FACTS TAKEN FROM iexplore.com
Air
Nicaragua’s national airline is Nicaraguenses de Aviación (NICA), which is now a member of the Taca International Airlines (TA). Other airlines serving Nicaragua are American Airlines, Continental and Iberia. Services are available to Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Spain and the USA.

Approximate flight times
From Managua to London is 14 hours 30 minutes, including one stopover in Miami; to Madrid is 13 hours; to Miami is two hours 30 minutes.

Main airports
Managua International Airport (MGA) is 12km (7 miles) north of the city (travel time – 15 minutes). To/from the airport: Bus and taxi services run to the city. Facilities: Bank, bars, post office, tourist information, restaurants, duty free shop, pharmacy and car hire (including Alamo, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, National Car Rental and Thrifty).

Departure tax
None. (The US$35 departure tax is included in the ticket as of January 2006; children under two years and passengers leaving within eight hours of arrival are exempt.)

Sea
Main ports: Corinto, El Bluff, Puerto Cabezas and Puerto Sandino, which are served by shipping lines from Nicaragua, as well as Central American, North American and European countries.

Road
The Pan-American Highway runs through Nicaragua via Esteli and Managua.
Bus: There are daily bus services between Managua and Tegucigalpa (Honduras), San Salvador (El Salvador) and San José (Costa Rica) (travel time – nine hours). Services are provided by King-Quality, Nicabus, Ticabus (website:  www.ticabus.com) and Transnica (website: www.transnica.com).

The following items can be imported into Nicaragua without incurring customs duty:
400 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 500 prepared sheaves of tobacco; 5l of alcoholic beverage; clothing, personal items and medicines for personal use; a camera or video recorder; a portable audio recorder and player; a portable computer or typewriter; goods up to the value of US$500.

Restricted imports
Canned or uncanned meats, leather and dairy products. A license is required for firearms.

Prohibited exports
Archaeological items, artifacts of historical or monetary value, and gold.