Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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.
Do I have to speak Spanish in order to participate in the ViviendasLeon Student Travel program?
One of the goals of our 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.
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/
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.
Where do I stay?
Program participants 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.
What if I am not part of a school group?
ViviendasLeon encourages anyone interested in traveling to Nicaragua with us and participating in our programs to contact us. We work with schools and universities to create student groups, which is the best way we know to experience living and working in Nicaragua. We can work with you and your school to create a group accompanied by a teacher or professor.
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.
Are there chaperones?
ViviendasLeon program participants are supervised by our program coordinators and our program director, Indiana Garcia. Each group routinely has a coordinator from Leon and one from the United States in addition to teachers from the students' school who accompany the group. Participants are also supervised at home by their host families.
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. We are happy to make recommendations as to the best flight options. Travel to and from Nicaragua is typically the responsibility of the school group. We typically do not provide a member of our staff to travel with individual groups. School groups typically travel with their teacher(s) as chaperone(s).
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 participants 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.:
Are there any behavioral expectations of student participants?
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 students to agree to follow.
What is the drug and alcohol policy of ViviendasLeon?
Many of our program participants 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.
What schools have other 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.
Click here to find a list of participating schools.