Nicaragua is on fire right now. For many years it was considered a poor man’s Costa Rica, but it is now firing on all cylinders in terms of tourism, as investment in infrastructure, from hotels to homestays, islands to national parks, make their own unique mark on the Central American map of adventure travel. A fiery country by nature, given its 19 active volcanoes from Masaya to Mombacho, guided hikes of these sizzling peaks by day and night are highlights of any Nicaraguan vacation. And although Nicaragua has a fiery history, now it’s all about revelations than revolutions. Lake Nicaragua has over 300 islands. You can surf off the Pacific coast. It has paradise Pacific Islands called the Corn Islands. And the food? Nicaraguans bring out the banquets for any occasion. And the music, and the rum, Flor de Caña – the best way to toast and taste real Nicaraguan fieriness.

Read on in our Nicaragua travel guide.

Nicaragua is natural. Still untouched by tourism, the donkeys and carts in Granada aren’t just for us, they’re for real life. The food, such as in La Plazita de Monimbó market in Masaya, is homegrown and homemade, and banquets are spread out with any excuse for a party. Their love of kids comes naturally too and so, if you are traveling with children, it feels as if you have a constant support system of strangers. Their natural heritage is only now becoming known to the world too, from the eco-eclectic islands of Lake Nicaragua, to the cloud forests of Mombacho. Nicaragua doesn’t need branding. It needs to not go changing.