Country guide

Nicaragua

Volcano boarding at Leon, colonial Granada and Ometepe's twin peaks rising from a lake.

Currency

NIO

Language

Spanish

English

Limited

Payment

Cash preferred

Power

Type A / B

120 V, 60 Hz

Dialing

+505

Destinations

Nicaragua

Granada

One of the first Spanish cities on the American mainland - burnt by a filibuster, rebuilt in pastel, and still facing an inland sea full of islands.

✓ best Nov-Feb

Nicaragua

Leon

Nicaragua's university city and revolutionary capital: the largest cathedral in Central America at one end of the day, a volcano to slide down at the other.

✓ best Dec

Nicaragua

San Juan del Sur

A working fishing bay turned backpacker crossroads, where the sunset drops into open water and the surf is a shuttle ride over the headlands.

✓ best Jul, Nov-Apr

The sweet-spot windows

Good weather, thinner crowds, better prices: the windows worth aiming for.

Where	When	Why it works	Watch out for
Pacific coast	Nov-Apr, Jul	Dry season: surf + sun at San Juan del Sur. Jul brief dry spell	Sep-Oct wettest

Climate zones, month by month

Nicaragua has 3 distinct climate zones. The right month depends on where in the country you're going.

Granada Lake Cocibolca →

Jan

32°

23°

13mm

0d rain

Feb

34°

23°

4mm

0d rain

Mar

35°

25°

3mm

1d rain

Apr

36°

26°

22mm

3d rain

May

34°

26°

190mm

14d rain

Jun

30°

25°

155mm

18d rain

Jul

30°

25°

150mm

13d rain

Aug

30°

25°

182mm

16d rain

Sep

30°

25°

204mm

22d rain

Oct

29°

25°

256mm

20d rain

Nov

29°

24°

67mm

8d rain

Dec

30°

23°

15mm

1d rain

October Wettest month. 256mm · 20 rainy days

✓ Best Nov-Feb · ✗ Avoid Oct

Watch for Mar-Apr extreme heat risk · Oct monsoon flooding risk

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

Leon →

Jan

34°

23°

3mm

0d rain

Feb

36°

24°

4mm

0d rain

Mar

37°

25°

11mm

1d rain

Apr

37°

27°

44mm

4d rain

May

34°

26°

194mm

17d rain

Jun

31°

25°

356mm

20d rain

Jul

32°

25°

180mm

14d rain

Aug

32°

25°

255mm

18d rain

Sep

31°

25°

366mm

23d rain

Oct

30°

25°

294mm

21d rain

Nov

30°

24°

306mm

7d rain

Dec

32°

23°

25mm

1d rain

September Wettest month. 366mm · 23 rainy days

✓ Best Dec · ✗ Avoid Jun, Aug-Nov

Watch for Feb-Apr extreme heat risk · Jun-Nov cyclones & hurricanes risk · Jun, Aug-Nov monsoon flooding risk

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

San Juan del Sur Pacific Coast →

Jan

32°

22°

5mm

1d rain

Feb

33°

22°

3mm

0d rain

Mar

35°

23°

5mm

1d rain

Apr

35°

24°

15mm

3d rain

May

33°

24°

200mm

18d rain

Jun

31°

23°

250mm

23d rain

Jul

31°

23°

150mm

19d rain

Aug

31°

23°

200mm

21d rain

Sep

31°

23°

300mm

25d rain

Oct

30°

22°

330mm

24d rain

Nov

31°

22°

70mm

12d rain

Dec

31°

22°

10mm

2d rain

October Wettest month: wettest. 330mm · 24 rainy days

✓ Best Jul, Nov-Apr · ✗ Avoid Sep-Oct

Conditions Jan Dry, surf · Feb Dry · Mar-Apr Dry & hot · May Wet starts · Jun Wet, offshore surf · Jul Veranillo (dry spell) · Aug Wet · Sep-Oct Wettest · Nov Drying · Dec Dry returns

Watch for Mar-Apr extreme heat risk · Jun-Nov cyclones & hurricanes risk · Jun, Sep-Oct monsoon flooding risk

Cards tinted by verified verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions