Voyages of rediscovery

Once marred by violence, four beautiful countries want you back.

NEW YORK (MONEY Magazine) - Libya. Rwanda. Croatia. Nicaragua. We expect to see these names on the evening news, not travel brochures.

A war or another well-publicized horror can keep tourists away for generations, but these countries have quietly recovered from past troubles with their beauty intact and their history well preserved. Tourists have yet to return in force, so crowds are down and prices are low.

Travelers who want the familiarity of, say, St. Thomas or the guidebook-friendly ease of Paris won't consider these to be dream destinations -- you trade the comforts of a well-established tourism network for real adventure.

But each offers an experience that you can't find anywhere else. So don't cross these countries off your list because of what you think you'll find there. You could miss not only a good deal but a vacation unlike any you, or anyone you know, has ever taken.

You say Nicaragua, I think Sandinistas.
Nicaragua's civil war ended 15 years ago. The infrastructure has been rebuilt, and several top resorts have opened.

I hear it's like Costa Rica 20 years ago. Is that good?
Yes. Nicaragua shares Costa Rica's natural beauty, from volcanoes to cloud forests, but it's less crowded than its trendy neighbor.

What can I do there?
Sit on the edge of the crater, hike a rain forest, mountain bike down a volcano, kayak across Lake Nicaragua, and surf some of the best waves in Central America with no photo-snapping tourists to elbow aside.

The way to go
Last October the luxury ecolodge Lapa Rios in Costa Rica opened Morgan's Rock Hacienda in Nicaragua. A four-night package including multicourse meals, local drinks, a nature walk and volcano tour is $800 per person May through October.

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