What clothes should I bring?
Students are advised to bring a range of clothing; rain gear in the wet season, always something for very hot days, and something e.g. sweatshirts, socks, pajamas for the cooler evenings and nights. Long trousers and socks are advisable for walking and horse riding. Also pack some sandals, (water shoes offer more protection as the beach of Laguna de Apoyo is very stoney) and some shoes that have good grip for walking up slopes! The Mariposa itself is very informal – if you want to help look after the animals or in the garden and get your hands dirty then bring some old clothes with you!
Is there anything else I should bring?
We recommend a small rucksack/bag for days out, a water bottle which you can refill from the filter here, sun screen and a hat – your face/shoulders can easily burn even when it doesn’t seem very sunny. A flashlight can be useful, especially if you fancy a night time wander around the Mariposa grounds. A flashlight and an umbrella in the wet season are essential items if you are in homestay or a cabin. Ear plugs if you have difficulty sleeping, insect repellent (see more on insects below), a camera, binoculars if you’re an avid bird watcher, books, cards, games…the usual stuff!
We supply: sheets, blankets, towels, a bottle of organic shampoo, a bar of soap, and mosquito nets. You can buy things like batteries, and toiletries locally if you need to restock your supply.
Is there anything I can bring to donate to the Mariposa projects?
If you prefer to bring materials: We are always grateful for seed packets to grow diverse vegetables and flowers in our organic gardens. Basic school supplies are perpetually in demand for our education projects. Good children’s books in Spanish are very difficult to buy here so we cherish any gifts of those. Please bear in mind that children who live in extreme poverty often are not used to the things that Western children’s books take for granted. Contributions to the Mariposa library, whether resources for teaching in Spanish or good books in English, are also appreciated. See the How you can help section for more details and suggestions.
Keep in mind that the most useful donation for us is usually money. For example, we recently purchased a large number of young trees in order to respond to a request from some local farmers to help them reforest their land, constructed new a new playground and buildings where disabled children can receive therapy, and furnished a preschool classroom, including funding the salary of a part time teacher. To help us with projects like this frankly, we need cash the most! Though hands to help with work like planting, building, and interacting with the children when you are here are always welcome.
What is the weather like?
There are basically two seasons in Nicaragua: Wet & Dry. “Summer,” December – May, is the dry season. It rarely rains and is always warm, though April and May are the hottest months. “Winter,” May – November, is the wet season. It rains frequently, but rarely all the time, and often at night. The humidity drops refreshingly after a rainstorm. The location of La Mariposa is quite high up (about 500 meters) and we nearly always have a breeze, so it is cooler here than in the lowlands. It can actually get quite chilly sometimes at night.
What is the food like at the Mariposa?
We do not provide a restaurant service – instead, we offer family style meals and students eat together in a covered outdoor area. Our aim is to provide tasty, nutritious food that is also kind to the planet, as well as to animals and, indeed, to our own bodies. (Eating 1lb beef costs the planet 7 times as much as eating 1lb of grain, pork 5 times as much and chicken twice as much! This is because of the amount of grain consumed by a cow in order to produce that much beef.) So we eat lots of locally sourced and grown fruit and vegetables, many from our own gardens, Nicaraguan produced rice and beans (the staple Nicaraguan diet) the majority of meals are vegetarian, with occasional chicken or fish. Every meal is freshly cooked and served with a drink prepared from fresh, in-season fruit. See our Staying at La Mariposa page for more information.
If you would like to go out to local eateries, we can recommend some good places, such as our own Josimar’s “La Via,” walking distance in San Juan!
Are there any problems with water supply?
We provide filtered and bottled water so you can refill your water bottle for drinking. As in the rest of the world, the problems of water availability are becoming more and more serious in Nicaragua generally. Most places outside of the big cities have serious issues with water access, including us. The water supply in La Concepcion is from underground, accessed through a number of wells which now have to be over 500 meters deep to reach the water table. The water table is getting lower all the time – not least because large developments this side of Managua take a great deal of water (construction uses a lot of water, and then there are the burgeoning numbers of swimming pools etc.). The water itself is of good quality – first it is treated by the municipality. Then we add more chlorine here in the Mariposa and then we pass drinking water through clay filters, a traditional and very effective way of removing most, though not all, impurities.
We get municipal water delivered from the well in La Concepcion by pipe twice a week (sometimes less) and we at the Mariposa store water in two large tanks for use the rest of the week. Local families (this information includes families offering homestay accommodation) who have the space and the resources also construct tanks. Those who don’t use barrels or whatever else to store water. Most families still have latrines (outhouse, usually situated a few feet away from the living areas of the house) which is essentially a deep hole (usually over 15 meters deep) with a concrete seat. They are an excellent way of conserving water and the nature of the volcanic rock around San Juan makes them a particularly sanitary alternative. Of course they have to be kept clean but the use of a handful of lime or the equivalent is usually sufficient to keep the place smelling OK! We have actually built a latrine in the Mariposa which I encourage students to use as much as possible. Every flush toilet is a complete waste of the world’s most precious resource! And of course homestays who have installed flush toilets find it very difficult to ensure there is enough water available in the dry season.
Most homestays provide the basic bucket shower where you use a small bowl to wet your hair and body – it may take some getting used to but is perfectly functional! We do have a shower with a shower head installed in the Mariposa for the use of students in homestay as well.
Is it safe to visit?
There are no guarantees, and like all establishments in a country where the majority of the population live in poverty, we need to take some precautions. But Nicaragua has been the safest country in Central America and, outside Managua, the crime rate is low (about half that of the USA). We have all night security staff and our dogs do a fantastic job of alerting us to anything strange. We also have close communication with local police who visit us regularly.
What are the most important health issues?
You should talk to your doctor about the health precautions you need to take, such as vaccinations, before arriving in Nicaragua. Should a health problem arise while you are here, we can take you to see local doctors.
Bring the basic, standard medicines for headache, stomach problems, (many people have a 24 hour tricky tummy at some point during their stay) antiseptic cream, some band aids etc. Bear in mind that the pharmacies here are good and you can actually buy many medicines considerably cheaper than in the US. Tampons are harder to come by, as Nicaraguan women generally don’t use them, and so you might like to bring your own supply if appropriate.
CDC Recommendations for Travelers to Nicaragua
There is some possibility of mosquito borne illnesses, including the following so we recommend bringing a good repellent.
- Malaria is not common in this area.
- Dengue (a serious flu like illness, also carried by mosquitoes) is occasionally reported but there is no prevention.
- Chukunguna is also occasionally reported. It is not fatal, less serious than dengue but nonetheless has painful symptoms.
Are there insects?
Yes. We have surprisingly few mosquitoes but there are certainly some, especially at the beginning of the rainy season, they usually bite first thing in the morning and 5:30 in the evening. There are also little midges which bite sometimes – they are completely harmless but irritating. So bring repellent, natural stuff is good but you need loads of it as the effect does not last as long as the nasty chemical DEET. We have mosquito nets over all the beds.
There are also occasional scary insects like scorpions (not seriously dangerous, though you would not want to be bitten by one as it will give you a bad headache) and a spider called a “pico caballo” which is a member of the tarantula family, big and furry but not at all dangerous. We are an eco hotel and therefore do not exterminate insect life – there is always someone on duty to help if you have a problem with any unwanted wildlife in your room.
What other wildlife is there?
Again, because we an eco-hotel we are encouraging wildlife as much as possible on our very small piece of land. Birds are thriving here – we have breeding tanagers, hummingbirds and guardabarrancos (the Nicaraguan national bird) amongst several other species. We have resident bats, frogs, toads and you may come across squirrels, foxes, lizards, iguanas and the occasional snake. The Mariposa also has a number of rescued animals, including dogs, cats, horses, and a small-scale wildlife rescue project including spider and capuchin monkeys, parakeets and parrots. We rescue and release as many wild animals as possible, at least 150 to date.
Is there internet access?
The Mariposa has wireless internet access in the common areas. You are welcome to bring your own laptop (but please note the comment above about being reasonable in your use of our solar power supplies) or use the office computer for limited periods of time. There are cheap, friendly internet cafes which also provide printing in nearby La Concha and many students enjoy using them as part of getting to know the local community.
Can I stay at the Mariposa without doing classes?
We are primarily a Spanish school and so priority will always go to people who want to study Spanish with us. Having said that, if we have space you are welcome! And whilst you are here you can certainly join in with the afternoon/weekend activities if you so wish.
How does the Spanish school work?
Before starting classes, unless you are a complete beginner, you will be asked to complete a brief evaluation just to see what your level is – we use six levels of grammar in the school, from absolute beginner to advanced. Most formal classes are in the morning – from 8:00am to 12:00pm with a break in between. You will have two teachers – one for grammar and one for conversation. After your first day it is your responsibility to get to your class on time, it is not for your teacher to come looking for you. Classes are a maximum of three, usually two and often one-to-one. Our teachers are all local people – they have many years of experience of teaching Spanish and are mostly also trained teachers. We try and put beginners with the teachers who speak English. Please talk to Josimar (who heads up the school) if you have any problems with your classes. There is a lot more info on the Classes at La Mariposa page.
Can I do organised voluntary work at the Mariposa?
The Mariposa is primarily about trying to provide secure employment for local Nicaraguan people, for which we use the income provided by the Spanish school students. So we are very careful not to replace Nicaraguan workers with volunteers. We therefore place volunteers individually alongside a Nicaraguan worker – this also has the advantage of helping with the volunteer’s Spanish. See the section on volunteering page for more information. If you opt to do volunteer work whilst staying in the hotel or the cabin, there is no reduction in price.
Can I just help out sometimes?
Yes, you are always welcome to help out in whatever interests you – for example, cooking, gardening, looking after the animals – as part of the hotel (or cabin)/classes/activities package. Please note there is no reduction is price for this!
What is there to do in the evenings?
Not much!! There are nearly always other, interesting students who are more than willing to have an after dinner beer on the terrace. You can go for a night walk if you wish (there is always a guard on duty who can take you around the grounds). There are local bars and restaurants and sometimes a nearby weekend event/fiesta. You are of course welcome to use the TV, DVD player and borrow any of the books from the library. Generally students find themselves getting up early and preferring an early night to help concentrate in Spanish classes the following day!
Should I tip the driver or anyone else in the Mariposa?
Of course you are free to tip or offer a small gift to any of the Mariposa workers or families. Students in homestay often become very good friends with their family and it is perfectly acceptable to buy a gift before leaving. We do however have 40 or so people now working at the Mariposa – impossible to tip them all but they all play a vital part in ensuring the life of the Mariposa. And some of them you may never see. So one idea for tipping is to give an amount at the end of your stay to Paulette, she will put it together with other tips and when sufficient has been collected she will divide it equally between all of the staff. It is not acceptable for any member of the staff to ask for money or things!
What should I do if I have any kind of problem at the Mariposa?
Please tell us about it. Whether it is a problem with your Spanish class, the food, your room – we cannot try and put it right unless we know about it. Each team at the Mariposa has its “boss”. Please talk to any of the managers or anyone available upstairs in the office.
