FAQs
Most frequent questions and answers
Amigos for Christ
Your Mission Trip Costs
Amigos charges $275 to cover ground transportation, accommodations in Nicaragua, insurance, food, and purified water. Airfare can range from $600 to $1200 depending on your departure city and dates of travel. You will also need about $100 cash for local expenses and souvenirs if you want.
Add that all up and you get anywhere from $950- $1550.
Staying in Nicaragua
Yes. Your safety is our number one priority while you’re here. You’ll fly into Managua, Nicaragua’s capital, and be taken directly to Chinandega by buses provided by Amigos for Christ. Once you’ve arrived, we stay together at our Amigos Complex and are transported to our work sites together every day by our very own Amigos buses.
Currently, the State Department has listed Nicaragua as a Level 3 Advisory (Reconsider Travel). We recommend that you visit the State Department’s website as you make your decision to join us for a mission trip. You may also consider purchasing travel insurance in the case that you need to reschedule your mission trip.
That’s a great question. Our marketing team is obviously attracting the right kind of people to this page.
For breakfast, the staff at our Amigos Complex provides a buffet that includes some variety of fruit, bread, cereal, and juice. Sometimes we get pancakes! Dinner is usually rice and beans with a meat and salad. We won’t steer you wrong. We know everyone needs a nice hearty meal after a long workday. FYI, lunch is our favorite… PB&J sandwiches!
Think big rooms with lots of bunk beds and lots of fans. We have separate dorms for guys and gals.
You can check with your local carrier for international rates, but regardless of whether you have cell phone service in Nicaragua or not, we encourage you to “unplug” from your phone to the extent that you can in order to be fully present to your experience here. Internet options are extremely limited, but you may have an opportunity to connect to the internet from a public WiFi café while you’re in town.
Your Mission Trip Activities
The first step to a healthy and sustainable life is clean water, so that’s where we start. Many communities in Nicaragua don’t have access to safe water sources. Our biggest efforts are drilling wells and manually laying pipe to carry water to peoples’ homes. We then install a flush toilet and a shower at every home to help eliminate skin disease and parasites. We also work in education, health, and economic development.
Great question! Now we’re getting down to business.
During your trip, you’ll work alongside Nicaraguans from rural communities to help build their water systems and/or bathrooms. You may have an opportunity to jump in on some of our education, health, or economic development projects, too. We completely immerse mission trip participants, like you, into the local communities where we work. Working shoulder-to-shoulder with someone is the best way to build relationships and experience life change. Get ready to grab a shovel and practice your Spanish!
We’ll be honest – it is quite hot in Nicaragua! The labor we usually perform can be strenuous in the heat. We encourage frequent breaks and require everyone to stay hydrated throughout the day. Take it to the bank, you WILL consume more water than you could begin to imagine. We won’t pull you out of the shade and put a shovel back in your hand, but you may be stretched to work and do more than you may have thought possible. At the end of the day, we prioritize people over progress. The relationships that you build during your week here will always be the most important thing.
We work in various rural communities in the Chinandega area of northwest Nicaragua. The work sites are all over the place but range from a 1-2-hour trip from the Amigos Complex each way.
Signing up
You will either come with a group or join an existing group for your first trip.
A certain amount of orientation is required in making the trip, adapting to the surroundings, performing the work, and getting to know everyone on your trip. Once you complete a mission trip, there may be opportunities to travel to Nicaragua alone to join our mission.
Specialized Trips
What types of medical skills do you need on the trips? Check our mission trip schedule and contact our home office about jumping on one of several surgical trips we have each year. If you want to learn more, visit our Surgical Missions Trip page.
Medical teams work alongside Nicaraguan surgeons, doctors, and nurses in local hospitals in Chinandega. Our approach is to work alongside people and learn from each other while building relationships.
Mission Trip Requirements
Once you sign up for a mission trip, we will provide you with a detailed packing list. We encourage you to pack clothing that is comfortable and that you aren’t afraid to get dirty. Many volunteers leave things they don’t need behind as donations.
YES. And make sure it doesn’t expire for 6 months after your scheduled trip (their rules, not ours). You do not need a visa if you are an American citizen. Other nationalities should check with their consulate regarding visa requirements. If you don’t have a passport, you can apply for one at a passport center which are often located in your local post office. When you book your trip, make sure you put your exact full name on your airline reservation. Someone in an office somewhere likes that stuff to match up perfectly.
Shots are optional, but we highly recommend Hep A and Hep B. You should also be current on your Tetanus shot. Consult your family doctor, county health center, or the CDC for more information.
Since Nicaragua has an extreme climate and is a developing country, sometimes there are people with certain medical conditions who struggle here. If you have the following medical conditions or any questions, please contact the Amigos office before you register for a trip or buy your plane tickets: peanut allergies, diabetes, epilepsy, hemophilia, serious mental illness, past history of heat strokes, if you have been hospitalized within the past year, or any other conditions about which you are concerned.
Sharing this information does not automatically mean you will be disqualified from coming on a trip, it just allows us to make the best possible decision about how to keep you safe and healthy should you join us in Nicaragua.
You will need a person who is at least 18 years old to act as your Guardian on the trip. This can be a youth minister, teacher, adult friend, or family member. Your parents should write a note stating that this person has their permission to travel with you to Nicaragua. Please contact the office if you have any questions or concerns. In addition, everyone attending the trip will need a witnessed “release and waiver of liability” form. Everyone must agree to the Amigos for Christ Code of Conduct in order to make the trip. Your completed online registration and the mission trip contribution are due 2 months prior to departure.
No. We will teach you some easy phrases to get the conversation going. Don’t let this stop you. We have testimonies from hundreds of folks who will tell you that working through some Spanglish and forcing yourself to communicate with what you know is a wonderful thing.
Yes. In fact, families who join us for mission trips thrive! We recommend that children be at least 5 years old and have all recommended immunizations before they come to Nicaragua.
Learn more about family trips here.
We recommend that you take a look through our Code of Conduct and Waiver of Liability before registering for a trip or purchasing your plane ticket.
Other Questions
Your completed online registration and the mission trip contribution are due 2 months prior to departure. The mission trip contribution is non-refundable. If you are unable to attend, your donation will be applied to our projects. If you have any questions, please call the Amigos Office at 770-614-9250.
Request Information
If you are interested in signing up for a mission trip, please fill out this form. We will let you know within 2-3 business days if space is available on the trip(s) you are interested in.
Mission Trip Cost: Most trips cost $275 (to Amigos for Christ) plus your plane ticket to Managua, Nicaragua. Please do not purchase your airfare until you have been approved for the dates you are requesting.