Greetings and a Happy New Year to all my Travel Friends!
“Nicaragua??? What is he thinking? Why go to Nicaragua??” is the thought that is probably running through most of your minds at this point! I don’t suppose the standard, “Because it’s there!” will suffice to entice you join me for a trip to this unusual destination. So let me give you some good reasons to visit Nicaragua.
I just returned from an “Adventure Trip” to Nicaragua sponsored by REI, the outfitting company. I chose to go there simply because it was a warm place to visit in early Dec. I had no great expectations and was pleasantly surprised. I found the country to be quite interesting, the food incredibly good, the activities enjoyable, and Gerald Duran, our guide, very knowledgable, helpful, and comfortably fluent in English. The idea of returning with a group of my friends kept recurring to me as we traveled and I found myself evaluating the various activities we participated in and considering how we could improve the experience for one of my group trips. Since my return, I’ve been communicating with Gerald and we’ve put together a tentative trip that I think could be both relaxing and fun. This is preliminary invitation to see if there is enough interest to proceed with more detailed planning and pricing.
I see this trip NOT as one of my usual active hiking trips, but more as a voyage of adventure exploring nature and the culture of Nicargua, while providing plenty of opportunities to relax in the sun. There will (of course!) be some hikes, but the longest is 4 hours and all of them are optional. I’ve taken the best of the REI trip, changed a few things, and made an effort to add more cutural activities and free time. Here is the tentative itinerary Gerald and I have come up with, recognizing that we’ve included a lot. I say tentative because it is all subject to change as I hear back from you in terms of what YOU would like to see and do. The timing of the trip is uncertain. Right now I am thinking Jan or Feb. of ‘09–a chance to get away to a lovely warm country in the middle of our winter. We won’t price the trip until we know there is sufficient interest to proceed, but I can almost guarantee the cost will be less than half what a comparable trip to Europe would cost - this is one of the few places where the dollar still has some value!
Tentative Itinerary and Activities
Day 1 - arrive Managua airport. Gerald and our bus will meet us and we head north to Leon, an old university town in the heart of volcano country, and a traditional hotbed of radical thought. Along the way we’ll stop at a local restuarant to watch the cooking of quesillos (a delicious concoction of tortillas, cheese, and onions) and then sample them. We’ll enjoy a walking tour of Leon, including stops at an art museum, several colorful wall murals, and The Fortress, which was a jail and torture chamber during the Somoza era, and now a place celebrating Nicaraguan myths and legends.
Day 2 - begins with a bumpy jeep ride to Cerro Negro, a recently active volcano. A 45 minute hike brings us to the summit of the crater looking down on the steaming caldera. The voyage down takes about 5 minutes–skiing/skating/sliding down the volcanic scree. Whee!!! We then head an hour west to the Pacific coast for an afternoon relaxing on the beach. Dinner that night is at a beach side restaurant renowned for its grilled fish. Back to Leon for the night.
Day 3 - takes us up into the highlands, with stops at bubbling mud pots and views of the Maribio chain of volcanoes. We’ll visit Jinotega, where there is a coffee co-op, 60% of whose owners are women farmers, and learn about the coffee making process. The afternoon can be spent taking short hikes or just wandering around the grounds of Hotel Selva Negra, a renowned ecologically sensitive resort where we will stay for two nights. Got to its website for more info - www.selvanegra.com/en/Home-Resort.html.
Day 4 - Activities at Selva Negra. There are numerous short hikes in the forest, horses for rent, coffee and flower farming, and good relaxation. Over 200 species of birds have been spotted there, so bring your binocs!
Day 5 - starts with a several hour drive to Masaya Volcano National Park, the oldest national park in Nicaragua and the most visited tourist site in the country. There is an excellent visitor center and the opportunity to walk in the area of a massive steaming crater. For those so inclined we can go underground into a lava tube cave with a few resident bats. Then drive on to Granada, the oldest colonial city in the continent, where we will spend three nights at the lovely Colonial Hotel, right off the main plaza. (www.nicaragua-vacations.com)
Day 6 - begins with a watery adventure–kayaking among small islands along the shore of Lake Nicaragua, the second largest lake in Latin America. We’ll see birds, flowers, and a lot of verdant growth as we meander along narrow canals, before reaching an old fortress. In the afternoon we’ll have a walking tour of Granada and free time to wander the town, splash in the two pools at the hotel, or visit the lake side entertainment area.
Day 7 - is spent on Mombacho volcano which looms over the town of Granada. In the morning we will take an (optional!) zip line canopy tour in the cloud forest near the top of the mountain. After lunch and a siesta, those seeking more activity can take the 4 hour Puma trail at the top of the mountain and those not so inclined can return to the peace and quiet of the hotel pools.
Day 8 - begins with a bumpy bus ride to San Jorge and smooth ferry ride to Omotope, a twin volcanoed island in Lake Nicaragua where we spend the next two nights. The afternoon could include a horseback or bike ride to the “Eye of Water” a spring fed swimming hole. It might also include an hour long nature walk at the Green Lagoon (Charco Verde), or simply relaxing at the beach.
Day 9 - drive to the base of the Maderas Volcano and an easy 3 hour round trip hike up the side of the mountain to the 180 ft. San Ramon waterfall. Afternoon free to lounge on the beach.
Day 10 - an early start gets us to the ferry and then a several hour drive to San Juan del Sur, the Pacific coastal town where we’ll spend the next several nights at the Pelican Eyes resort, described by a guidebook as, “one of the most gorgeous and creative upscale accommodations in the country.” (See www.piedrasyolas.com). Satieted by lunch in their gourmet restaurant, the afternoon is free to enjoy their three pools, or sunbathe at the sweeping half-moon beach. Dinner is at a beachside restuarant featuring delicious grilled shrimp and lobster.
Day 11 - features an all day sailing trip in the Pelican Eyes yacht to an isolated beach where we enjoy a barbecue of fish (if we catch any on the way there) or chicken (if we don’t!). We’ll be back at the hotel in time to catch the Pacific sunset and enjoy another gourmet meal at their poolside restaurant.
Day 12 - starts the return to Managua. One stop along the way is at a pottery where we watch the potters at work and can purchase their wares. Then comes lunch at a restaurant with a marvelous view over Grenada, the lake coast, and the Masaya volcano, followed by a swim in the crater lake, Laguna de Apoyo, described by the guidebook as “Nicaragua’s cleanest, bluest, and deepest swimming hole.” An hour at the Masaya craft market will give us an opportunity to stock up on local wares before we check in at our hotel. Our farewell dinner is at a local restaurant featuring a feast of native food, accompanied by a troupe performing traditional dances.
Day 13 - Airport to home.
I’ve put together a fairly long and relaxed trip. I suspect it is a bit too long for most of you and we’ll need to cut out some days or combine activities, but I don’t want to do that until I hear back from those interested and then work together to reduce the number of days, if that’s what we decide to do.
That’s the plan. Who would like to enjoy Nicaragua with me???
Larry
P.S. Here is some additional information about Nicaragua, for those interested. It is a poor country, devastated by years of civil war and natural disasters. The Somoza years from 1937-79 subjugated the country to decades of corrupt, cruel dictatorships. That era ended with a civil war won by the Sandinistas who promptly alienated Reagan by turning to Russia and Cuba for support, resulting the the Contras debacle. That ugly civil war collapsed with a peace agreement and an elected president, Violeta Chamorro, whose 5 year term marked a high point in Nicaraguan politics with reconciliation, development of democratic processes, and foreign investment. Unfortunately the next president proved corrupt and political gridlock ensued. Recent fair elections, though, have returned the Sandinista party and their leader, Daniel Ortega, to power and he has promised a much less radical approach to government. As if all that political turmoil was not enough, the country was pummeled by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, a category 5 hurricane considered the strongest storm in recorded weather history. Crops were ruined and almost all the bridges on the Pan-American highway, the main artery of the country, were washed out. But the Nicaraguans are a proud and tencious people. They are coming back. Shade grown, ecologically correct coffee is becoming a major export crop. Textile factories are being built, and a nascent tourist industry is developing.
Many times we heard or read the phrase, “The next Costa Rica”. It may be–but it is 20-30 years away–which to me is a huge plus! Sightings of other tourists were relatively infrequent. Adventurous backpackers have been visiting for years, but the kind of mass tourism “enjoyed” by Costa Rica is decades away. Natives were reserved, but friendly. I didn’t sense any resentment of the rich foreigner gawking at their lives. We weren’t hassled by youth pressing their “services’ on us or kids asking for candy. The country is very much the way it is–not a place designed to attract the tourist. One downside is that the roads are bad. Many are not paved and those that are tend to sport a bumper crop of potholes. There are relatively few tourist quality hotels and restaurants–but Gerald knew them all!! And they are incredibly inexpensive. The hotels we stayed in cost 30-50% of what a comparable quality place would cost in the US and excellent meals went for $6-8. In short, it is a country just beginning to develop its potential as a tourist destination, which means no crowds, fewer options, a welcoming people, and amazingly low cost.