Nicaragua

Nicaragua is a country in Central America.

It borders Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south.

Hitchhiking is generally easy in Nicaragua. Most people don't have cars, so if you are in a rural area, the few with cars or trucks tend to stop for lots of people. They get a kick out of foreigners.

Like in most of Central-America, there are lots of minibusses and it's not so easy to spot taxis on the road, be sure you know if you're paying or hitching free when you climb in any type of vehicle. Here people refer to hitch-hiking as ride, hacer ride or buscar un ride are common expressions.

The border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua has one particularity: the border authorities make it close to hell for any vehicle to cross from Costa Rica to Nicaragua, and trucks bearing a load often have to wait 3 days at the Peñas Blancas border before the paper work gets through to allow them passage. The cue of vehicles in Peñas Blancas is at best several miles long. Entering Costa Rica from Nicaragua takes about 1 minute on the other hand.

Personal Experiences

 * Nicaragua was my favorite Central American country to hitch. I was even able to negotiate work to get the boat from El Rama to Bluefields. Ometepe island and the Laguna de Apoyo lookout at Catarina are both superb places for some free camping.-Chael777

Cities

 * León
 * Managua
 * Rivas

Gallery
Nicaragua

Nicaragua