The Nicaragua Managua South mission is similar to the North. Read both sections to get all the information.
It is hot, humid, and super rainy. This mission is heat, heat, heat everyday. It rarely if ever will get below 70 degrees.
Bring clothing that is lightweight, breathable, and dries quickly. Short sleeves.
Find a simple, breathable as possible suit jacket, but suits are worn rarely, just to conferences and for special occasions.
Bring extra t-shirts for exercise and Pday. You also do a fair amount of service, so you want a few extra outfits.
You walk exclusively often in dirt, mud and cobblestone. Buses and taxis eat up too much of your food budget. Get REALLY COMFORTABLE shoes or boots that are rugged.
Docs are noted to hold up, but ECCO and Johnston & Murphy have been recommended as well, as long as it is more of the hiking boot style, not the dress shoe.
Rotate your shoes everyday and consider a shoe dryer.
Good socks like Darn Tough are just as important as footwear.
During the rainy season, everything will get wet. Bring a ziploc bag to wrap your books in inside your everyday carry bag to keep them from getting soaked.
Bring an umbrella, but in some storms even an umbrella won’t help. You just get wet.
A rain jacket is often too stifling to wear, but some like to have a light one.
There is not any air conditioning and power outages can often occur. Bring extra power banks, a headlamp or rechargeable lantern, and a rechargeable fan. Nights are miserable without power for a fan.
There are mosquitoes everywhere. Treat clothing with Peremethrin. It works for 6-8 washes.
Laundry is done by local members.
Purified water is delivered, but locals will not generally have the same, so it is best to pack water to bring with you. Also, in some remote areas, filtered water cannot be delivered, so lots of missionaries love having a filtered water bottle.
Apartments have running water, but not heated water.
A debit card is best. Just let the bank know you will be out of the country. Most things are in U.S. dollar amounts.
You will want a pretty rugged everyday carry bag or shoulder bag and a backpack (for overnight trips). Recommended: Mountainsmith Tour Lumbar Waist Pack and Timbuk2 Vapor Sling.
Bring vitamins and electrolytes like Liquid IV.
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Tips on Vaccinations like Yellow Fever and Typhoid: The cheapest options mentioned are Costco, GoodRX (request coupon), Walgreens, and County Health Department. You often have to request these vaccines and may have to pay for a travel consult. One helpful tip is to ask your doctor to send in a prescription for the vaccinations — some have had insurance cover the cost that way.
In really hot, sunny missions, a good hat is AMAZING! There are a couple of options that missionaries have recommended. Missionaries in West Africa, Central, and South America often recommend sending a missionary off with a hat, which is used more than sunscreen.
Serve shirts have a ventilation panel in the side of the shirt making them noticeably more breathable. Missionaries serving in hot or humid places absolutely RAVE about this feature. The most popular shirt for hot-climate missions, for sure.