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Tourism in Nicaragua

In the last few years, the travel industry has been taking note of Nicaragua as the new “hot” travel destination. The country’s amazing topography makes it great for eco-tourism, the rich cultural history enriches any traveler’s understanding of the people of Central America, and the growing number of comfortable accommodations make it possible for those less inclined to “roughing it” to get to know this wonderful country.

Our staff in Nicaragua can make recommendations for sites to visit and appropriate accommodations for your budget. However, here are a few things you might want to check out.

Colonial Cities
Granada in the south and Leon in the northwest are in a contest to see which can be the most welcoming of Nicaragua’s major colonial towns. The rivalry between their two soccer teams is pretty heated as well! Both cities provide ample opportunities to visit colonial churches, stay in traditional hacienda type hotels, stroll through cobblestone streets, and get a sense of what Nicaragua was like in the 17th Century and even earlier.

Volcanoes
Nicaragua is part of the Pacific’s “Ring of Fire” and boasts 25 volcanoes, many of which are active.

The most easily visited is Masaya which lies right off the Masaya highway that connects Managua and Granada. Still active, this caldera type volcano is continuously spurting steam. Standing on the edge of the crater is a truly memorable experience.

The town of Catarina, also on the way to Granada from Managua, sits on the rim of the Apoyo crater. The town has a “mirador” or outdoor restaurant with a view over Lake Apoyo, which lies below. Apoyo is home to a nature reserve and opportunities aquatic sports and great diving. A few small hotels dot the edge of the lake if you’d like to stay overnight.

Beaches
Beautiful beaches lie on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The Pacific beaches are more easily accessible however, especially those in the south near the Costa Rican border. The most popular beach town in this area is San Juan del Sur, a funky surfer’s town that has not yet been overrun with major tourist developments. Yet, there are accommodations ranging from down-home rustic to ultra luxury.

Lake Nicaragua
The second largest lake in the Southern Americas, Lake Nicaragua offers boat tours around the Isletas near Granada. Many of the Isletas are small privately owned and accessible only by boat.  They are the sites of some incredible homes owned by Nicaragua’s highest elite and foreign investors. The lake contains fish usually associated with saltwater, including tuna and sharks, which have adapted to freshwater. Some scientists believe that the sharks actually travel up and down the San Juan River, from the Atlantic Ocean, making their home in both the salt and fresh bodies of water.

Coffee Country
The north central part of Nicaragua is a mountainous region where most of the country’s coffee is produced. Coffee is Nicaragua’s primary export product, and is grown in the lush mountains of the provinces of Matagalpa and Jinotega. There are several new initiatives in tourism in the coffee growing regions, including mountain hotels and ecological reserves. The region receives several months of rainfall each year, creating a climate much cooler and fresher than that of the Pacific seaboard. The mountains of Matagalpa and Jinotega are also host to an extraordinary variety of flora and fauna, much of which can be observed on the extensive networks of hiking and walking trails.

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