Nicaragua Vs Costa Rica – Which Country Should You Visit In 2024

Trying to decide between Nicaragua Vs Costa Rica? We loved our time in both countries so let us help you decide…

Nicaragua Vs Costa Rica is a dilemma many people face when trying to choose which country to visit next in Central America. They are both incredible countries with so much to offer and of course, they are right next door to each other. So we can see why this decision can be a challenging one.

Having travelled through both Nicaragua and Costa Rica we decided we put together this comparison guide to help you weigh up the pros and cons for each country. In an ideal world, we would say visit BOTH! They are both fantastic and well worth a visit but we know realistically that is not always possible.

Vacation time and budget can be limited so it is important that you have all the facts and can choose the destination that will give you exactly what you are looking for. So let’s get started and dive right into our Nicaragua vs Costa Rica comparison.

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In fact, Costa Rica has 28 national parks in total, with around 28% of the country being protected areas. Which is impressive by any country’s standards. They put a very high importance on protecting and preserving their wildlife and biodiversity and this in turn attracts many eager visitors.

As well as lush green jungles, Costa Rica is also known for its idyllic beaches on both the east and west coasts. Being a long thin country right in the centre of Central America it is fortunate to have easily accessible towns and beaches on both the Caribbean and Pacific oceans.

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Nicaragua is probably most well known for its Volcanos and it does have plenty. Many of these can easily be explored and are all totally different from one another. A country that is building its tourism industry around those who love a good adventure, what’s not to love about that?

Besides action-packed adventures involving volcanos, Nicaragua has so much to offer. From pristine paradise islands to colonial-style cities, cloud forests and abundant wildlife, it has everything you could possibly want from a vacation.

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With that in mind, it is important to note that Nicaragua experiences hurricane season from June to November.

Nicaragua is on average a little hotter and less humid, with the highs getting up to around 34°C. Costa Rica on the other hand is still a warm tropical country but the temperature doesn’t tend to get quite as high, mostly peaking around 29°C. It is also far more Humid than Nicaragua.

Costa Rica also experiences much more annual rainfall than Nicaragua, which makes sense considering it is far greener. On average Costa Rica will have rain 150 days of the year and Nicaragua only 96 days of the year.

Despite the rain, Costa Rica is a year-round destination.

With that in mind, the rain is usually in showers and doesn’t last long. If you want to take a more detailed look at the difference between the two climates feel free to check out this comparison site.

Nicaragua has around 78 protected areas including National Parks and wildlife reserves. Their most famous and most visited is Masaya National Park. We got the chance to visit Masaya and can safely say it was one of the highlights of our time in Nicaragua.

Costa Rica however, takes the lead with around 186 protected areas in total! Covering a total of 28% of the country, including the National Parks, and wildlife reserves. The most popular of their National Parks is Manuel Antonio Park.

We also got to visit Manuel Antonio Park and can see why it is so popular. It is one of the smaller but most easy to access parks and definitely worth a visit. However, the Park with the most wildlife is easily Corcovado National Park.

However, it might surprise you to know that despite Nicaragua being far more famous for its Volcanoes it actually has much less than Costa Rica. Nicaragua has around 19 Volcanoes, whereas Costa Rica is known to have around 200 (volcanic formations).

The most famous Volcano in Costa Rica is Arenal Volcano located near La Fortuna.

Nicaragua’s most famous Volcano is Masaya Volcano where you can drive up to the car park on the edge of the crater and look in and see the lava bubbling away below with your own eyes.

But perhaps one of the things Nicaragua is most well known for Is its extreme adventure activity of volcano boarding. Yes, you read that right. You hike up to the top of Volcano Cerro Negro with your wooden board and then suit up and slide the entire way back down the side of the volcano.

I was skeptical at first having heard some of the horror stories but we gave it a go and had a blast. Definitely, a fun and unique activity to brag about to the folks back home.

The best Beaches in Nicaragua are without a doubt on the Corn Islands. These paradise islands are still relatively untouched and if you’re looking for white-sand beaches this is the place to go.

Nicaragua also has beaches the whole way down its Pacific coast that can be empty and stretch for miles and miles. A popular beach town to visit is San Juan Del Sur.

Costa Rica on the other hand has so many beautiful and popular beaches it is hard to know where to start. From super popular beach towns with bars and restaurants, party beaches and resorts to quiet isolated and protected beaches full of wildlife. Costa Rica really has it all.

Tamarindo is a popular and more lively beach town, Puerto Viejo is a wonderful relaxed and slow-paced beach town and then you have the incredible Drakes Bay where there are countless empty picturesque coves and beaches. We included some of the best in our 3-week itinerary for Costa Rica.

It is not uncommon to see Monkeys and sloths on the beaches in Costa Rica which is pretty special.

Costa Rica is one of the most wildlife-rich and biodiverse countries in the world. Considering it is a pretty small country you really do feel like everywhere you look there is wildlife to see.

For example, we of course saw tonnes of different wildlife inside the national parks such as monkeys, sloths, tapirs, coatis, snakes, deer, crocodiles and so much more. But we also regularly saw wildlife just walking down main roads or on public beaches and at our accommodations.

Animals were everywhere!

Nicaragua was also home to a lot of wildlife you just have to look a little closer sometimes to find them. We saw monkeys in San Juan Del Sur and a sloth at the top of Mombacho Volcano. We also got to release baby sea turtles into the wild in Nicaragua which was a really special experience.

We also explored some Mangroves not far from Leon and saw huge crocodiles, iguanas and so many different species of birds.

It is very easy to experience wildlife ethically in both countries.

We felt totally safe and had no issues in either country. We felt safe at all times and didn’t hear from anyone else about having any troubles either.

However, Nicaragua is a lot poorer than Costa Rica and there is a lot more poverty. This can occasionally lead to petty crimes and desperate people taking chances. You just have to be a little more aware of your surroundings in Nicaragua and don’t leave your things where you can’t see them.

Despite Costa Rica being more developed and with a lot more infrastructure, there is also a lot more tourism. And we all know by now that crowded tourist locations are often hotspots for petty crimes like pickpocketing.

So you really do just have to be alert no matter where you go in Central America.

The main difference is that food in Costa Rica is much more expensive than in Nicaragua. This is the case for both local and Western dishes.

Both countries had a wide variety of restaurants and the quality was similar no matter where we went.

Finding Vegan food wasn’t difficult in either country but Costa Rica did have slightly more options in most places that we visited.

In Costa Rica we didn’t meet as many locals, at least it felt that way, because there are far more foreign visitors everywhere. A lot of the guesthouses and hostels we stayed at were run by people from all over the world.

However, all of the local people we did meet seemed to speak really great English and were really friendly and happy to have a chat with us.

In Nicaragua, all of the people we had the chance to speak to and have a conversation with were really lovely too. But the general public was a little more tough to crack and this was explained to us on a walking tour we did.

The people of Nicaragua have had a really tough time with dictators, wars and so on. They are tired and struggling a lot of the time. It’s nothing against us tourists they just have a lot to deal with and who can blame them?

But once we understood this, we had a new appreciation for the people of Nicaragua and just how strong they are to have suffered all they have been through and still be able to smile at you, as you cross them on the street.

We loved seeing groups of neighbours take chairs out onto the streets, to catch up at the end of the day and be together as a community.

To give you an idea, our average daily spend in Costa Rica was $190 for 2 people. In Nicaragua, our average daily spend was $115.

Everything from accommodation, food and transport is just more expensive in general in Costa Rica. But the thing that can really make costs add up is the price of the activities. It is still absolutely worth visiting Costa Rica, it is just good to know in advance that things can get really expensive.

For this reason, we were far more specific about the things we wanted to do there and made sure to plan out our time to be more efficient without spending. A great way to save some money is to plan in advance with Costa Rica. As it is more popular things can book up in advance and you end up having to pay more.

Nicaragua was a lot cheaper for accommodation, food and transport but the price of tours and activities can quickly add up.

For inspiration on planning a trip to Nicaragua, check out our full itinerary.

In both countries, we used combinations of public buses, Taxis, shuttles and boats to get around. Often between touristy destinations it is obvious and easy to get from A to B. But we did have a couple of times in Costa Rica where it just wasn’t very straightforward and was very expensive.

Travel in Costa Rica seemed to also take a lot longer and the roads weren’t always as good as you would expect them to be. We found getting to and From Monteverde less straightforward than expected and also getting to Drakes Bay is known to be a challenge.

In Nicaragua however, most of the places you will want to visit are along the west coast and fairly short distances apart. There are always public buses and affordable tourist shuttles. The most challenging place to get to is probably the Corn Islands, for which you will need to Fly and take a boat.

• Manuel Antonio
  Perfect for anyone who wants to experience a national park without a guide. You still need to book your entrance time online in advance but you don’t have to have a guide to enter. This means you can explore at your own pace.
  
  The highlight for us was the beaches within the National Park. I highly recommend visiting the park as soon as it opens, that way you will have the beaches to yourself for a couple of hours before everyone else arrives.
  
  The public beach in Manuel Antonio is also a great place to chill, enjoy a drink in the sun and maybe try some water activities.

• Monteverde
  Monteverde is home to a lush green cloud forest where you can take tours to spot wildlife or try the popular zip-lining courses. We did the zip-lining and it was so much fun to speed through the tree canopies and admire the forests from above.
  
  If you prefer to keep your feet on the ground, you can also explore the forests on the tree-top walkways they have built, giving you a great bird’s eye view of the forest.

For details on how to get to Monteverde from Liberia, we have a full guide.

• Granada
  Granada is a slightly larger city than Leon and feels more geared toward tourists. This means more restaurants, more tour shops and more to do!
  
  Granada is also a great place to explore the surrounding volcanos from. A couple of our favourites were Masaya and Mombacho. It is also located right on the edge of Lake Nicaragua where you can do boat trips and explore the hundreds of small islands.

• Ometepe Island
  The largest Island on Lake Nicaragua is Ometepe Island. This enormous island is shaped like a Giant figure of 8 with a massive volcano on each side. It is possible to hike both volcanos but it’s not for the faint-hearted.

For our top picks on where to stay in each country, check out our favourite hostels in Central America.

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As you can see there is so much to do in both countries. While some activities are the same or very similar, there are also a few unique options too depending on what interests you most.

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This is mostly down to the fact that we are huge animal lovers and you just can’t beat Costa Rica when it comes to Wildlife.

We honestly loved both countries and this was a close call. If only you could visit Costa Rica on the budget of Nicaragua, that would be the dream.

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Costa Rica is more expensive than Nicaragua but has much more wildlife and National Parks.
Nicaragua is cheaper and easier to navigate whilst being more focused on activities around volcanos.

Costa Rica is a smaller country and more developed than Nicaragua.

Nicaragua feels more authentic and has a more colourful recent history to explore.

✈️ Compare flight prices for yourself here!

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If you are still torn between the two then perhaps let your budget decide for you.

We would love to hear how your trip goes and as always if you have any questions feel free to get in touch!