A Typical Week in Nicaragua

(please click here for a printable PDF version)  

Teams are usually scheduled with a Saturday to Saturday flight schedule. Flights from the US into Augusto C. Sandino International Airport in Managua arrive from lunch through early evening. Teams are met by El Ayudante staff with transportation after they claim luggage and clear customs. Luggage in loaded and the team departs for Leon (2 hour drive) or Matagalpa (2 hour and 30 minute drive).  

Sunday’s schedule includes attending/serving at a local church, ministering to the children at El Ayudante’s child protection center (HCN), and preparing for the week’s ministry. Monday through Thursday, team ministry is determined by the team considering their gifts, yet strategically coordinated to build on the ministry of previous teams. Supplies and funding for the week’s ministry is provided by the team. Friday after breakfast, teams leave Leon or Matagalpa to tour Nicaragua. Potential tour sites include Masaya Volcano National Park, Lake Nicaragua, and the Managua zip-line over the lagoon of an inactive volcano. Shopping for local crafts at Masaya or Managua is also included in the day’s events.  

Hotel options for Friday (the last) night in Managua include the Camino Real which is three minutes from the airport and offers a continental breakfast and transportation to the airport. Special rates are also available for El Ayudante teams at the Intercontinental Metrocentro and Best Western.  

El Ayudante’s fee for the week for both Leon and Matagalpa is $450. In Leon and Matagalpa, this includes everything you need (except ministry funds) from the time you arrive in Leon/Matagalpa until the time that you leave on Friday morning for a day of touring/shopping.   

This fee covers lodging (sheets and towels provided), three meals a day prepared at the team house (plus one meal out at a local restaurant), translators, transportation, and purified water.  

THE WEEK AT A GLANCE :

Teams depart the team house in Leon and Matagalpa after breakfast on their tour day. If a team stays longer, it is considered an extra day and additional fees are required. Each extra day is $75 per team member.

Each team member is responsible for snacks and meals while traveling to and from Leon or Matagalpa.

SAMPLE BUDGET FOR EACH TEAM MEMBER

A cell phone will be provided to each team which can be called from the US. Incoming calls are free to the assigned cell phone, but are charged to the US caller. Teams can purchase time for the cell phone in Leon and Matagalpa to make calls back to the US. The team houses in Leon and Matagalpa have wireless internet access for those who bring lap-tops.

Skype is a great way for teams to call the States. You can download this program free to your laptop at www.skype.com. You can talk free to other computers or purchase time to call phones. It is less than two cents per minute to call from Nicaragua to the U.S. You need a laptop and headphones with a microphone.