The paradise country you really need to visit now

ONCE on the shortlist of the world’s most dangerous places, Nicaragua is shaking off its dark past but now faces a new threat.

Get to Nicaragua now before it changes forever. Picture: Gary Burchett

“GO NOW, before it’s too late!”. Every traveller has heard it.

That all too familiar cry from those who’ve had a near-religious experience after visiting their private patch of Eden.

But how many of us take note and do something about it? I mean, we’ve all got an overflowing bucket list of global treasures on hold, and need more convincing before we follow in someone’s footsteps.

The ravages of time are forcing many of us to travel to places facing the threat of extinction. For some, it’s to laze on the white sands of the Maldives before they submerge. For others, a trip to Venice before rising waters swallow her splendour, Havana before Dunkin’ Donuts litter the Malecon, and closer to home, a snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef while it still teems with marine life.

For those craving authenticity and laid-back charm, you may want to go and get lost in Nicaragua before it’s too late, and before one of the biggest man-made projects in history prepares to divide the country in two — literally.

The incredible San Ramon waterfalls at Ometepe. Picture: Gary Burchett

Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral in the capital, Granada. Picture: Gary Burchett

Wedged between Honduras and Costa Rica, Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America and has been on the charm offensive of late to rid its reputation as an unsafe destination. For twelve, bloody years, from the late seventies, the country was in the grip of an inglorious revolution and civil war that put her on the shortlist of “world’s most dangerous places”.

Time have changed and the Central American nation has become the darling of the travel set.

[The Australian Government’s Smart Traveller website says Australians should exercise a “high degree of caution” in the country and warns violent crime is common and widespread, including in the capital Managua.]

The stunning scene on Lake Nicaragua. Picture: Gary Burchett

Some attribute the filming of reality TV show Survivor in helping boost the country’s lagging profile. Others will point to Iron Maiden’s tour of the capital Managua in 2006 as a defining day in the country’s push for global acceptance. Either way, people are taking notice.

The optimists will tell you the recent surge in tourism has the potential to turn Nicaragua into the next Costa Rica, her wealthier and more politically stable neighbour to the south. Not an impossibility, but the lack of commercial flights and the lingering distrust of times gone by weigh heavily on would-be visitors.

For the intrepid traveller who yearns to tread where no one’s tread before, Nicaragua can afford you this all-too-rare experience.

Up close and personal with Masaya Volcano. Picture: Gary Burchett

Dollar discerning travellers can comfortably get by on A$50 a day, eating and drinking with gluttonous abandon. Beers that cost $1 routinely taste better.

The affordability factor, coupled with the fact that the country has yet to be plundered by large-scale hotel developments and fast food franchises, can’t be overstated. For this reason, the tourism experience is authentic, fresh and in the kindest possible sense, unsophisticated.

The locals are warm, infectious and put you wonderfully at ease. Nothing complicated here. You get the sense nobody’s in a hurry and relationships are central to wellbeing, as this popular saying suggests: “Hay mas tiempo queue visa.” It translates as: “There is more time than life.”

The glorious Concepion Volcano at Ometepe. Picture: Gary Burchett

People first, irrelevant stuff second. And speaking of time, punctuality has no place here. Arriving thirty minutes late is considered completely acceptable.

And in this laid-back part of the world, who needs words to get your point across? Nicas (the locals) will point with their lips, crinkle their nose if they don’t understand you, and take great pleasure in staring, particularly at foreigners. Consider the latter a shot in the arm for your ego.

While Nicaragua may not be blessed with the ancient Aztec and Mayan ruins of her northern neighbours, it certainly makes up for it in natural wonders. It boasts the largest area of primary-growth rainforest north of the Amazon, 19 active volcanoes and alluring coastlines that span the Pacific and Caribbean.

The sunset at Playa Santana. Picture: Gary Burchett

Australian surfers have known about Nicaragua’s appeal for some time thanks to a Pacific coastline littered with point breaks, reefs, consistent offshore winds and near-perfect, year-round temperatures. The waves here rank as some of the best in Central America, reinforced when the country staged the ISA World Surfing Games in 2015.

It offers enough pursuits to satisfy for the most ardent adrenaline junkie: I mean, where else in the world can you be tempted to surf the slopes of a volcano? Then there are the pristine and beautifully restored colonial cities of Granada and Leon and if paradise is more your style, then look no further than the unspoilt Corn Islands in the Caribbean Sea.

So, is Nicaragua on the cusp of courting international condemnation yet again? If the Chinese have their way, yes.

Construction of a A$65 billion, 276km man-made canal that bridges the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean is earnestly in the starting blocks. If built, the canal will be deeper, wider and roughly three times longer than the Panama Canal.

Magnific Rock at Popoyo. Picture: Gary Burchett

The Nicaraguan government — who have partnered with Chinese billionaire Wang Jing — claim it will double the size of the economy and create much needed jobs. Environmentalists argue it will devastate a rich, biodiverse nation with far-reaching consequences. If constructed, the impact on both land and people will be seismic. The country’s fabric and outlook will be forever changed.

Nicaragua’s underdevelopment is the essence of her charm. You’re afforded the opportunity to unplug and revel in a simple existence where life in the slow lane reigns supreme. And in this supercharged age isn’t that something we should all savour? So, do yourself a favour and visit, before it’s too late.

Gary Burchett spent 20 years working in radio and TV production in Sydney and London. He is travelling Latin America with his wife and two daughters. You can follow their adventures at udreamido.com.