Costa Rica versus Nicaragua
 

Thinking of going to central America at the end of February or the beginning of March. Trying to decide between going to Costa Rica or Nicaragua.Any suggestions?

Haven't been to Nicaragua, but have been to Costa Rica several times and love it. We keep going back to explore new areas. What kinds of things are you interested in? CR is great for seeing wildlife, adventure activities, beach, and natural beauty like volcanoes and waterfalls. Some of the areas we've enjoyed are the Arenal area, Monteverde, Tortuguero, Manuel Antonio, and the Osa Peninsular - depends on if you like cloud forest, volcano, beach time, etc. but there's pretty much something for everybody, and the people are incredibly friendly. We've also done a couple of trips to Belize and loved that too - great for snorkeling and ruins if those interest you.

Nicaragua has two remarkable small colonial cities, Granada in the south and Leon in the north. Both have preserved their colonial heritage. Granada is the more visited of the two. Costa Rica has almost nothing left from the colonial era.

Costa Rica's tourism infrastructure is more polished. It's been on the tourist map quite a bit longer.

I've been to Costa Rica twice, but, both trips were 10+ years ago. Was in Nicaragua last year. I preferred Nicaragua, despite the stunning physical beauty of Costa Rica.

Ometepe Island is absolutely awesome. Loved Granada. San Juan del Sur was ok, didn't really love it. Visited Big Corn Island, should have gone to Little Corn. Next time...

We also loved Panama.

Thanks. One last question....did you feel safe in Nicaragua? I am thinking it is the same, in terms of safety, for both places.

Really depends on you in terms of what you want to do/see/experience. Nicaragua, unless you go the very, very remote areas, is hot and dry. Colonial cities, volcanoes, beaches are all very close together, along with the vast inland Lake Nicaragua and Ometepe Island. It's also a lot cheaper--toña beer costs $1.20 in restaurants.

Costa Rica has better infrastructure and a wider variety of climates and wildlife accessible. It's lusher and more beautiful, unless you're in the NW corner that borders Nica. It's also more expensive.

Both are safe-petty crime is a reality where tourists are found but there's very little physical danger-and just use common sense re: petty theft--don't oh around flashing money or leaving luggage/goods in your rental car.

Nica is grittier and maybe more 'authentic' feeling, whereas things in Costa Rica including the tourist industry tend to be a bit more polished and run smoother.

People in both countries are incredibly nice and worth knowing.

Also, Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize are great places to visit as well. Really depends on what kind of experiences you want most.

P.S. We just finished (checked out of hotel this morning) four nights in Granada, NI and had an absolute blast. Going to CR for the 6th time next February.

Thanks everyone! I think we'll go to Nicaragua this time.

RAC, we just got back from Lamanai; thanks for pointing us in the right direction. We loved it!

So glad you enjoyed it. Look forward to the trip report!