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home page / Central America / Nicaragua
Country NICARAGUA NICARAGUA (regional info) BILWI BLUEFIELDS CORN ISLANDS ESTELI GRANADA (regional info) NOROME VILLAS Granada JINOTEGA HOTEL CAFE Jinotega LEON MANAGUA (travel guide) (regional info) > Tourism & travel guides: Managua BEST WESTERN LAS MERCEDES Managua Crowne Plaza Managua Hilton Princess Managua Holiday Inn Managua Hotel Camino Real Managua HOTEL EL CONQUISTADOR Managua InterContinental REAL METROCENTRO MANAGUA MONTE HIEDRA INN Managua MONTELIMAR Barcelo Playa Montelimar All Inclusive Montelimar PUERTO CABEZAS SAN JUAN DEL SUR SAN RAMON TOLA PUNTA TEONOSTE NATURE LODGES Tola > more regional information about Nicaragua Where To Go " When To Go " Getting Around " Costs, Money And Banks " Dining And Drinking " Mail And Telecommunications " Safety And The Police " Work And Study " History " General Information " The Media " Opening Hours, Festivals And Holidays " Explore Nicaragua Wedge-shaped Nicaragua may be the largest country in Central America, but it is also one of the least visited. Many travellers who spend any time there find - much to their surprise - that Nicaragua is their favourite country in the isthmus. Perhaps because it doesn't yet fully cater for the tourist experience, Nicaragua is an incorrigibly vibrant and individualistic country, with plenty to offer travellers prepared to brave Nicaragua's superficial obstacles of economic challenges, undermaintained roadways and crammed public transport. Cuba aside, Nicaragua is unique in Latin America in having pulled off a bona fide revolution of the people. The revolution of 1978-79 and the civil war that followed in the 1980s, while ravaging the country, has also given it one of the most dramatic of recent histories. At times it seems that every Nicaraguan has both horrifying and uplifting personal stories to tell. And even though Nicaragua's long-suffering people would rather forget many aspects of the war, the country's political past continues to inform every minute of its present. During the 1980s Nicaragua was the destination of choice in Central America for young, socialist-minded internacionalistas - foreign volunteer workers who came to the country to aid the Revolution by working in the education and health sectors. From 1996 onwards, the Alemán government discontinued many of the programmes that brought the internacionalistas to Nicaragua and tourism slumped, which was bad news for the country's hotel owners and tour operators. Recent years, however, have seen tourist numbers increase as part of the general upturn in interest in Central America. In comparison with the Maya ruins of Guatemala or the national parks of Costa Rica, Nicaragua offers few traditional tourist attractions - almost no monuments or ancient temples remain, and earthquakes, revolution and war have laid waste to museums, galleries and theatres. For years the country has suffered from a chronic lack of funding, and high inflation and unemployment have also impoverished Nicaragua's infrastructure. However, no one visits Nicaragua and remains immune to the country's extraordinary landscape of volcanoes (17 in all), lakes, mountains and vast plains of rainforest . A smattering of beaches - the majority of them on the Pacific Coast - continues to attract the budget surfing and backpacking crowd, while culture and the arts are very much alive in Nicaragua, and it is here you can buy some of the best-value high-quality crafts in the isthmus. More than anything, though, the pleasures and rewards of travelling in Nicaragua come from interacting with the inhabitants of the country's complex society. Its people are well-spoken, passionate, engaged and engaging - Nicaraguans tend to be witty and exceptionally hospitable. The best thing you can do to enjoy Nicaragua is to arrive with an open mind, some patience and a willingness to practise your Spanish. |
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