.
More time, and Managua. Next time I'd like to see more than one town, and I'd love to head the the beaches of San Juan Del Sur, and spend a little time in the capital.

Maybe it was coming out from the terrible low start, but this trip, short but sweet was a special one. The only country I was ever deported from, the redemption was worth it. Each moment there felt different from other trips, and of course even a person that hasn't been deported would love it. I also met some great people there. The connections made me feel like a welcome guest, and a small part of the community while I was there. A country that has had some rough patches in history, but when I was there, through its own rough patches, some bad neighborhoods, some run down villages, I saw the mystical beauty underneath, sometimes shining bright, sometimes a bit harder to see, but once you see it in this country, you will never be able to unsee, or forget it.