There are plenty of car rental and hire services in Nicaragua that can be found at most airports and international hotels throughout the country. The fleets of vehicles they use tend to be in good condition as they use fairly recent models of car.

Models of cars can vary greatly along with prices, usually the smaller the car, the cheaper the price. Models include small 2 person cars, small family cars, saloons, people carriers and the quite popular 4 x 4.

The roads in Nicaragua aren't of any great quality, varying from tarmacked road, to gravel tracks, to dusty dirt tracks covered in weeds. On all almost all the roads you will counter large and small potholes so be wary of these as well as watching other drivers and their own moves in trying to avoid these hazards. The best conditioned road is the Panamerican Highway, but even on this road you can find some sizeable pot holes along with a large amount of traffic mainly consisting of haulage trucks.

Depending on where you want to go and what you want to see and do, should be a general guide for the type of car you may choose. Some of Nicaragua's most natural beauties can only be found via small, narrow dirt tracks and therefore a 4x4 would be best suited for this type of journey. If however you're sticking to main roads which head for Nicaragua's main cities, then a normal saloon or small car may do the job just as well.

A great way to get around cheaply is to take advantage of Nicaragua's public transport networks. For more information on shared transportation, please click here.