Nicaragua Steps Up as the Next Big Thing in Central America
Frommer's, August 2005
By Jason Sheftell
Nicaragua is quickly becoming a pristine and popular destination for eco and adventure tourists.
Surfing already attracts hordes to its shores, and now a new sport called kiting, which combines
windsurfing, kite-flying and small board surfing, has taken a toehold as well. Kiters can catch up
to 25 feet of air when that perfect mix of high winds and high waves combine to power the
athletes up, up, up. Add inexpensive hotels, rainforests and a coastline on both the Caribbean
and the Pacific, and Nicaragua begins to compete with Belize and Costa Rica for Central
America's top tourism spot.
Getting to Nicaragua is not a hassle with Intratours (tel. 800/334-8069; www.intratours.com)
discounted fares to Central America. Round-trip airfare into Managua will run you $383 out of
Miami in the fall or winter period. Flights to and from New York cost $615 while round-trip from
Los Angeles costs $524. From Atlanta, expect to pay $615 while flights out of Houston and Dallas
run about $485 round-trip. These fares are for midweek travel with a Saturday night fare
mandatory and a maximum stay of 30 to 90 days.
Once in Nicaragua, the country is an open book rife with incredible topography, great bird
watching and small coastal fishing towns inundated with deep sea fisherman, surfers and other
water enthusiasts. Managua, home to Nicaragua's international airport, is located on a large lake
close to the Pacific Ocean.
A good starting point for Nicaragua travel is www.nicaragua.com, a comprehensive site covering
travel, tourism and commerce to the resurging Central American nation. Not a self-contained
one-stop shopping website, Nicaragua.com provides an index of links to other providers and sites
where you can purchase goods and services. The site's "Culture" section has links in Spanish
and English.
For travel deals to Nicaragua, Tucan Travel (tel. +61 2 9326 4557; www.tucantravel.com) has an
eight-day and seven-night land-only deal that focuses on Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
For $400 plus a local payment of $80 for food and tips and such, you get all accommodations,
transportation around the three countries, sightseeing excursions and the use of a Tucan Travel
tour guide. In Nicaragua, you'll hit the revitalized capital city of Managua and the mellow tobacco
growing region around the Spanish colonial city of Grenada. You'll also visit Ometepe, the largest
fresh water island in the world that happens to sit in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. With an active
volcano, pretty countryside and a gentle island population, Ometepe is a favorite of visiting
tourists who often choose to extend their stay on the island paradise. This tour departs about
twice a month all year round.
For you surfers and kiters, Tico Travel (tel. 800/493-8426; www.ticotravel.com) has a land-only
seven-night/eight-day surf trip to in San Juan del Sur starting at $1,099 per person that takes
you boat surfing, meaning they drop you off well beyond the shoreline to maximize the best
waves. Accommodations are at small hotels near the beach. The package is for Saturday to
Saturday travel with six surf days, weather providing. Longer trips of 14 or 21-days are available
upon request. Fresh cooked breakfast and lunch is provided daily.
Frommer's, August 2005
By Jason Sheftell
Nicaragua is quickly becoming a pristine and popular destination for eco and adventure tourists.
Surfing already attracts hordes to its shores, and now a new sport called kiting, which combines
windsurfing, kite-flying and small board surfing, has taken a toehold as well. Kiters can catch up
to 25 feet of air when that perfect mix of high winds and high waves combine to power the
athletes up, up, up. Add inexpensive hotels, rainforests and a coastline on both the Caribbean
and the Pacific, and Nicaragua begins to compete with Belize and Costa Rica for Central
America's top tourism spot.
Getting to Nicaragua is not a hassle with Intratours (tel. 800/334-8069; www.intratours.com)
discounted fares to Central America. Round-trip airfare into Managua will run you $383 out of
Miami in the fall or winter period. Flights to and from New York cost $615 while round-trip from
Los Angeles costs $524. From Atlanta, expect to pay $615 while flights out of Houston and Dallas
run about $485 round-trip. These fares are for midweek travel with a Saturday night fare
mandatory and a maximum stay of 30 to 90 days.
Once in Nicaragua, the country is an open book rife with incredible topography, great bird
watching and small coastal fishing towns inundated with deep sea fisherman, surfers and other
water enthusiasts. Managua, home to Nicaragua's international airport, is located on a large lake
close to the Pacific Ocean.
A good starting point for Nicaragua travel is www.nicaragua.com, a comprehensive site covering
travel, tourism and commerce to the resurging Central American nation. Not a self-contained
one-stop shopping website, Nicaragua.com provides an index of links to other providers and sites
where you can purchase goods and services. The site's "Culture" section has links in Spanish
and English.
For travel deals to Nicaragua, Tucan Travel (tel. +61 2 9326 4557; www.tucantravel.com) has an
eight-day and seven-night land-only deal that focuses on Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
For $400 plus a local payment of $80 for food and tips and such, you get all accommodations,
transportation around the three countries, sightseeing excursions and the use of a Tucan Travel
tour guide. In Nicaragua, you'll hit the revitalized capital city of Managua and the mellow tobacco
growing region around the Spanish colonial city of Grenada. You'll also visit Ometepe, the largest
fresh water island in the world that happens to sit in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. With an active
volcano, pretty countryside and a gentle island population, Ometepe is a favorite of visiting
tourists who often choose to extend their stay on the island paradise. This tour departs about
twice a month all year round.
For you surfers and kiters, Tico Travel (tel. 800/493-8426; www.ticotravel.com) has a land-only
seven-night/eight-day surf trip to in San Juan del Sur starting at $1,099 per person that takes
you boat surfing, meaning they drop you off well beyond the shoreline to maximize the best
waves. Accommodations are at small hotels near the beach. The package is for Saturday to
Saturday travel with six surf days, weather providing. Longer trips of 14 or 21-days are available
upon request. Fresh cooked breakfast and lunch is provided daily.
