LOCATION

Nicaragua is Central America's largest country at 130,000 km2. It is bordered by Honduras and the Gulf of Fonseca in the north, Costa Rica in the south, the Caribbean Sea in the east and the Pacific Ocean in the west.

GEOGRAPHY

The Pacific basin in marked by a spine of 28 volcanoes that run from the northern Pacific gulf of Fonseca, south into Lake Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Six are active, including the country's two biggest San Cristobal and Concepcion and its smallest Masaya. Nicaragua has more crater lakes than any country outside of Africa with nine in all, six of which are in Managua area. The basin is separated from the central rolling hills and eastern rain forests by Central America's two biggest lakes: Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua. Lake Nicaragua is the 2nd largest in Latin America (falling a few square meters short of Lake Titicaca shared by Bolivia and Peru) at 8,264 km2 and is home to over 400 volcanic origin islands, including a dual volcano island that is the largest lake island in the world and three distinct archipelagos. Lake Nicaragua is separated from the Pacific Ocean by only a 17 km wide strip of land, but drains into the Caribbean Sea by means of the Rio San Juan's 190 km length. The north and north eastern regions are mountainous and home to Central America's largest rain and cloud forest reserve, Bosawas, at just under 8,000 km2. The Rio San Juan in the south and southeast is also home to the 3,000 km2 Indio Maiz biological reserve, which includes many of Nicaragua's rain forest lined rivers. Nicaragua has Central America's largest expanse of remaining forest within 78 nature reserves and national parks. The Caribbean seaboard in general, is home to many of the country's 96 rivers and numerous lagoons. The Nicaraguan Caribbean is punctuated with countless keys and islands many of which are located within the virgin Cayos Miskitos natural reserve. Both coasts have hundreds of kilometers of beaches.

CLIMATE

Nicaragua is hot with an average temperature of 82°F year round. Humidity averages around 75% and there are two seasons, rainy and dry. The rainy season is from May to mid-November and dry in the months in between. Almost all days year round begin sunny on the Pacific with rains coming in the afternoon and night and are of short duration. The hottest time of year is from February to May when temperatures often reach towards 100°F and days can be windy. The Pacific region experiences the longest dry season and the dry season becomes progressively shorter as you head east towards the Caribbean. The most pleasant time is in the rainy season, unless visiting the rain forests and/or Caribbean coast and islands, when the dry season is more recommended. Both seasons have their benefits for if you don't mind getting wet the rainy season is better for wildlife viewing in the forests and jungle rivers, but the dry season better for sunning and snorkeling in the Caribbean.

GOVERNMENT

A constitutional democratic republic with executive, legislative and judicial branches, Nicaragua's presidents are chosen in popular elections and serve a one term limit of six years. The current president, Arnoldo Aleman was elected in 1996.

CAPITAL

Located on the southern shores of the lake by same name, Managua has been the capital since 1852 has a compromise between rival cities to the north and south of the city of Leon and Granada. The population of the city is just above one million and is spread out in a green and volcanic setting. The old city center was badly damaged in 1972 by an earthquake and a concrete downtown has never been rebuilt; this along with a steady lake breeze makes Managua one of the least polluted, greenest and quietest capitals in the world. Where downtown once stood is now a mixture of parks and open green spaces punctuated by monuments, where it is not unusual to see horses grazing. Managua is also noteworthy in that it is the only city in the world with four crater lakes within city limits and it has two more just on its outskirts.

TAXES AND TIPS

Entrance tax for visitors to Nicaragua is $5.00 and exit tax is $25.00. Tips are not expected in taxis, but expected for porters (usually 50 cents per bag) and a 10% tip is included in most bills at restaurants although it is not mandatory to pay. Sales tax in Nicaragua is 15% and this includes hotels. All our packages include hotel taxes. BUSINESS HOURS

Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to noon and from 2:00 p.m. until 5 or 6 p.m. Saturday most business' are open from 8 a.m. until noon. Tours Nicaragua's office is open Monday through Friday 8:00 - 5:00 and Saturday from 8:00 - 1:00.

POPULATION

Nicaragua has 4.5 million inhabitants, most of which live in the Pacific basin. The majority of the population is metizo with smaller populations of people of pure indigenous and European blood. The official language is Spanish and is often laced with words of Nahuat origin. Miskito, Creole English and Rama are spoken on the Caribbean coast. English is not widely spoken. The religion is predominantly Catholic but all major western religions are present. The national sport is baseball with stadiums in most cities hosting Nicaraguan league games, which attract players from around Latin America and plays to crowds of over 20,000 at the biggest stadium located in Managua. It would be difficult to find a more open, warm and gregarious people than the Nicaraguans, and when you consider the hardships they have been through, it makes this friendly good humor all the more special and one of the best reasons to visit.

CURRENCY

Is the Cordoba (13.37 córdobas to US $1.00 as of June 1st, 2001). The US dollar is also accepted at most hotels and restaurants but the exchange rate will not be good if you pay in dollars and you will receive change in Cordobas. Visa, MasterCard and American Express are accepted in many locals. Automated teller cash machines are sparse and found only in Managua. Travelers checks can also be changed in Managua, but are of little use outside of the capital. TIME: Nicaragua is on the same time as Central Standard Time (Chicago) in the USA, however the country does not go on daylight savings and during this period the country is effectively on mountain Standard Time (Denver).

ELECTRICAL CURRENT

110 volts, standard American plugs are used as well as the US system for VHS video tapes.

ECONOMY

Nicaragua before 1978 was the wealthiest country in Central America and a major producer of agriculture and in particular beef for the region and the USA (i.e. a major supplier for McDonalds hamburgers). Today, due to the revolution of '78 and '79, the US lead economic embargo of the 80's and the poor economic policies of the same period: Nicaragua is not only the poorest country in Central America, but also the poorest Spanish speaking country in the world and the second poorest in the Western Hemisphere (Haiti is the poorest). Thanks to having incredibly fertile land and the lowest population density in the region, hunger is generally not a problem, but health care and education levels are below acceptable standards. For the visitor, private health care, of good standards is available.

TRANSPORTATION

Roads in the Pacific basin are quite good by Latin American standards and along the Pan-American highway from Managua south all the way to the Costa Rican border they are excellent. The roads north of Leon and in the mountains are paved, but normally in poor condition. The roads along the Pacific coast consist of mostly dirt trails and in the entire eastern part of the country the roads are dirt ranging in condition from passable to horrible. Travel to outlying regions is best done in domestic airplanes which are inexpensive and reliable. Travel in much of the country is done in motorboat through the many lakes, lagoons, rivers and two oceans. Distances between population centers and major attractions on the Pacific side are small and travel time minimal. Public buses are hot and crowded. Rental cars are available but driving is not recommended for visitors unfamiliar with driving styles in Latin America. Taxis are cheap and recommended for city travel. Tours Nicaragua offers private air-conditioned transfers and tours to all points on the Pacific as well as 4x4, boat and air transfers and tours to less accessible parts.

SAFETY ISSUES

Nicaragua has the lowest crime rate in Central America. Fighting along the borders between the famous "contra" forces and the government ended in 1990. The revolution which was fought in almost all parts of the country ended in 1979. No attacks against tourists have been reported in the last 8 years in Nicaragua (compare this with 20 attacks per day on tourists visiting Mexico). Normal precautions against the slight of hand should be taken and some of the very poor Managuan neighborhoods are not recommended for a nighttime stroll with a Rolex. Nevertheless, the chance of encountering anything more than a pickpocket expert, are slim to none.