Everyday practical information for Nicaragua

The basics

• Plugs are the American flat two-pin, type A and B, at 120 V.
• Spanish is the language. English is limited on the Pacific side and is a first language on the Caribbean coast and the Corn Islands, where an English Creole is spoken.
• UTC-6 all year. Dialling code +505, eight-digit numbers.
• WhatsApp is how everything is arranged - hotels, shuttles, tours, taxis. Have it working.

Climate

• Dry season December to April, wet May to November with heavy afternoon rain.
• It is hot all year on both coasts and in the colonial cities; the northern highlands around Matagalpa and Esteli are cooler and are where the coffee grows.
• Hurricane season June to November affects the Caribbean side.

Conventions

• Do not discuss politics. Not because it is impolite but because of the legal position described in the safety section - and because a Nicaraguan drawn into that conversation is far more exposed than you are.
• Gallo pinto is breakfast and is everywhere.
• Things are cheap enough that haggling over small amounts reads badly. Markets, yes; a fruit seller, no.
• Sunday is family day at the lake and the beach.