Nicaragua, tucked between Costa Rica's mammoth ecotourism scene and Honduras' dazzling displays of indigenous history, is all too often ignored by travellers. Their loss - as the warm, inclusive pride of the Nicaraguan people suffuses the country with an intoxicating energy that captivates visitors. Nicaragua is inspiring landscapes, colonial beauty, weeklong parties, stunning wildlife, beautiful beaches, rollicking reggae and long nights spent with friends in the plaza - all rolled up in a neat little package that carries a discount price tag.

Best time to visit

June to March, to avoid the dusty end of the dry season - or in the 13th century, before the Aztecs arrived.

Essential experiences

Watching the moon rise over the cathedral in colonial Granada; climbing the volcanoes on Isla de Ometope; cooling off by swimming in the Lago de Nicaragua; kicking back in a beach hammock in San Juan del Sur; spotting a quetzal at the Reserva Natural Miraflor; buying handicrafts at Masaya's Mercado Viejo; enjoying perfect snorkelling off Little Corn Island.

In a few words, Nicaragua is

Contras and Sandinistas, dusty farms and towns, rickety buses with chickens, earthquakes and hurricanes and US intervention in politics.

Did you know?

Nicaragua boasts a unique culture along its Caribbean coastline and that Nicaraguan's claim to be the friendliest people in Central America.