Your Nicaragua essentials guide

British passport holders can visit Nicaragua for up to 90 days without a visa.

Passports must be valid for 6 months after the date of departure from Nicaragua and you may be asked for proof of onward travel.

Although no visa is required, you will need to pay for a tourist visa on arrival. This is currently US$10, payable in cash.

Please note that the vast majority of air travel from the UK to Nicaragua is via the US. For all travel via the US, including immediate, same day transit, British passport holders will require an ESTA or, in certain circumstances, a full US visa. Please check before booking.

Spanish is the official language of Nicaragua although English is widely spoken by at least some staff members in most hotels and tourist focused bars, restaurants, shops and visitor attractions.

Naturally, the further off the beaten track one travels, the less likely you are to come across English speakers.

In Nicaragua’s Corn Islands, Creole English is the main language spoken by the island’s Afro descended population.

The Nicaraguan currency is the Cordoba which is further divided into 100 cents.

However, in all the main destinations, prices in tourist orientated shops, restaurants etc will generally be quoted in US$ and, even where they are quoted in local currency, you can still pay in US$. Please note however that, even when you pay in US$, change will often be in Cordobas.

If you wish to buy local currency, only take US$, not Euros and certainly not £s.

ATMs can be found in the major towns and cities although it is still recommended to take a good amount of cash with you.

Nicaragua is 6 hours behind GMT (the same as US Central Time) and does not observe Daylight Saving. So, during winter Nicaragua is 6 hours behind the UK while, over the summer, it is 7 hours behind.

There are no compulsory vaccinations for travel to Nicaragua from the UK. If you are travelling to Nicaragua from a country at risk of Yellow Fever, you may have to provide proof of vaccination.

Well before travel, we suggest you speak to your local medical professional or, in the UK, visit the Travel Health Pro website for guidance.

While not cheap, Nicaragua is perhaps the best value destination in Central America and is certainly much better value than neighbouring Costa Rica when it comes to accommodation and guide services.

In the towns and cities, eating out etc is good value while, even at remote hotels where there are no local options for food and drink, prices tend to be very reasonable.

On the Corn Islands, where everything has to come in by boat or plane, prices are higher than on the mainland.

Standard voltage in Nicaragua is 120V at a frequency of 60 Hz. If your electrical appliance is rated for 220V or 240V, you may need a voltage converter. However, the vast majority of modern devices with chargers, such as laptops and mobile phones, are designed to work with a wide range of voltages from 100 to 240 volts.

Nicaragua uses Type A and Type B plugs, the same types found in the US. Type A plugs have two flat parallel pins, while Type B plugs have two flat parallel pins and a round grounding pin.

So, travellers from the UK will need a universal adaptor which are easy to pick up before travel or, if you forget, at the airport on departure. They are much less easy to find in Nicaragua.

Nicaragua boasts stunning beaches along both its western Pacific Coast as well as within its territorial Caribbean waters off the east coast.

If it’s palm-fringed tropical beaches you’re after, head to Nicaragua’s Corn Islands within the Caribbean, connected to the mainland (Managua) by frequent domestic flights.

If you prefer grander, more dramatic scenery and perhaps some waves to perfect your surf skills, head to the Pacific Coast and the likes of the Emerald Coast & San Juan del Sur.

With plenty to see and do, Nicaragua is not somewhere that needs to be combined with another destination.

Add to that the country’s relative lack of flight connectivity, means that combining Nicaragua with other countries isn’t always easy.

Nicaragua shares a convenient land border with Costa Rica to the south while regional flights connect the country with both Panama City to the south and Mexico City to the north.

There are currently no direct flights between the UK / Europe and Nicaragua so the only option is to fly indirect, almost always via the US.

Flying indirect from the UK to Nicaragua via the US, generally Houston or Miami, takes from around 16 hours.

As with the rest of the region, Nicaragua’s high season runs broadly from November through April.

Not is this when Nicaragua experiences its best weather, it also coincides with the worst of the weather in Europe, the US and Canada.

During Nicaragua’s high season, hotel prices rise across the board, but especially at beach hotels along then Pacific Coast and the Corn Islands.

Many of our featured hotels in Nicaragua only have a very limited number of rooms so, during high season, availability can be limited. The same applies to domestic flights between Managua & the Corn Islands, especially over the weekend.