FAQ

1. What is the temperature and climate?
The average temperature in Nicaragua is 85 degrees. The weather is dry and warm from January to May, and humid and warm from June to December.
2. What is the food like? What if I am a vegetarian or vegan?
Traditional Nicaraguan food includes rice, beans, plantains, vegetables and meat. Host families are very familiar with the dietary needs of visitors, so it is not unusual for them to prepare vegetarian meals, or to eat vegetarian when at restaurants.
3. Do I have to speak Spanish in order to participate in the ViviendasLeon volunteer delegation program?
One of the goals of our volunteer program is to place Spanish language learners in a setting where they can practice and learn the language. Language learning takes place in the homes, in the communities and on social outings. For those who do not speak Spanish, our two program coordinators are bi-lingual and can assist in any translation that is required.
4. What shots are recommended to travel to Nicaragua?
We recommend all travelers review the CDC website for specific travel medicine recommendations, six weeks prior to departure. http://www.cdc.gov/
5. Do I need a passport and visa?
Anyone entering Nicaragua must have a valid passport that is good for more than 6 months from the date of departure. If you carry a U.S. passport, you do not need a visa to enter Nicaragua and you may stay for up to 90 days.
To acquire a U.S. passport, go to: http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html, for information regarding applying for a passport.
6. Where do I stay?
Participants in our program stay with families in their homes. We have found this to be the most successful way to introduce travelers to the culture and hospitality of Nicaragua. The families we work with have been hosting visitors for at least 10 years.
7. Can I start on a different date than the ones indicated?
Individual volunteers must arrive on the start dates indicated. School groups may arrange a different start date. It is important that you put this request in your application, or contact us via email or phone to discuss this with us directly.
8. What if I get sick?
Leon is home to the national medical university, UNAN. As a result, we enjoy the best health care available in Nicaragua. We have relationships with doctors who are very familiar with illnesses common to the region, and specialists through the hospital to deal with illnesses of more severity.
9. Are there chaperones?
ViviendasLeon volunteer delegates are supervised by Lindsey Walker, our program director and Indiana Garcia, our volunteer coordinator. Delegates are also supervised at home by their host families. School groups must be accompanied by chaperones, ideally teachers from the school.
10. What is the travel time to Nicaragua? Are students accompanied on the flight to Nicaragua?
Travel time to Nicaragua varies depending on the airline and point of departure. From San Francisco, travel to Nicaragua can be as short as 7 hours or as long as 12 hours, when the trip is overnight. We are happy to make recommendations as to the best flight options but the travel to and from Nicaragua is the responsibility of the student and her/his family. We are also happy to share students' contact information (with their permission) among those students who will be joining our summer delegations so that they may, if they wish, make travel arrangements together or just get to know one another a little before the trip. Because we have delegates joining us from all over the United States and arriving at different times, we do not provide a member of our staff to travel with individual participants. School groups typically travel with their teacher(s) as chaperone(s).
11. Is travel to Nicaragua safe?
The simple answer is yes. Nicaragua is a long way from the political instability of the 1970's. It has a stable government and the active assistance of many foreign governments. The city of León has a highly skilled professional middle class and is home to the national universities of law and medicine. That said, we work closely with our student delegates and our Nicaraguan volunteers and staff to ensure that the students' safety and well-being is the first priority. For a list of recommended reading, click here to go to our Links page.
12. Are there any behavioral expectations of student delegates?
We ask that all participants recognize that they are guests in another country and that part of the work of ViviendasLeon is to build rapport between the people of Nicaragua and the United States. In general, we ask anyone traveling and working with us to conduct her/himself in a manner that is open, flexible, and friendly; we also have a set of specific behavioral guidelines which we ask delegates to agree to follow.
13. What is the drug and alcohol policy of ViviendasLeon?
Many of our delegates are either high school or college students who are traveling without parents. As a result, we feel we have an important responsibility to keep all participants safe. Alcohol consumption by any volunteer under the age of 21 is not allowed. Volunteers over the age of 21 are asked to be mindful of the safety of both the volunteer delegation and of our Nicaraguan hosts, and to be aware of cultural norms. Abuse of OTC or physician-prescribed medicines and/or use and/or possession of illegal drugs is never permitted during the program. If a participant violates either our alcohol or drug policy, s/he will be returned home immediately.
14. What schools have students come from who have participated in volunteer delegations?
To date, the majority of our high school-aged participants have been students at public and private schools in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. As more students learn about ViviendasLeon and our work, we have had more interest from students outside of the Bay Area. For a list of participating schools, please click here