Nicaraguan Vacay

We had alot of fun at the beaches and going to Catarina.

Quick Tips:

The best places for coupons are at the large/medium-sized hotels.

Best Way To Get Around:

Best way to get around is definately car rental.

Well, since I used to live in Nicaragua, I can give you all the information that only the locals know. For instance in Managua, if you want to go to one of the mercados (markets) be sure that you don't go alone. Sometimes the mercados can be dangerous if you go alone. I suggest going with a group of 3. Now, if you want to go to a good mercado that is relatively safe, then you should go to the Mercado Huembes. It is large and has a large selection of pottery, food and other goods for very cheap prices. You should always try to barter as the sellers usually will go down from their original price. One thing I don't recommend doing: try not to go to the Mercado Oriental as it can be very dangerous for tourists.

Now, there are many other things that you can do in Managua. You can go to the local nightclubs, a very good club is Hipa Hipa. You can go to the malls in Metrocentro, Plaza Inter and Galerias Santo Domingo. You can also go to the Palacio Nacional and catch up with the history of Nicaragua. Managua has many things to offer if you look closely and enjoy the flavor of it.

Now, Nicaragua has some of the best beaches around. The pacific coast is abundant with beautiful beaches. Probably the most tourist-prone beach is San Juan Del Sur. You can be sure of crowded beaches and high prices there. If you want to go to a more secluded beach that few tourists know about, I suggest San Diego. It is about an hour away from Managua but is very beautiful, serene, and perfect if you want to be alone. There are many other beaches, such as Gigante, that tourists don't know of, but you will need four-wheel drive vehicles to get there. In all, Nicaragua has some of the most beautiful beaches around that are worth going to.

If you go past Masaya about 10 miles, it you get to Catarina. This is a little town with an enormous volcanic lagoon. Catarina itself is small, but you can purchase some fine artisan crafts here. The real draw is the lagoon. It was formed millions of years ago when the volcano erupted and blew an enormous hole in the ground which became the lagoon. You can drive up to the lagoon and pay a small fee to go to the view points. There are also several restaurants with excellent food overlooking the lagoon.