LOCAL CULTURE
Clothing
Nicaragua is a warm tropical country, therefore light and comfortable clothing and shoes are recommended.
Local adresses
Nicaragua has a very particular way of giving addresses, we use reference points such as churches, buildings or monuments, there are no street names or numbers since we give addresses in north, south, east or west directions
Festivities
Each city has their own saint or patron, we celebrate the devotion to the local saints with dances, music, food, drinks and festivities
Tipping
Tipping is optional but it is highly recommened to tip waiters at restaurants 10%, bellboys or drivers a minimun of $1 per luggage.
Public transportation not recommeded
Public transportation for foreigners is not recommended in Nicaragua, if you need to use a taxi, request the service at the hotel.
DID YOU KNOW ?
Cathedrals
The Cathedral of Managua is the newest in Central America; the Cathedral of Leon city is biggest in Latin America and the Cathedral of Granada is the oldest in the Americas.
Nicaragua it's origen
The name of Nicaragua has a Nahualt origin, dialect spoken by the primitive settlers in the pre-Colombian epoch: Nic – atl – nahuac: it means "Here join the water ".
Land of lakes and volcanoes
Nicaragua is known as the “Land of Lakes and Volcanoes”, which includes twelve volcanoes and six of them are active.
Lake Nicaragua
Lake of Nicaragua is the biggest one in Central America, its surface overcomes 8000 square kilometers; its famous because it’s the only lake in the world that has sharks that live in fresh water, they are known as the Caribbean Bull Shark.
Ometepe Island
Ometepe Island with an extension of 276 Km2 is the biggest volcanic island in the world, is located inside Lake of Nicaragua were you will have diversity of flora and fauna and two volcanoes Concepcion and Maderas.
WHAT TO PACK
Travel light
Try not to carry around too many luggages and be simple in your dressing style
Map for directions
Always carry a local map in order to identify important offices such as police station, hospitals, fire department and/or hotel where you’re staying.
Dictionary
If you do not speak Spanish, a hand pocket dictionary will be useful
Bottle of water
If you take a walk or going on a long journey, always carry a purified bottle of water, since the weather is very hot.
Cash
Do not pay with big bills, the American Dollars are commonly accepted in all establishments.