Travel To Nicaragua, The Hottest New Destination In The Americas.

Travel to Nicaragua has been off the radar for decades, due to an outdated reputation for civil unrest and fear of traveling to the unknown.  For years, millions of tourists have been content to travel to Costa Rica, feeling that they’re doing something more adventurous than visiting Mexico or the Caribbean.  This is beginning to change, as more and more people travel there and feel that they’re experiencing something far from unique, with increasingly crowded national parks, beaches and more of a mass tourism atmosphere than ever before.  As tourists have been looking for alternatives to find a unique, safe alternative that feels like Costa Rica did 30 years or so, they are increasingly focusing on Costa Rica’s neighbor to the north – Nicaragua.

The Nicaraguan government launched a new travel ad campaign in 2012, aimed at informing people that Nicaragua is a safe, welcoming and beautiful country to visit.  Like Costa Rica, the country is filled with spectacular national parks, wildlife, rainforests, volcanoes, beaches, colonial towns and a whole lot more.  The main difference is the distinct lack of large numbers of foreign tourists.  Visitors to Nicaragua sometimes feel that they have the whole country to themselves.  Locals are friendly and inquisitive, often inviting tourists into their homes to meet their families and making them feel truly welcome in the country.

The beautiful colonial city of Granada on the shores of Lake Nicaragua is the primary focal point for tourists, and recent years have seen an increase in the number of stylish boutique hotels and great new restaurants the town offers.  Granada is undoubtedly a wonderful place to spend a few days, with its museums, colonial history and cobblestone streets flanked by brightly painted houses; however the true draw of the country is its nature.  With an estimated 7% of the world’s biodiversity, Nicaragua has a lot to offer.  The country boasts both Pacific and Atlantic coastlines with beautiful beaches ranging from striking white to black volcanic sand.  The picture postcard, tropical Big Corn and Little Corn Islands on the Atlantic side rival anything in the Caribbean, while beautiful Ometepe Island with its twin conical volcanoes is something really amazing for more active travelers.  The more adventurous can climb active volcanoes, hike cloud forest trails to spot wildlife and sustainable tourism allows tourists to ‘give back’ to Nicaraguan communities with numerous local incentives.

Nicaragua was named by Interpol as the safest country in Latin America last year (yes, even safer than Costa Rica).  Nicaragua is stable and safe and travelers should not feel overly nervous about their safety there.  The country has, as yet been undiscovered by mass tourism.  It was named as the ‘Number One Emerging Tourism Destination Worldwide’ by Wanderlust Magazine in 2013, it made the list of the ‘Top 10 Countries To Visit In 2014’ by the New York Times, was named ‘Best New Destination Worldwide’ by the LA Times and was listed as the number three destination in Conde Nast Traveler’s list of ‘Top 10 Destinations To Watch In 2014’.

Savvy tourists are definitely beginning to notice this jewel of a country, and with easy non-stop flights from Miami, Ft Lauderdale, Atlanta, Houston and Dallas, and one-stop flights from every main population center in the US and Canada, getting there is easier than ever.

To learn more about travel to Nicaragua visit the Nicaragua page on our website: http://www.blueworldjourneys.com/nicaragua