Is Nicaragua the next "Costa Rica"?

"With its great mix of tropical rainforests, vibrant culture, colonial history, heavenly beaches and amazing, affordable properties, Nicaragua is working its way up the hot list,” says Brandi Merchant Kensington’s Senior Central American Expert.
“Currently more like the Costa Rica of 20 years ago, Survivor Nicaragua is putting the country in the spotlight and driving a spike in enquires.”

Adventurers can enjoy exotic wildlife safaris, horseback riding, volcano hikes kayaking through mangroves, surfing, fishing, zip-lining, exploring cloud forests, relaxing in hot springs, scuba diving, touring colonial towns and even tree planting! Nicaragua, the "Land of Lakes and Volcanoes", is located in the heart of Central America–an ideal place to visit if you are looking for something truly different and defying.

Nicaragua is neatly tucked between two oceans, where you can enjoy the natural beauty of dozens of volcanoes, rivers, and lakes.

Business in Nicaragua is trickling in. Kaye says he gets three or four bookings a month, whereas he can get as many as 800 in Costa Rica. MacKenzie was able to visit villages tourism hadn’t reached, unmarred trails, and islands where he was the sole American visitor. “It was like stepping back in time,” he says.

This sense of virgin territory will, of course, be radically altered if and when the country becomes a favored destination. Kaye himself never intended to exploit the Costa Rican–ecotourism economy, and he’s ambivalent about Nicaragua using it as a model. He’s happy to be starting slowly with his efforts.

But just as
entrepreneurs followed his lead in Costa Rica, many companies are now expanding their ecotourism empires to Nicaragua, too. Lindblad Expeditions will guide you through hikes, kayak trips, and snorkeling expeditions. Then there’s Gray Line’s “Granada Natural” expedition, which takes you to Apoyo Lagoon, just outside Granada. Dozens of outfitters offer scuba and snorkeling, surfing, canopy tours, and hiking, and there is a wealth of eco-resorts in which to stay.



Perhaps the best known—and a prime example of how the future of Nicaraguan eco-tourism could potentially shape up—is Morgan’s Rock, a hacienda and eco-lodge in Playa Ocotal, the southern section of Nicaragua, 45 minutes from the Costa Rican border. On 4,400 acres, a French family by the name of Ponçon and a British architect named Matthew Falkiner have launched a concerted conservation effort while still promoting the local economy, setting aside 800 acres of primary growth forest and planting 800,000 native hardwood and fruit trees for farming and use in local crafts.



“We wanted to promote nature as it is,” says Falkiner. “We don’t have to pretty it all up. We didn’t want to do anything that imposed very heavily on the area.” And, of course, they don’t have to pretty it up; the place is majestically beautiful, with tree-house–like cabins perched on a cliff, peering out over the water.

In some respects, Nicaragua is quite lucky to have only recently discovered its environmental attributes, in the middle of an eco-marketing craze when people are eager to find the next big green thing. But those who wish to take in its offerings might have to jump on the bandwagon before there is one. “Now’s the time to go, while it still hasn’t been overdeveloped,” says Kaye. “[Nicaragua will] never be the next Costa Rica—it’ll be its own thing.”

http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/eco-tourism/stories/nicaragua-the-next-costa-rica

http://www.kensingtontours.com/compass-blog/nicaragua--the-next-costa-rica/2011/05