If You’re Fed up with the Whimsy of Wall Street …
As Dramatic as Big Sur, California…
As Relaxed as Baja, Mexico…
And with Some of the Best Profit Potential in All of the Americas Today…
Discover Nicaragua’s Golden Opportunities
November 23-December 1, 2012
Greetings,
When Facebook went public on May 18th, a record 458 million shares were traded, reaching $45 a share.
Then the bottom dropped out. Millions of people who had bet on the Facebook dream watched the stock plummet to just over half that value. Market whimsy strikes again…
If you’re wary of the Wall Street hype and would prefer tangible, proven opportunites far from the eyes of a frenzied crowd … I’d like to invite you to join me in Nicaragua this November …
Now if you’re like most folks, you may never have given this little nation much more than a passing thought. But you’re overlooking potentially profitable investments that rely not on hyped-up stock stories … but on real, tangible assets positioned nicely to increase in value.
 Land here represents real property … luxurious gated communities … dramatic Pacific-coast views … a vacation paradise. It represents farmland that can raise beef or grow anything from rice to watermelons.
It represents land that’s appreciating as you look at it. Assets in a country with very few restrictions and lots of tax advantages. And there’s GOLD in this land, too.
This fall, I'd like to show you all that this small Central American country has to offer. I’ll introduce you in person to the amazing investment opportunities … from real estate and agriculture to gold to green energy. All in one of the most beautiful places in this hemisphere.
I’m Barbara Perriello. I help globally-mindedpeople like you find—and profit from—the world’s best “off-the-radar” opportunities. I’ve been doing it for almost twenty years.
And for eight days in Nicaragua, starting November 23, I’d like to invite you to join me in exploring the great opportunities Nicaragua has to offer.
You'll find literally dozens of ways to grow your wealth in a beautiful country of mountains, cloud forest, and seacoast. Best of all, Nicaragua is peaceful, stable, safe and secure foreveryone.
This is one of the world’s best-kept secrets. And I want to let you in on it.
Not Just an Eight-Day Wonder—
Earnings for the Long Term
Where investing is concerned, today’s Nicaragua is about as far from Facebook as you can get.
This is no short-lived, get-rich-quick play. Nicaragua offers smart investors the chance to put money where it will appreciate slowly, steadily—and safely!—over the long haul.
Come along this fall and see for yourself.
 Be part of the team traveling with us! Bill Bonner, Rick Rule, Julia Guth, Andrew Snyder, Sara Nunnally, Gail Geerling … and others! All expert financial and economic analysts who think Nicaragua makes smart sense today.
You’ll be traveling with Central American guru Gail Geerling. Gail’s expert knowledge of Nicaragua’s financial landscape will maketraveling here easy and comfortable.
Everything was top-notch. Gail Geerling is exceptional--professional, ultra efficient, knowledge of the region exceptional, etc. We were on one of Agora Opportunity tours probably six years ago which was excellent also.
—Y.S., Arizona
And over the course of this program, you’ll hear about everything from residency requirements to business laws and regulations in Nicaragua. You’ll get crucial how-to details about making purchases there.
You’ll find out about Nicaragua’s rich farmland (that can deliver up to two or even three crops per year!) and why it’s worth taking a look at.
You’ll see a power company providing Nicaragua with the sustainable energy it needs—with shares available to U.S. investors.
You’ll talk with representatives of a large-scale gold mining company with mines in Nicaragua. And another company offering offshore “baskets” of rare strategic metals.
And of course, we will be taking you to visit properties you have to see to believe, that you can buy for a fraction of what they’d cost anywhere else. Properties that can bring safe, steady profits at a very comfortable entry point.
In the course of the trip, we will be joined by outstanding investment gurus, editors and advisors.
From Agora’s Insider Strategy Group, managing editor of thewealth newsletter Smart Investing Daily,Sara Nunnally brings an eye-opening perspective to the world of investing and Andrew Snyder, Editorial Director, Editor of Insiders Strategic Investing.
We will meet up with the founder of our parent company, Agora Publishing, a founder and an owner at Rancho Santana on Nicaragua’s Pacific Coast. Bill Bonner and his son Will will introduce you to their new project, The Bonner Family Office, an advisory for families who want to preserve and grow wealth over the long term.
You’ll also meet Julia Guth, home owner and Executive Director and Publisher for The Oxford Club and the founder and Executive Director of the non-profit Roberto Clemente-Santana Ana Health Clinic located just outside of Rancho Santana (www.nicaclinic.org). Since 2004, the clinic has provided free or low-cost health services to the local community.
Natural resource guru Rick Rule, founder of Sprott Global Resource Investments will spend time with us in Granada and Lake Apoyo and speak to our group about current strategies while we are at Rancho Santana.
All this expertise, all brought directly to you … and combined with an enjoyable week spent in comfort and good company, too … exploring one of the most dramatically beautiful, friendly, and welcoming nations on earth.
Plus—Enjoying Life in Nicaragua
 You’ll tour Nicaragua’s two splendid colonial cities, Granada (the oldest city in the Americas) and Leon.
You’ll hike in a forest with monkeys chattering around you. You’ll visit a wellness resort where you can have luxurious spa treatments.
Golf, swimming and surfing, horseback riding—you can enjoy any or all of these. Not to mention the fine dining …
It all adds up to a true investment adventure, far from the crazy world of Wall Street hype. This is one trip you can’t afford to miss!
Amazing Real Estate Bargains
Nicaragua is a county that’s seriously misunderstood—though word of its benefits is starting to get out. Still, its relative obscurity works to your advantage.
Because this is a place where, today, your dollars really stretch. Everywhere you look you’ll find excellent values.
Among the potentialopportunities will be homes you can buy for profit or for living. Or for both, thanks to surprising laws that are very favorable. And you’ll have the advantages of a new and emerging market.
Some of the smartest investors I know have recently bought real estate in Nicaragua. Those seeking to double or triple their money in offshore real estate look to nations that are recovering from years of mismanagement. Places with excellent real estate and rock bottom prices. Nicaragua fits neatly inside that category.
—Christopher Howard, Escape from America Magazine
As you explore, you’ll visit no fewer than four gated beach communities on Nicaragua’s magnificent Pacific coast. You’ll see a villa community in the shadow of an extinct volcano and a wellness resort. Any or all of these properties offer very strong returns on your dollar!
Here’s just a sampling of the huge real estate selection available right now:
- A two-bedroom, two-bath rustic villa on a pristine healing mineral-filled crater lake, complete with property management in this unique location—on sale now for only $50,000 …
- A two-bedroom, two-bath home with a private pool and breathtaking views, complete with granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances—and a dune buggy! It’s in a gated ocean-front community with a signature golf course currently under construction, It can be had for under $250,000 …
- A tree-top villa in Nicaragua’s premier branded eco-luxury Wellness resort, complete with tax incentives, hotel management, and rental income, for less than $300,000 …
- Or you can own an acre of land with 360-degree ocean and mountain views, in a secure gated community with all the amenities and access to three world-class surfing beaches, for $80,000 …
- Last—and there’s only one available at this price—for less than $25,000, you can buy a one-bedroom apartment with lake access that’s an easy drive from Granada’s colonial splendor …
You’re not likely to find real estate of this quality and at these prices anywhere else in the world.
They’re so inviting, you may want to buy a home there yourself. And under Nicaragua’s Law 306, you can often use the home you purchase for up to 109 days per year. For the rest of the year, it’s placed in a hotel rental program.
Properties like these, purchased to rent, are expected to be paid off and returning profits within about five years of purchase.
For example, you’ll see:
- Montecristo, an extraordinary grouping of six separate neighborhoods, each offering unique options. Possibilities range from apartment living to single-family homes. All enjoy Montecristo’s spa and gym, tennis and basketball courts, and boardwalk. Plus, now under construction, is a 7,060-yard golf course created by award-winning Mike Young Designs.
- Gran Pacifica Beach and Golf Resort, a masterpiece of luxurious community living. It has a 27-hole golf course with clubhouse and pro shop, a 3.5 mile private beach with world-class surfing, swimming pools, steam room and sauna, on-site stables for horseback riding, and a volleyball court. And more—it comes with drinkable water, Internet access, and wheelchair accessibility.
- Rancho Santana, the premier gated community of the Pacific coast. This is a residential neighborhood set on rolling hillsides and dramatic cliffs. The Christian Science Monitor said it has “inexpensive, beautiful land and a cost of living at a fraction of what it is in the U.S.” The New York Times declared its beaches “among the finest in the Americas”—and “among the least developed.”
- The Villas at Apoyo, 40 private villas on a forested hillside over a lake in the crater of an extinct volcano. You can swim year-round in its warm, therapeutic waters. The villas are gorgeously furnished with Nicaraguan handicrafts. The forest contains charming monkeys and brilliantly colored tropical birds (more than 200 species!)
- Aqua Wellness Resort, “eco-luxury in the treetops.” A deluxe spa with a sustainable villa community in the lush tropical rainforest overlooking Nicaragua’s dramatic Pacific Coast. Last January, the Toronto Star said, "With plunge pools, paths lined with lava rock and villas surrounded by wild ginger and banana trees, it’s a jungle getaway worth the trek."
You can buy any of these to re-sell, to rent out, and/or to use for yourself. And on this same tour, you’ll also learn the facts and figures that make Nicaragua’s incredibly rich farmland yet another profitableentity. Nicaragua produces coffee, cotton, bananas, rice, sesame, beans, corn—often, two to three crops a year—along with cattle. U.S. investors can own one of these farms, or buy a share in one.
Where the “Hard Money” Is
 But land and real estate aren’t the only great opportunities you’ll find in Nicaragua.
You’re going to find some solid, “hard money” assets as well.
- You’ll visit the offices of Ram Power Corp., a renewable energy company. Ram creates geothermal power projects to fill the growing need for green energy in the Americas. It’s exploring and/or operating a geothermal project in Nicaragua, as well as California, Canada and Nevada. Its goal is to become a world leader in renewable power—and it’s actively seeking investors in its projects.
- You’ll talk with people from the publicly traded gold producer B2 Gold Corp. B2 has two mines in Nicaragua and another one in development. It has a strong portfolio of development and exploration assets in Colombia, Namibia and Uruguay. Its projected gold production for this year is between about 150,000 and 160,000 ounces. (That’s a quarter of a billion dollars’ worth of gold at today’s price, now at $1,600 per ounce and likely to go even higher.)
Nicaragua holds out new promise for foreign investors
B2Gold Corp. … is among the biggest single overseas investors and taxpayers in the country, the largest exporter and, with more than 2,000 local workers, the third-biggest private employer.
—Toronto Globe and Mail, April 5, 2012
- And finally, you’ll meet folks from Swiss Metal Assets (SMA). SMA offers something no other company in the Americas can match. First, you can acquire its “baskets” of rare strategic and precious metals. Then you can get anonymous, segregated storage in Switzerland, Panama and other offshore locations. You’ll find their offerings at prices and in quantities appropriate for individuals and institutions. Their “baskets” of critical strategic metals begin at $7,000 USD. They give you the chance to preserve your purchasing power over the long term and protect yourself from the negative effects of inflation and currency devaluation.
You’ll Love This “Safety First!” Approach
 Torn apart by civil war just decades ago, Nicaragua has reinvented itself in a big way. The United Nations, INTERPOL, and the Inter-American Human Rights Institute now call it the safest country in Central America. (It’s even safer than Costa Rica.).
In fact, the U.N. says the crime rate in Nicaragua is lower than that in the United States, France, and Germany!
Earlier this year, the Huffington Post said, “informed about Nicaragua’s political issues over the past decades, … I was stunned when I ended up feeling safer there than walking home in Manhattan.”
Point is: You’ll feel welcome and safe … and enjoy a truly relaxing (as well as enlightening and potentially profitable) expedition.
At the same time, it’s important to understand that those statistics are part of why tourism is rising so quickly in Nicaragua. And the rise in tourism adds to the country’s stability, which means that your money is also safer in Nicaragua.
The Toronto Globe and Mail says, “The business world has never been so optimistic about Nicaragua. Foreign investment jumped to a record last year, and the surge over the past five years far exceeds the gains in other countries of Central America. Such [measurements] indicate how much the country has changed since its violent upheaval in the 1980s …”
The tourism upsurge also brings more tenants for your rental property and more buyers for your resale property. It’s an all-around win-win for investors.
No-Red-Tape Opportunities in Nicaragua
Nicaragua has one of the fastest real GDP growth rates in Central America. The country has complied (unlike many other nations) with prescribed IMF demands for cutting its deficit, implementing structural reforms, and maintaining overall monetary stability. …
Very Few Restrictions
In the last decade, Nicaragua has …dramatically reduced the amount of government red tape that folks have to contend with when they do business here. In addition, it has opened up all sorts of new markets.
A foreign investment law ensures you can repatriate 100% of your profits and, after three years, the initial investment as well. (Even if you don’t “register” your investment, banks will freely repatriate profits.)
You’ll find no legal grounds for discrimination against you when you invest. The law allows for 100% foreign ownership in every economic sector. And there are no restrictive visa or work permit requirements to inhibitpurchases.
Tax Free Up to 10 Years
Nicaragua’s Law 306 (enacted in September 1999) is the most attractive–and most aggressive–tourism-incentive law in Latin America. … This law is sweeping in scope and offers hard-to-beat benefits for those who take advantage of the program. If your tourism business qualifies, you pay no income or real estate taxes for up to 10 years, and bring in (or buy locally) all the supplies you need, from furniture and boats to linens and cash registers…tax free.
Not only that, but the application and approval process is straightforward and fast. INTUR, Nicaragua’s institute of tourism, has done an outstanding job of cutting through the usual red tape and outlining very clearly what you need to do. In addition, the law allows the agency just 60 days to approve your application so you won’t find yourself in limbo for months or even years on end. What’s more, depending on the type of project, an investment of only $30,000 can qualify you for benefits.
In general, Law 306 offers investors the following benefits:
- Pay no income taxes for up to 10 years
- Pay no real estate taxes for up to 10 years
- Import into the country all the supplies you need to facilitate your investment–TAX FREE.
… Law 306 is a well-crafted document that gives you an incentive–and makes it easy for you–to help jump-start the industry…and make a profit while you’re at it.
—International Living
A Country For Opportunists
 Nicaragua truly wants your participation in its growing economy. And it’s going to considerable lengths to get it.
In a dramatic turnaround since the end of the political chaos that rocked the country a few decades ago, Nicaragua has jumped into the global economy. A sweeping series of new laws and regulations have improved the foreign-investment picture. In a big way.
For example, Nicaragua has rebuilt its economy in line with International Monetary Fund requirements.
It has replaced old laws that barred outside investment with new ones providing very favorable treatment for U.S. and other foreign investors.
It now allows you to make money there tax-free for several years.
It lets you bring all your earnings back home to the U.S.
And, as I said earlier, you can own a home, occupy it for up to three months a year, and operate it under a hotel program the rest of the time, making it pay for itself.
There are more details below, but what it adds up to is another win-win for Nicaragua.
Meet the Experts
As you travel, you’ll be talking with the major playerswho are also looking at the opportunities here. They’ll provide you with the facts and figures you need for making your decisions. Even better, you’ll be able to come back to them, ask questions, and work with them later on. These incredibly valuable connections are all part of the Opportunity Travel experience.
You’ll be meeting, for instance, with:
—Attorney Emiliano Jarquin, of the leading Managua law firm, Jarquin-Garcia. Emiliano’s expertise is in residency, corporate, and land title law. He’ll also share exactly what you have to do to purchase real property in Nicaragua. (That information will be priceless if you decide to grab one of the bargains we’re showing you.)
—Steve Scott of RAM Power, who’ll explain geothermal power (energy extracted from the heat in the Earth’s core) and how it’s extracted. Steve will tell you about RAM’s San Jacinto-Tizate project in the northwest of Nicaragua, near the city of Leon (and about 90 km. northwest of Managua). And Steve will talk about RAM’s finances and why shares in the company are a worthwhile investment.
—Representatives of B2 Gold. They’ll tell you about B2’s two mines in Nicaragua—La Libertad and Limon—and their record gold production of 144,604 ounces in 2011. They’ll tell you about B2’s high-quality exploration projects, including one mine under development in Nicaragua. And of course, they’ll tell you just how you can invest in this safe and very profitable venture.
—Knut Anderson from Swiss Metal Assets (“SMA”). Knut will show you how you can diversify out of weak paper currencies and physically own your own portfolio of rare strategic metals. These assets have appreciated an average of 25% a year for the past three years, through some very tough investment markets. Knut will share with you SMA’s unique, cost-effective, and efficient way to use individual retirement accounts (IRAs) in combination with an offshore company to own these strategic metals. And it’s fully IRS compliant.
The Fun Part
 But this is no all-work-and-no-play tour, I promise. We will be mixing pleasure—lots of it—with the business at hand. I wouldn’t bring you to this wonderful place and then hide its enchanting lifestyle from you.
Not for nothing is tourism skyrocketing in Nicaragua, with tourist-generated income up an amazing 22 percent in the last year alone.
You’ll have time to luxuriate in a spa, play a round of golf, or swim in the warm waters of a lake in the crater of an extinct volcano. To walk among monkeys in the forest around Laguna de Apoyo, the crater lake. Or to do all of those, if you like. Plus, you’ll tour two of the oldest Colonial cities in Central America. (Granada was founded in 1524.)
“Affordable and fun,” said The New York Times about Nicaragua on September 14, 2011. It was talking about where to find “five-star service at three-star prices.” The article mentioned the Aqua Wellness eco-lodge as a top-drawer draw. And the Aqua Wellness Resort is just one of the exciting places where you’ll stay on this trip.
You’ll also stay in Managua, Nicaragua’s bustling capital. You’ll stay in the old Colonial city of Leon. And in the very exclusive Rancho Santana on Nicaragua’s magnificent Pacific Coast.
Nicaragua has much to offer: empty beaches, exotic wildlife, tropical forests, recreational activities, hotels and restaurants up to the standards of, say, Mexico or Costa Rica. And it's considerably cheaper than Costa Rica. In fact, Nicaragua is a lot like its next-door neighbor was 30 years ago before it was overrun by norteamericanos. So now is the time to go, before the charter-flight hordes descend.
—Montreal Gazette, December 3, 2011
In short, you’ll come on this tour to find the opportunities of a lifetime, but you’ll wind up with a lifetime’s worth of memories as well.
Falling in Love with Nicaragua for Real
It gets better. You’ll wake up to birdsong and howler monkeys at Laguna Apoyo and to the crash of the surf on Nicaragua’s Pacific shore. You’ll dine on the freshest home grown foods from the land. And you’ll have the very special experience of a private demonstration by a ceramic pottery artisan showing exactly how this ancient traditional pottery is made.
In the course of our eight days in Nicaragua, you’re going to see so many of its wonders that some of you aren’t going to want to leave. Some of you will start thinking, how can I spend more time here—much more time?
[R]etirees are drawn by a breathtakingly beautiful country of beaches, lakes, volcanoes, and pine forests. … [O]thers have gravitated to graceful, historic Granada, one of the loveliest colonial cities in Latin America, … where they enjoy remarkable housing bargains and an easygoing lifestyle amid pastel buildings and welcoming cafés.
— AARP the Magazine (September-October 2010)
Consider this: According to a wide range of U.S. and Canadian publications, Nicaragua has become a significant retirement destination for North Americans. And a top tourist attraction.
A few of many examples:
- AARP’s magazine has listed Nicaragua as one of its “Best Places to Retire Abroad” (see above).
- Canada’s Globe and Mail put Nicaragua in the Number Five position of its “Top Ten Places to Travel.
- London, Ontario’s Free Press recommended Nicaragua as a great travel destination “away from the hustle and bustle.”
- And Forbes Magazine’s retirement guide called Nicaragua one of the top five foreign retirement locations for Americans. “With 450 miles of coastline, charming Spanish colonial towns, a cost of living up to 60% less than in the US and a good reputation for safety,” Forbes said, “it’s an exotic Florida on the cheap.”
- Finally, U.S. News and World Report recently called Nicaragua the number one affordable paradise for retirees living abroad. “Nicaragua is more attractive than ever for one important reason: It’s a super cheap place to live,” it said. It also mentioned Nicaragua’s safety and its high health and legal standards. (It cited the recent certification of Managua’s Metropolitan Hospital.) And it ended with Nicaragua’s fiscal incentives for pensioners and Retiree Residency Law.
So you may well come away from this opportunity tour with more than you bargained for. Perhaps not just a profit-minded asset… but a part-time or even full-time home …
With this guided program, you gain the on-the-ground perspective that’s so important when you’re evaluating a perspective investment. You can toss around your ideas with folks who will toss them right back and tell you what they’re thinking. You notice one thing. Somebody else sees another. So you’re getting input and feedback. And that helps when you’re thinking aboutassets like these.
Now you might reasonably expect to pay $8,000 or $10,000 or more for a nearly all-inclusive program like this – and it would certainly be worth that for the ease of travel and the expertise and insight you’ll gain. But it won’t cost anywhere near that.
In fact, we’re asking just $2,295 per person, based on double-occupancy ($2745 for a single traveler) on an all-inclusive land tour.
(As always, we have discounts available for folks who have traveled with us on a past tour or are Elite Members of Agora publications. If that’s you, you’ll pay $100 less per person.)
 We have room for only 20 total, so I hope you’ll think very seriously about joining me in Nicaragua, a land where you’ll find more than you ever expected.
If you’re ready to trade in the whimsy of Wall Street for solid, tangible, good-value investments you can see, touch, hold, and watch grow in value over the long haul … then this program is for you.
Below is the complete itinerary—exactly what you’ll be doing, day by day, as you explore the beauty, lifestyle options, and unbeatable opportunities for eight exciting days this November.
To reserve your place, call 1-800-926-6575 or 1-561-243-6276 or email: info@opptravel.com – or simply click on the link below now.
Sincerely,
Barbara Perriello
Director, Opportunity Travel
P.S. Space is limited on this trip—we can only take 20 people. I expect it to fill up quickly, so I encourage you to reserve your place now.
To put your name on the attendee list, please call 1-800-926-6575 or 1-561-243-6276 or email: info@opportunity-travel.com today or click below.
P.P.S. If you’re really interested in Nicaragua, one week may not be enough to see everything. You may want to plan on staying longer. We can assist you with arrangements for staying on.
P.P.P.S. You may not be aware of it, but your IRA or 401(k) can invest in much more than just mutual funds, stocks, and bonds. In fact, many of the investments you'll learn about on this expedition can qualify, including foreign real estate, for instance.
This offers you a way to diversify your portfolio today with real assets divorced from Wall Street's shifting moods … assets that could provide tax-deferred income in many cases.
DON’T DELAY—REGISTER TODAY! Email us at info@opportunity-travel.com or click below right now. |
Day by Day Schedule
Opportunity Travel
Discover Nicaragua’s Golden Opportunities
November 23 – December 1, 2012
Friday, November 23—Day One:
Depart for Nicaragua/Arrive Managua
Fly from Miami/Houston or Dallas to Managua, where the adventure begins. (Please note: Airfare is not included, but we can assist you in booking your flights.)
You'll arrive in Managua in the afternoon and be escorted to your home for the next two nights, the hotel Barceló Managua. Located in the exclusive Villa Fontana neighborhood, the super-modern Barceló Managua is the newest hotel in this bustling city.
After you’ve settled in, you’ll step right into learning about life and in Nicaragua. Top-notch tour leader/financial guru Gail Geerling will be waiting to greet you at tonight’s Welcome Dinner.
Emerging markets represent some of the world's most exciting real estate opportunities, and Gail Geerling can help you manage the process successfully.
Gail has managed and consulted for real estate development projects in Belize, the Bay Islands of Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. She was Treasurer of the Pacific Riviera Developers Association in Nicaragua, and a founding member of the Sustainable Tourism Development Association of the Pearl Islands. She now serves as President of the Real Estate Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Panama.
Originally from Michigan, Gail has lived and worked more than 15 years across four countries in Central America, and owns a home in Nicaragua and Panama. During her time in the region, she has amassed an enviable network of contacts at the top of their fields. Her extensive experience with bankers, attorneys, developers, architects, contractors, and real estate professionals makes her advice invaluable.
Gail will answer many of your real estate questions with her presentation on Nicaragua’s property market. Then noted attorney Emiliano Jarquin, of the Jarquin-Garcia law firm, will talk about residency, corporations, land titles, and the purchase process.
Hotel: Barceló Managua. Dinner included (D).
Saturday, November 24—Day Two:
Beach Homes That Have Everything
After breakfast at the hotel, you’ll spend today at two beautiful gated beach communities on Nicaragua’s magnificent Pacific Coast.
Montecristo Beach, a unique oceanfront community offering a new standard for high-quality living. Residences here range from expansive luxury homes to apartments and casitas (little one-family houses) all with a range of elegant options masterfully planned to combine comfort and security. Each of its six unique neighborhoods—Cumbres, Cielos, Altos, Costa Azul, Las Olas, Valle del Mar—has a different beautiful landscape. All neighborhoods will share Montecristo’s planned amenities and world-class golf course.
Gran Pacifica Beach and Golf Resort. Own, rent, or resell one of these oceanfront condominiums, golf–course homes, or village casitas. Amenities here match the most luxurious communities in the world—at a fraction of the price you’d pay elsewhere.
We investigated the options of purchasing property outside of the U.S. and after visiting Gran Pacifica, we knew we found a place to build aihome. The coastline reminds us of Southern California without the real estate prices!
—Dan Aranda, Vice President, Aranda Tooling
Hotel: Barceló Managua (B,L,D)
Sunday, November 25—Day Three:
Cutting-Edge Technology and a Historic City
After breakfast at the hotel in Managua, you’ll have an early departure to Leon. You’ll arrive for lunch and a presentation from Steven Scott from Ram Power. Right after his talk, you’ll visit the Ram Power site, just 15 minutes outside of the city.
Steven Scott is Director of Investor Relations for Ram Power. Ram is a renewable energy power company, operating plants that extract heat energy from the Earth’s core and turn it into usable, sustainable power. Ram’s goal is to become a leading global renewable power developer and supplier, and Steven will tell you how you can invest in and be part of this exciting, cutting-edge power technology.
Amazingly, after all that there’ll still be time for a tour of Leon, one of Nicaragua’s two magnificently preserved Colonial cities. Then you’ll dine as a group at one of Leon’s excellent restaurants before returning to your hotel.
Tonight in Leon, you’ll stay at the elegant, centrally located El Convento Hotel. The El Convento’s authentic Spanish Colonial artifacts and furnishings will provide a fascinating contrast with the 21st-century style of the Barceló Managua. You might say they represent the two sides of this fascinating country.
Hotel: El Convento (B,L,D).
Monday, November 26—Day Four:
Over the Volcano
After breakfast, you’ll again have an early start. Today you’re heading for the beautiful Colonial city of Granada, the oldest city in the Americas. Founded in 1524, Granada is arguably the region’s finest example of a restored working Colonial city, and properties here are unique in the world.
Along the way, you’ll enjoy an exclusive demonstration by one of Nicaragua’s internationally acclaimed working artists, pottery designer Pedro Guerrero. Pedro is the fourth generation of his family to make their living with this ancient craft, and he’s one of the country’s finest. He will open his workshop to our group to show us how the time consuming and labor intensive process of making traditional Nicaraguan pottery works.
We will arrive in Granada for a real estate lunch presentation with Tom Gordon, who will discuss oppprtunities in real estate and farm land.
Tom Gordon has lived and worked in real estate full time in Southwest Nicaragua for over 7 years. Formerly the Sales Director for Rancho Santana, Tom still offers homes and re-sale home sites within the project. He has currently expanded his coverage area and now specializes in coastal properties including commercial, farmland, and residential home sites and homes. Tom has an extensive network of contacts within the Nicaraguan real estate community, and he focuses on finding the best bargains for each of his clients.
Joining us for lunch and the rest of the day will be Rick Rule and his wife, Bonnie. Following lunch we will have time for a quick tour of this fascinating city. (The tour will include a visit to one or more properties for sale there.)
Then you’ll head straight for the Villas at Apoyo. About 20 minutes outside of Granada, the villas are on Laguna de Apoyo, an extinct volcanic crater lake. They look rustic but are very comfortable. The lake has warm, therapeutic waters, and you’ll have time to swim in it—and to visit with the monkeys in the surrounding forest.
Over a gourmet dinner at the Villas, you’ll hear a presentation on more opportunities in the area.
Hotel: The Villas at Apoyo, (B,L,D).
Tuesday, November 27—Day Five:
Paradise and Profit and a Very Special Clinic
Rancho Santana:
A Vision Brought to Life
In the 1990s, Nicaragua was just beginning to welcome outside investors.
Agora Publishing founder Bill Bonner and his partner Mark Ford were searching out new and exciting investment opportunities. They thought there might be possibilities in Nicaragua.
They looked around the country and wound up on the country’s rugged southern Pacific Coast.
In those days you had to drive south from Managua for about two hours to Rivas, and then turn west toward the coast. The last twenty miles were the toughest. There was only road as far as the small village of Tola. From there, they had to go the last 12 miles over rough dirt track, through rivers and mud slogs, then into the property on horseback. What they saw when they got there was incredible: one of the most spectacular stretches of coastal land in the world. More than two miles of Pacific Ocean coastline, with five separate beaches. All with hillsides giving fabulous ocean views.
And all of it completely undeveloped.
But Bill and Mark could also see what wasn’t there—yet.
They looked at that stretch of coastline and had a vision of an oceanside community, a retreat where people could go to live, or retire, in peace, beauty and serenity. A community with world-class living, ocean-front dining, spectacular beaches, nature trails, an authentic horse and ranch atmosphere, and breathtaking sunsets..
They saw all that as they looked at the rolling Pacific from that rugged hillside.
Then they went to work to make it happen. In 1997, they bought 2,700 acres of that coastline.
Today, that 2,700 acres has everything Bill and Mark imagined when they first saw it.
It has homes that blend gently with nature. Tastefully designed, luxurious villas fronting the Pacific, just steps from a clubhouse, a gymnasium, and a spa. Stables with magnificent horses for residents and guests.
It also has some things even Bill and Mark couldn’t have imagined the first time they saw it. A nature reserve. The beginnings of a self-sustaining power system. A clinic providing medical care for the wider Nicaraguan community.
That’s Rancho Santana. Paradise in Nicaragua. It was Bill Bonner’s and Mark Ford’s vision. Now it’s reality—possibly yours.
Whether it’s simply some land with a dream home … or owning part of a gold mine, a farm, or an energy source.
Or maybe you have your own Rancho Santana dream.
Won’t you join us there?
After breakfast, you’ll depart for Rancho Santana, where you’ll spend the next two nights.
Rancho Santana is the perfect setting for people who like the idea of owning, enjoying, and profiting from one of the most spectacular stretches of coastal land in the world. Located just 50 miles north from the Pacific border of Costa Rica in the southwest corner of Nicaragua, this stunning 2700-acre reserve boasts more than two miles of Pacific Ocean coastline and five distinct beaches, three of which are landlocked in this private gated community.
You’ll arrive in time for lunch, during which you’ll be given a presentation from Marc Brown, Rancho Santana’s real estate sales director.
Marc Brown, Director of Sales, grew up in California and obtained a BA in Economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He then spent 11 years in the software business providing systems and application management solutions to Fortune 100 Companies.
Looking for a change in pace and lifestyle, he and his wife and two daughters (at the time two and four years old) moved to Rancho Santana in Southern Nicaragua. Upon moving to Nicaragua, he opened a full service real estate company and is a Principle Partner in a boutique residential beach development in Southern Nicaragua.
In November of 2008 he joined Rancho Santana to lead their Sales Team.
After lunch, there’ll be a tour of the project. You’ll see some amazing developer properties, and some of Rancho Santana’s most exclusive hidden gems: owner resales.
You’ll also discover one of the community’s less-publicized attractions: The amazing people who already live there. As mentioned. Agora publishing giant Bill Bonner, founder of Opportunity Travel’s parent company, Agora Publishing, and owner at Rancho Santana. Not only will you be meeting him but he’ll probably join the tour of Rancho Santana.
Over 30 years ago, Bill founded Agora Inc. What began as a small publishing firm in Washington, DC, in 1979, is now a “mini-multinational,” organization with publishing offices in eight different countries on six different continents. Agora Inc. proudly employs over 1,000 people from all over the world.
With Addison Wiggin, Bill has written two New York Times best-selling books, Financial
Reckoning Day and Empire of Debt. Second editions of both books were re-released in 2009. Both works, which warned of the unsustainable economic trends, have been critically acclaimed and internationally distributed. He coauthored his third New York Times best-selling book, Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets, which offers concrete advice on how to avoid the public spectacle of modern finance. Bill has been a decade-long daily contributor and the driving force behind The Daily Reckoning, Agora’s flagship daily free e-letter that weaves information about the financial and political worlds, investing, and everyday life into an educational and entertaining format.
And Bill’s not the only Agora writer or publisher with a home at Rancho Santana. During your two-day stay there, you may well run into several of them. These are folks who are living the “writer’s life” in this tropical paradise. And sometime today you’ll be hearing from one of them about health care in Nicaragua.
The very dynamic Julia Guth is the founder of Investment U, the educational arm of The Oxford Club. Julia has been the Executive Director and Publisher for The Oxford Club for more than 20 years.
Julia will introduce you to her non-profit project Roberto Clemente-Santana Ana Health Clinic in Nicaragua. Since 2004, the clinic has provided free or low-cost health services to the local community. Services include emergency and primary care, low-cost dentistry and laboratory services, internal surgeries in certain trauma cases, and ambulance service to the nearest hospital when more advanced medical attention is needed.
In the lovely Rancho Santana setting, she’ll tell you what the clinic does and how it operates.
Most Rancho Santana homeowners do tend to be there in late November. Some may even turn up at the happy hour before the splendid dinner you’ll have on your first night there.
Hotel: Rancho Santana (B,L,D).
Wednesday, November 28—Day Six:
Wealth, Natural Resources and a History of the Emerald Coast
This will be the day you get the inside information that pulls together everything you’ve learned so far about Nicaragua and investing. This morning, you’ll have an exciting set of presentations, starting with the Bonner & Partners Family Office.
Bonner & Partners Family Office is an independent research advisory for families who want to preserve and grow wealth over the long term.
Its mission is simple: to share as much as possible about how the Bonner family is protecting its wealth and preparing the next generation to inherit that wealth.
The group is led by Bill Bonner. Bill is the founder and president of Agora Inc., the editor of the daily contrarian newsletter the Daily Reckoning and the author of three New York Times best-selling books on the financial crisis.
Working with him is his eldest son, Will Bonner, the Executive Director of the group. Will is leading his own family’s efforts to establish a lasting family office structure to meet the needs of the next generation of Bonners.
That will be followed by a presentation by Knut Anderson, of Swiss Metal Assets. He’ll describe SMA’s unique investment offerings—offers you may not be able to refuse.
Swiss Metal Assets offers investors physical possession of such rare strategic metals as—to name only a few—indium gallium, and bismuth. A world without these metals would be a world without cell phones, without computer chips, without iPods, without LCD monitors, without surgical lasers, and without jet engines. National Geographic magazine calls these metals “the secret ingredient of almost everything."
However, supplies of these elements are increasingly uncertain. China accounts for more than 90% of the supply of these metals. And in 2010, that country imposed drastic restrictions on their export quotas.
The outcome was predictable. Prices have risen dramatically. But it's not too late to capitalize on what could be the biggest natural resource crisis of the century. You can still diversify out of faltering paper currencies and physically own your own portfolio of rare strategic metals, the values of which have risen an average of 25% for the last three years.
With SMA, you can invest from $7,000 USD up in “baskets” of these metals, held in secure offshore locations. And the investments are completely IRS-compliant.
You’ll also hear about investing in agricultural land in Nicaragua. Your tour leader, Gail, will talk to you about the past, present, and future of Nicaragua’s gorgeous Emerald Coast. (The Emerald Coast is the 30-mile stretch of Pacific coastline running northwest from Nicaragua’s border with Costa Rica. It’s been called “one of Mother Nature’s best-kept secrets” and the “destination of the future.”)
After that fact-filled morning, the afternoon will be free to visit properties at Rancho or nearby. You can also elect just to use the leisure time to ride horseback, play tennis or golf, surf, sun, or hike, or relax in the clubhouse with a cocktail.
We will meet again for sunset cocktail and listen to a talk from Rick Rule, of Sprott Global Resource Investments, about how to make money with natural resources in a chaotic market.
Rick Rule has been active in natural resource investing for 35 years. He is a well-recognized expert in mining, energy, water, forest products, infrastructure, and agriculture. He founded Sprott Global Resource Investments, which provides investment advice and brokerage services to high net-worth individuals, institutional investors, and corporate entities worldwide. As general partner in the Exploration Capital Partner series of private placement partnerships, Mr. Rule has an exemplary track record of performance. Sprott Inc. is a public company, focused on investment management in the natural resources sector. The company manages or administers in excess of CAD $8,000,000,000 in resource and commodity assets, and has an admirable performance record. Sprott Inc. is a leading independent asset manager dedicated to achieving superior returns for its clients over the long term.
Finally, you’ll have one more Rancho Santana dinner. And by then you’ll know that part of the fun here is not knowing whom you may meet before the end of the day.
Hotel: Rancho Santana. (B, L, D)
Thursday, November 29—Day Seven:
A Spa Among the Treetops
Say farewell to Rancho Santana over breakfast this morning. Then you’ll head south to Aqua Wellness Resort and development. You’ll arrive for lunch and a tour of the resort. Learn about the opportunities here, in a tax-advantaged hotel program. Under Nicaragua’s Law 306, you can use the villa you purchase for up to 109 days per year, and the rest of the year get income from it as part of a hotel rental program.
One of the resort’s unique attractions is its commitment to “leading luxury sustainable development in Nicaragua.” In pursuit of that goal, it has, in its own words, “conceived, built, and operated our resort in close partnership with our local communities in Gigante and Tola, and in concert with nature.” It encourages its guests to connect to those communities both through visits, and through its foundation.
In other words, your investment in Aqua Wellness Resort is also an investment in the environment—and in the future.
In the afternoon, you’ll have a choice of using free time for any of the Aqua Wellness offerings—massage, body scrub, reflexology, etc,, or a yoga or raw food class. Or you could choose a sustainable development real estate tour, or a quick tour of nearby properties.
Hotel: Aqua Wellness Resort (B,L,D)
Friday, November 30—Day Eight:
Sustainable Farming on a Volcanic Island
On the morning of your last full day in Nicaragua, you’ll rise early and take a ferry on Lake Nicaragua, the largest lake in Central America.
You’ll sail to the middle of the lake and disembark on Ometope Island. There you’ll tour an off-grid farm and learn about sustainable organic agriculture.
Ben Slow, the British organic farmer, is “very excited” about showing you his little-known gem of a farm. He warns, however, that you must “wear trousers and closed-in shoes,” because “grass rash, seeds, stingy weeds will all attack unprotected feet” and legs!
For lunch that afternoon, you’ll have one more unexpected treat: an exotic lunch including curry at Ben’s small restaurant on the island.
Then it’s back over to mainland, and up to Granada for your Farewell Dinner before heading out tomorrow.
Located right off the main square of the historical colonial city of Granada, La Gran Francia where we will stay for the night is a splendid ancestral building whose existence historians argue dates back to the years immediately following the founding of Granada, in 1524. This architectural jewel was restored during the decade of the 1990's, recovering the majesty and splendor of its heyday and today housing Granada's finest hotel. La Gran Francia Colonial Boutique Hotel offers modern comforts and amenities, a pool, a restaurant, two bars, and a banquet hall,
Hotel: Gran Francia (B,L,D)
Saturday, December 1—Say Goodbye
Fly back to the U.S. Or choose to stay longer to revisit the areas you enjoyed the most or explore new ones.
Pricing and What's Included
Opportunity Travel
Discover Nicaragua’s Golden Opportunities
November 23 – December 1, 2012
Price per person, based on double occupancy:
Double Occupancy price Per-person: $2295
Not sharing room (single), per-person: $2745*
Early Bird Discount:
Save $100 per person when you reserve your place by September 30, 2012. That Early Bird discount is ON TOP OF any additional discounts you may be eligible for. But it's only good if you sign on by the end of September.
Additional Discounts:
Save $100 any time if you have traveled on a tour with us in the past.
To Reserve Your Place for this tour, we will need a $400 non-refundable deposit and full payment will be due by October 3,2012. Remember we only have 20 spots, so don’t delay.
Price for the Main Program Includes:
- 8 nights' accommodation, as outlined on the itinerary.
- Meals as starting Friday evening November 23rd and ending Friday evening November 30th.
- All transfers, sightseeing, and excursions.
- All currently applicable taxes.
- Mineral water on the coach and during the meals.
- Ferry transportation form/to Ometepe island.
- City tour Leon, city tour Granada and one day tour Ometepe with entrance fees.
- English-speaking local guide for sightseeing on days 3 (city Leon), day 4 (city Granada) and day 8 (Ometepe).
- Tips and gratuities to bellhops at the hotel and waiters during the meals.
- Meetings scheduled with experts on the ground.
- A member of our tour staff here at Opportunity Travel, who remains with the group for the full program.
Price Does Not Include:
- International Airfare (however, we can assist you in booking your flights.
- Travel Insurance. However, we have 2 travel insurance options for you at very reasonable rates (click here for more about the rates.)
- Meals other than those mentioned in the program.
- Personal expenses such as drinks, laundry, telephone calls, camera fees at monuments, or tips to local guides.
- Tourist card (US$10/Pers).
- English speaking tour guide during the trip
- Airport departure taxes (US$35.00/Pers if it is not included in the ticket rates).
- Additional activities with entrance fees.
- Beverages.
- Voluntary tips.
We Can Help You with Your Travel Arrangements:
We would be happy to help you book your add-on flights from your home and square you away with the necessary visas.
Simply ask us about these services when you reserve your place on this trip. You can reach us by phone at: 800-926-6575,
or e-mail us now at info@opportunity-travel.com.
Note on Single Price:
If you are traveling alone and wish to share a room with another participant, we will try to find a roommate for you, although we cannot guarantee a match. The single pricing is due when you register. If a roommate is available, we will issue you a credit for the difference.
RESERVATIONS: Full, non-refundable payment is
due when you register. We accept VISA, MC, AMEX, money orders, or
wire transfers. If you are paying by credit card, it will show up
on your bill as being paid to Opportunity Travel. Make money orders payable
to Opportunity Travel, 235 NE 4th Ave., Suite 102, Delray Beach, FL 33483.
AIRLINE TICKETS: Opportunity Travel will assist with
booking international airline tickets from your home gateway, just
ask when making your tour reservation.
CANCELLATION POLICY: This Opportunity Travel Life Adventure
to Nicaragua is completely non-refundable. If you cancel due to
medical reasons that are covered by your purchased travel-insurance
policy, we will advise the insurance company that your travel and
conference fees are non-refundable.
PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT: We strongly suggest you
protect your investment by purchasing trip-cancellation insurance,
and we would be happy to recommend a policy to you. Please ask us
about it.
CLICK HERE for our full TERMS AND CONDITIONS .
|
|
