Activities in Nicaragua
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Arena Caliente
Everyone loves this locally owned and operated shop, which rents boards and arranges inexpensive group transportation to the best breaks. It also offers budget surf packages where prices vary depending on your choice in lodging (or camping) and other options.
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Cecocafen
Like the Ruta de Café without the luxurious haciendas, this community-based initiative for small-scale, sustainable tourism arranges visits and homestays in small coffee-producing villages. Cecocafen, three blocks east and one block south of the Museo de Café, not only arranges tours, but also supports women's groups and builds schools while it promotes Fair Trade coffee.
Although it can work with individuals, Cecocafen is set up for large groups, who usually contact them well ahead of time about visiting communally operated coffee producers, who work small family plots (averaging only five manzanas), such as Cooperative El Roblar, a women's organic coffee and…
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Los Agüizotes
Los Agüizotes is an important celebration, featuring spirits of the dead and characters from indigenous horror stories (many originating during the Spanish conquest). The Headless Priest and La Carreta Nagua (Chariot of Death) are used throughout the year to scare children into better behavior, but on the last Friday in October make their way through the streets of Monimbó and Masaya.
Costumes are prepared the night before in a ceremony called La Vela de Candil (Vigil of the Candle). They are placed on a table with a large candle in the middle, and those watching over it throughout the night keep themselves awake with fireworks, live music, alcohol and dancing, after…
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Reserva Natural Cerro Apante
This must be among the easiest-to-access reserves in Nicaragua, with walking access (for hearty souls) right from town. Or, you could even hitch most of the way to the top of the cool, misty 1442m peak on the access road.
Either Intur or Marena may be able to find guides, if you'd prefer, and Matagalpa Tours offers Guided Hikes (Reserva Natural Cerro Apante) to the top.
There are two other entrances to different sectors of the park; one is just north of town on the road to El Tuma, the other on the road to Guadalupe-Samulali, off the Matagalpa-Muy Muy road.
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Matagalpa Tours
Matagalpa Tours does rural community tourism, and takes you to tiny towns (perhaps on mountain bikes?), such as the indigenous community of El Chile, known for its beautiful fabric arts. Among other offerings, it arranges one- to six-day guided hikes through the mountains; gold-mine tours and a Matagalpa City Tour; it has English- or Dutch-speaking guides, too. Spanish lessons are also offered.
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Va Pues Tours
In addition to volcano tours and Reserva Natural Isla Juan Venado, this tour operator, at CocinArte, offers city tours of León and treks to León Viejo and Matagalpa; it can also organize sunset barbecue parties at Poneloya, returning via El Pelón, the open-air disco bus.
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Da Flying Frog
This canopy tour has 17 platforms and 2.5km of cables, making it one of the biggest zip-lines in the country. The horseback ride up includes a peek at one of the more impressive petroglyphs in the area.
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Ananda Yoga
Yoga classes are offered at the Yoga Y Licuaudos Ananda health-food restaurant next to the Casa de Cultura.
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Fundeso
Fundeso arranges guided trips to Reserva Natural Cerro Silva and indigenous communities around Laguna de Perlas. Take a taxi to Barrio New York to find this small white house. Guides and lodging (in ridiculously tiny bamboo cabins) are organized for Orinoco and Kakabila, a beautiful little community just across a sandy inlet from the town of Laguna de Perlas. Fundeso can also find guides for climbing 635m Cerro Silva, about the only way into the natural reserve.
Collective boats leave El Bluff to points north twice weekly, stopping in Tasbapauni, a kilometer-wide strip of sand with one hospedaje and beaches on either side; Sandy Bay Sirpi, a Miskito-speaking community…
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Hiking
Hiking maps with precise instructions (after going under the barbed-wire fence, take the small path to the left of the big bend in the stream…) are sold by Centro Girasol Café.
Routes include: Ruta Cerro El Toro (3-6 hrs - See the bullshaped rock and wonderful city views); Ruta de Cafe (3-7 hrs - Climb up into the organic coffee farms in the mountains around town); Ruta de la Guerra 1978 (1½-5 hrs - When Matagalpans fled the city in 1978, they hid at Cerro Buena Vista and Cerro Apante, there are fine views); Ruta de la Guerra 1979 (1½-4 hrs - The National Guard later retreated to scenic Cerro El Calvario, along paths now lined with pottery studios and forests); Ruta…
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Quetzaltrekkers
This outstanding operator offers recommended climbing tours of the area's volcanoes, including public transportation, big meals and camping. Try Volcán Momotombo, Volcán Telica, Volcán Cosigüina, and a two-day Cerro Negro tour that takes in El Hoyo and Laguna de Asososca. There's also a monthly full moon climb. There's usually a two- or three-person minimum, but solo travelers can check its offices or Vía Vía or www.viaviacafe.com to see what's coming up.
All profits go to Las Tias, a charity that helps problem kids learn to build their own lives; volunteers are very welcome.
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Empresa Nica Cigars
Cigar tours are worth doing as Estelí produces some of the world's finest tobaccos. Most of the seeds are original Cuban stock, as are many of the curing and rolling techniques you're able to see firsthand. Tobacco is harvested March through April and porros (cigars) are rolled all year long. In general, you should make arrangements to visit a cigar factory at least 48 hours in advance; guides are always your best bet. Empresa Nica Cigars can arrange tours.
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Sampson Expeditions
Headquartered at Hostel Calle de los Poetas, Rigo Sampson speaks fluent English and offers personalized and athletic tours of volcanoes and kayaking in Reserva Natural Isla Juan Venado. He also offers oddball trips, including a three-week 'Footprints of William Walker' tour, and can also arrange visits to Las Minas and Bosawás.
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Horse-drawn Carriage Tours
The classic Granada tour takes a horse-drawn carriage from the park for an hour-long whirl past churches, the cemetery, the malecón (waterfront) and more with your Spanish-speaking guide. These guys know how to give a tour, too: this has been a family business since 1868, when carriages were first introduced here and in Masaya.
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Tourist Train
If you're here between Thursday and Sunday, consider taking the cute little tourist train from Hotel Madera's Inn on a guided tour of Masaya. Highlights include the malecón (waterfront), Iglesia de San Jerónimo and the old 1926 train station (Av Zelaya), which unfortunately remains closed to the public.
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Mountain Bike Hire
Both Hospedaje Elizabeth and Hotel Colonial have Mountain Bike Hire, which are perfect for the dirt roads heading to the northern and southern beaches. You can take your bike on buses that run between SJDS and El Ostional, as well as the little river ferry at the northern end of the SJDS beach.
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León Spanish School of Nicaragua
This school was in a temporary facility at the time of research, so call ahead. Instruction is professional, materials are available, there are lots of field trips, cultural activities and volunteer opportunities. Your weekly fee includes homestay and three meals daily. It also rents bicycles.
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Beisball Nica
Estadio Denis Martínez is the national baseball stadium, and is absolutely packed between mid-November and early April, when Nicaragua's seven professional teams, including the Managua Bóers, go for the national championships. Get stats, schedules and more at Beisball Nica's website.
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Knowing Nicaragua
Leónese operator Flavio Parajón offers tours to all places covered by other operators, plus Casitas, San Cristóbal, Laguna de Asososca and kayak tours of Reserva Natural Isla Juan Venado. Ask about surfing tours. Another email address to get him on is Lenin_obando@yahoo.com
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Servitour Monimbó
Most people organize tours from Granada, but there is one homegrown Masaya outfit, Servitour Monimbó. It offers inexpensive tours of local crafts workshops, as well as trips to Aguas Clara hot springs and Reserva Natural El Chocoyero-El Brujo. Most trips are geared toward larger groups.
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Old Lighthouse Hike
Unfortunately, the popular Old Lighthouse Hike crosses land tied up in a property battle, which means you are currently forbidden to take the obvious trail that begins up at the fishing port, continuing uphill every time it forks, to the spectacular views all the way to Costa Rica.
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Casa de Cultura Leonel Rugama Rugama
Next to El Museo Archeologica this culture center offers a variety of dance, cooking and music classes, as well as evenings of live music and other activities. It holds the peña cultural which is an evening of folkloric dance performed by its students and other activities.
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Horse-drawn Carriage
One of the best ways to see the town is in a horse-drawn carriage. Skinny horses may dissuade some would-be riders, but note that Granada's burgeoning tourist industry (ie horrified, complaining tourists) has inspired some serious equine weight-gain.
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Mosaics Workshops
Janet Gallagher at Cafe DecArte regularly offers classes; the fee includes all your materials, which will (hopefully) become a beautiful bowl; she also teaches local kids as part of the Muchachos de Mosaico program, and you can buy their work here.
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Maycor José García - Spanish Teacher
There are loads of freelance Spanish teachers, most with experience at one of the language schools, who will come to your hotel, and may be able to arrange homestays. Check bulletin boards in backpacker hotels, or try Maycor José García.
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