Summary For Nicaragua Adventures
Overall rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ – 3+ adventure travel stars
Nicaragua has come a long way in the eyes of those looking for new and exciting adventure travel experiences. It used to be that the dictatorship, natural disasters and civil unrest kept tourists away.
Now that the government is more stable, and the people have recovered, tourists are rediscovering the quiet unspoiled beaches and enjoying the emergence of eco tours.
One thing is for sure, Nicaragua has a lot to offer nature lovers with the biodiversity of the rain forests, the rumbling volcanoes and the clear blue waters off two picturesque coastlines.
For those with a sense of adventure there are incredible treks through overgrown jungles, canoeing and plenty of raucous festivals to draw you into the Nicaraguan culture.
Many come to kick back and relax, but for someone looking for travel and adventure experiences, Nicaragua is a place of great opportunity to explore the green, sand-filled lagoons, investigate the architecture and bask in the pristine wilderness.
Nicaragua Adventures – The bottom line: Nicaragua is an up and coming adventure travel destination that’s beginning to develop its ecotourism. You won’t find the crowds like you would in Costa Rica, so if you like a more quite, relaxed environment you might want to give Nicaragua a try.
Exotic Factor
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ – 4 adventure travel stars
As with many of the adventure travel destinations in tropical settings, you’ll find a certain exotic feel to Nicaragua.
Everywhere you look you’ll see beautiful scenery from the western beaches along the Pacific Ocean to the lush green jungles and rolling hills, the imposing volcanoes and the white sand beaches lined with palm trees on the Caribbean coast.
Have you ever gone volcano surfing? How about swimming in a crater lake? There are a couple of new exotic experiences for you.
You’ll certainly find some extraordinarily beautiful flowers including the elegant Sacuanjoche, the colorful Lantana and the exotic trumpet vine. But stay away from the poisonous death cama, it’ll kill you (or at least make you feel pretty lousy).
One of the more exotic aspects of Nicaragua is that it isn’t crowded with tourists. In fact, if you’re looking for a private getaway to a beautiful, pristine tropical beach, check out Nicaragua, my friend.
Cultural Factor
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ – 3 adventure travel stars
Nicaraguan culture has an interesting blend to it. The western part of the country was colonized by Spain and the eastern part by the British. Most of the country does speak Spanish, but on the east coast you’ll hear an English Creole some refer to as Mískito Coast Creole.
The people of Nicaragua are mostly mestizos (a mix of indigenous and European ancestry) with strong traditions of folklore, religious festivals and music. They are also a very friendly and hospitable people, so get ready to make some new friends.
If you want to get into the culture of Nicaragua, a good way to do so is to observe the religious celebrations, which are loud and crowded events where you’ll see a lot of dancing. Many who participate don’t necessarily do so for religious reasons as much as for the tradition of these festivals.
The cuisine of Nicaragua is diverse, like the people, with a mix of indigenous, Spanish and Creole foods. On the west coast you’ll find more of the traditional Spanish flavors with a strong reliance on corn and local fruits, and on the eastern side there tends to be more seafood dishes, and you’ll see coconut blended into many of the foods.
Adventure Factor
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ – 3 adventure travel stars
Nicaragua adventure travel has many hard and soft activities for you to choose from.
For those that like the fast-paced experiences you can explore the country on a four-wheel-drive trip, go mountain biking, take a zipline canopy tour or go for a dip in the pacific, or the Caribbean, with one of the many scuba diving adventures.
If you’re more interested in the softer experiences you can take an eco tour, go birdwatching (where you’ll see some of our more colorful feathered friends) or get out on the deep-blue sea for some excellent fishing.
If one of the previous suggestions doesn’t do it for you, check out the list below for more Nicaragua adventures.
Hard
- Canoeing
- Four wheel drive trips
- Hunting
- Jungle exploring
- Motorcycling
- Mountain biking
- Overlanding
- Paragliding
- Rappelling
- Rock climbing
- Scuba diving
- Sea kayaking
- Snorkeling
- Surfing
- White water rafting
- Windsurfing
Soft
- Bird watching
- Cultural tours
- Eco tours
- Nature trips
- Walking tours
- Whale watching
Could be either
- Backpacking
- Bicycling
- Camping
- Canopy tours / Ziplines
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Horseback riding
- Hot-air ballooning
- Safaris
- Sailing
- Trekking
- Wildlife watching