@Aruka - Sharpe eye! Unlike a certain group back in the States - i did not want to incriminate myself in the process of or boasting of crimes i may or may not have committed!!!!
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Nicaragua travel update
- Thread starter scdad
- Start date
Got last year's trip pushed to this summer. Even spoke to a guy who went in the Fall after the hurricanes about logistics, and now thrown another wrench with needing to get tested to come back to the US. I don't see how that bodes well for a 1 week trip. Hopefully things improve for travel rules in the next few months.
It's a crazy situation .... was just reading an article here in the local paper - discussing the current status of tourism. The article stated that this past year there were zero foreign investments into vacation type properties which is apparently a measuring stick on how well tourism is doing. Tourism basically fell off the cliff after the civil unrest in 2018 ... was starting to slowly crawl back when Covid-19 hit. It appears the major airlines have been at odds with the Nica govt. over restrictions to and from - to the extent that the majority have stopped flying altogether at a time when the $$$ from foreign tourists is desperately needed. The flip side is right now the Covid-19 situation in Nica is relatively calm while the virus is surging in other Central American countries with lighter restrictions. From what i understand - Costa Rica is now forcing travelers to buy medical insurance for the amount of time they intend to stay .... have not heard of anything of that nature here although they have recently made a number of changes to visas and renewals ... mostly intended to harvest more cash. I know when traveling from Panama - they require a yellow fever vaccination in the past ....my guess is at some point in the near future a Covid-19 vaccination will be required to travel anywhere. At this point ... not sure if, when or how anyone here will be able to get one.
The costa rica tourist medical insurance is cheap, about $10 per day. It covers the cost of housing if you are quarantined. I was just looking at NSR housing prices and it is retarded expensive for such an unstable government situation. Unfortunate, because I like nica the best out of all of the central american countries. $400K for a 2 bedroom condo in Hacienda Iguana is ridiculous unless it covers the cost of a personal military that will defend the compound when Sandinistas decide to claim the property as imminent domain.
As a former property owner in Iguana .... can guarantee the condo will never sell for anything even close to that asking price. The biggest issue you'll have at Iguana is the people on the inside of the compound .... Sandinistas will be the last thing you need to worry about.
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LOL - the Costa Rican Coast Guard will hit you up for an exit fee before you get past Ollie's Point!
Yes it is and pretty much the same with regards to the HOA ... Gringos who don't live there permanently but still want to control every aspect of what goes on within the compound and of course the rules don't apply specifically to them. Best thing Mrs. Flyinraptr and i have done since moving to Nica is getting the fvck out of Iguana.
Thanks for the reality , it looks like paradise sitting here watching the snow flying.
With that said ... we currently live further south on the outskirts of San Juan Del Sur - (not within a gate community) - about 5 weeks from completing our new house and couldn't be happier. There's a lesson that i seemed to have to re-learn every once in a while .... "visiting a place on vacation and living there are two different things". Iguana is a great place to visit and spend a vacation .... i'll leave it at that.
Maybe you can point me to a good website with realistic prices. Costa Rica has 10x better infrastructure, yet you can get a nice condo in tamagringo for $160K. The surf in nica is 10x better though. I kind of like having the option of good restaurants and some entertainment that you get in Tamarindo or Jaco. Nothing in nica has that option on the coast as far as I know. You're kind of trapped in these overpriced resort areas like Iguana or Rancho Santana. I was in Popoyo one day for the ISA worlds, it was allot of rain and mud, didn't see anything worth hanging out at, but that was years ago.
San Juan Del Sur - is the closest thing in Nicaragua to Tamarindo in Costa Rica. We enjoy the convenience of living nearby to grocery store, restaurants, bars, shops, etc. We are not on the beach - located on a hillside over looking the bay with a panaromic view of the ocean and the valley south. Multiple surf spots 15-20 min drive away. Iguana, Rancho Santana, Popoyo - are great if visiting and not planning to go anywhere - but living there - having to drive 40 min one way to the grocery store ... can get old. Be careful with realtors here - no shortage of unscrupulous individuals ... and it seems anyone can just decide to become a realtor with no real knowledge or experience. We've used this company for multiple real estate transactions - the best in this neck of the woods as far as i am concerned. Invest Nicaragua | Residential & Commercial Real Estate Properties - tell them Greg sent you. If you're looking for a condo on the beach type setup - specifically as a vacation home - then your choices will be limited to Iguana and Rancho.
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I think that insurance will cost you about $300 for a week stay in Costa.
I think that is a decent idea, but it doesn't stop the spread of covid. I'm surprised they didn't also ask for a negative covid test before getting on the plane.
Tamarindo or Jaco? Ugh. Tamarindo used to be epic, but is now a zoo. I'm not sure when Jaco was ever epic.
Jaco is good launching point. You have the city with bars and restaurants, the breaks there are better than tamarindo, then Hermosa is just down the street. Boca Baranca is driveable. Esterillos is close by. I kind of like having the zoo option just to keep from getting bored from staring at the same resort lizards all week. I'm kind of done with desolation resort life. All of these surf hotspots get blown up with Brazilians surf tours anyways. You can't find an empty epic break anymore unless you drive yourself to someplace not on the resort map.
I posted this in another thread ... thought i post here as well ...
Info - use at own discretion ..
Requirements travelers Nicaragua (avianca.com)
Costa Rica detains two travelers suspected of showing fake Covid test results - (ticotimes.net)
How to Travel to Nicaragua: coVid Travel Requirements 2020 — Selvista (theselvistaexperience.com)
Costa Rica's land borders will remain closed to tourists in March - (ticotimes.net)
Message for U.S. Citizens: Availability of COVID-19 Testing (January 19, 2021) | U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua
Safe travels!!
Info - use at own discretion ..
Requirements travelers Nicaragua (avianca.com)
Costa Rica detains two travelers suspected of showing fake Covid test results - (ticotimes.net)
How to Travel to Nicaragua: coVid Travel Requirements 2020 — Selvista (theselvistaexperience.com)
Costa Rica's land borders will remain closed to tourists in March - (ticotimes.net)
Message for U.S. Citizens: Availability of COVID-19 Testing (January 19, 2021) | U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua
Safe travels!!
Last I heard, it's still the one center in Managua. I saw one camp manager say that if you get the 5pm or later Avianca flight, you can get the test that morning and fly out that evening. Hoping more sites open up, or remote testing is permitted, or testing is stopped.
im trying to figure out where the hell i can get actually get a test. best i could find isNational Center for Diagnosis and Reference but I can't freakin find any info..let alone an actual location