Current situation in Nicaragua

[ale k]

Hola surfers,

I come to ask you your help for a trip to Nicaragua.

I'm trying to figure out what the current situation is and which places should be avoided.
I mean it considering both the current civil unrest and the typical crime problems (narcos, bandidos ...)

The second question is whether it's ok to take a solo trip in Nicaragua at the moment.
Normally, I like renting a car to be independent and carry with me my gear and stuff. No valuables, only surf gear and a few t shirts.
The surf conditions are the main driver, but basically I like to explore and really hate being stuck in places, not feeling free to go around..

Muchas gracias!!
Suerte

[OrangeJoe]

Just got back from Nicaragua in February and loved it. We spent two months there in San Juan del sur and popoyo so I’ll do my best to answer any questions.

First, we didn’t see or hear of any problems as far as the civil unrest. I was concerned about that as well until I went there. From what we heard, the only place to really avoid was Managua. And of course, just use common sense safety precaution and you should be fine...ie don’t be a drunk idiot wandering down an alley at 4am. Hell, I’d argue a lot of major cities in the US are more dangerous than the places we went.

Renting a car is cheap down there. I think around $20 a day for economy if you do at least a week. SJDS is fine without a car. Tons of shuttles to the local beaches for super cheap. But the surf wasn’t that great compared to popoyo.

Popoyo is a super tiny town that you wouldn’t really want to go to for any other reason than the surf. The wave is outstanding though. Even when there’s no swell whatsoever, somehow it still managed to throw really nice head high waves both left and right. It can be super crowded though. I would suggest renting a private room in one of the hostels so that you make friends along the way. It’s impossible not to meet people that way and most were super friendly.