Spending 2 weeks in Costa Rica and 2 weeks in Nicaragua was a fun adventure. The flight was $438 CAD from Vancouver to San Jose Costa Rica (round trip). Shout out to Delta Airlines. Also providing some wonderful snacks. (Pictured below)
Travel does not have to be expensive. In fact, I think it’s more fun when it’s done on a budget. This trip was unique because I got to with 3 of my best friends. Also splitting private rooms 4 ways was excellent for the budget.
COSTA RICA:
Costa Rica had some beautiful destinations. Most notably Manuel Antonio National Park where there was cool hikes in the rain forest. Secondly La Fortuna we hiked down to a 75m waterfall (name) which was beautiful
It was also in Costa Rica we survived a tropical storm (effect of Hurricane Otto). We lived to tell about it.
The Good:
- Friendly local people
- Nature – monkeys, sloths, etc
- Hiking in the rain forest
The Bad:
- Expensive – Food was comparably priced to what it would cost in the USA. If you’re looking to stretch a dollar it will be hard to stay in Costa Rica for more than a few days.
- No Bartering – Prices are set in Costa Rica. We struck out trying to barter prices especially on food
NICARAGUA:
Nicaragua is beautiful. We spent over a week in San Juan Del Sur. San Juan is Nicaragua’s home base, attracting many tourists. If you love the beach, tacos, and happy hour you are in luck. To me San Juan felt similar to Hawaii at 10% of the price and yes not quite as nice as Hawaii.
The Good:
- Beer everywhere is $1.00 to $1.50
- Food is tasty and affordable
- Beautiful sunsets
- Cheap activities – $35 gets you a 200cc dirtbike for the full day
- Volcano boarding in Leon – The hike up the volcano is beautiful
The Bad:
We were only in Nicaragua 2 weeks but I don’t have any negatives.
Summary:
It was great to get a small taste of each country. I preferred Nicaragua as we could stretch our budget much further for food, lodging, and activities. 2 weeks in each country is barely scraping the surface but was still awesome to experience.
Until the next adventure..
D Moerman Blog 