San Juan Del Sur
The town's pretty peach-and-white church pays homage to San Juan Bautista.
Must-see attractions in Nicaragua
Reserva Natural Delta del Estero Real
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
There’s no tourist infrastructure at all for this enormous reserve, about 20km – two hours by bus by bumpy road – north of Chinandega in the desperately…
Caribbean Coast
This tiny and rocky barbell-shaped island 15km southeast of Bluefields is the de facto capital of the Rama nation. Dotted with coconut and banana palms…
Caribbean Coast
Most visitors to Cuapa come with the purpose of making a pilgrimage to this porcelain statue holding flowers in her hands, located at the entrance to town…
The Río San Juan & Islas Solentiname
San Juan de Nicaragua’s traditional tourist attraction is the swampy remains of Greytown, a short boat ride (up to four people US$80 to US$100, three to…
Caribbean Coast
This privately managed, 284-hectare wildlife reserve near the village of Kukra Hill has tracts of both mangroves and jungle, and offers a variety of…
Parque Arqueológico Piedras Pintadas
Caribbean Coast
Here you'll find hundreds of petroglyphs carved into the mossy boulders, including deer, snakes, turtles, crocodiles and spirals, set among rolling green…
Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Candelaria
Masaya & Los Pueblos Blancos
This canary-yellow church – the perfect centerpiece for this witchy town – has rather Gothic stone walls and an extra-interesting collection of saints. It…
Northern Highlands
The lowest settlement in Miraflor, Coyolito is also the warmest and closest to Estelí. It offers magnificent views, especially from the Mirador La Meseta,…
The Río San Juan & Islas Solentiname
Nestled on the Río Frío, roughly halfway between San Carlos and Los Chiles, is this private 50 sq km humid tropical forest reserve. Expect to see hundreds…
Northern Highlands
Climb the steep staircase that disappears into the trees at the northern end of town to find the final resting place of Father Odorico D'Andrea, set at…
Northern Highlands
This friendly community is surrounded by coffee farms managed by three working cooperatives. Sontule families once worked for just four prominent…
Southwestern Nicaragua
The most striking church in town has been repainted a brilliant purple with a mix that uses huevos de amor (fertilized chicken eggs) donated by…
Caribbean Coast
Across the bay, the port of El Bluff is nestled at the point of a long sliver of land where the Caribbean Sea rushes into Bahía de Bluefields. There is…
Reserva Natural Tepesomoto-Pataste
Northern Highlands
Somoto's 'other' natural reserve, around 15km to the southwest of town, is rarely visited but has a hiking trail and is a popular spot for horseback…
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
The Parque Central is downright audacious, a concrete confection of fountains and turtles with a very Jetsons-esque clock tower and a small locomotive…
Reserva Hídrica Municipal La Chorrera
Caribbean Coast
A community-run nature reserve designed to protect the town's water supplies, this innovative project has a number of hikes marked out, including the four…
Northern Highlands
Two blocks east of the Parque Central you’ll find the town’s primary roadside attraction, where Nicaragua's most famous writer Rubén Darío was born…
Matagalpa
This absorbing museum features large, glossy, printed displays in Spanish and English on the roots of modern coffee production in the region, as well as…
Museo Precolombino de Chagüitillo
Northern Highlands
This worthwhile little museum has two rooms of Chorotegan pottery and an exhibit on local hero Domingo Sánchez Salgado (aka Chagüitillo), one of the…
Isla de Ometepe
The village's main attraction is this museum packed with information (in Spanish) about the island. (Though you’ll find a much more comprehensive…
Northern Highlands
Surrounded by forest, this impressive 15m waterfall a short walk from the highway fills a large deep swimming hole. When it's quiet it's absolutely lovely…
León
Well signed 1½ blocks away from San Juan Bautista, this church was (according to local legend) cursed by duendes (fairies), and by the looks of it the…
Managua
This was rebuilt during the Alemán years with the help of the Taiwanese government, and is now home to the controversial Consejos de Poder Ciudadano (CPCs…
Northern Highlands
The beauty of Jinotega’s cathedral (c 1805) is in the sanctuary, where you’ll marvel at the chestnut and gold-leaf altar, and pristine white arches and…
Managua
A couple of blocks from Barrio Bolonia’s concrete jungle, this surprisingly pretty park is a little slice of suburbia, with kids' riding bikes, a…
Northern Highlands
A fine place to immerse yourself in the collective-farming world of Miraflor, this small village is in the high zone, which means there are hundreds of…
Museo y Galería de Héroes y Mártires
Masaya & Los Pueblos Blancos
Inside the alcaldía (mayor’s office), this museum honors Masayans who gave their lives during the revolution. There are walls of photos and interesting…
Caribbean Coast
Around 10km from Boaco, this archaeological site is only just beginning to be investigated and features a number of petroglyphs in stones scattered around…
León
A few blocks west of the Iglesia Santiago are the ruins of this 16th-century church destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 1835. It remains a spiritual…
Northern Highlands
Just outside Jalapa you'll find Cerro de Jesús (1885m), the largest mountain in the area. It is dominated by the Jesus Mountain coffee plantation, which…
Northern Highlands
Best known locally as the birthplace of poet and revolutionary hero Leonel Rugama (to whom there is a small monument here), this small village has some…
Northern Highlands
There are not many activities for visitors in this village, but it has some fine homestay options and it's only a 30-minute walk from Cebollal. It's also…
Masaya & Los Pueblos Blancos
Seven blocks west of the Parque Central is an inspiring view in a region famed for them: across Laguna de Masaya to the smoking Santiago crater. The…
Managua
This cultural center that formally served the English-speaking volunteer community, has been taken over by the Jubilee House Community and turned into a…
Matagalpa
Graveyard fans should check out both the Foreigners Cemetery (and nearby National Cemetery) on the eastern edge of town, where you'll find great views and…
León
For a truly comprehensive collection of creepy crawlies, butterflies, scorpions and other critters from all over Central America, drop into this private…
The Río San Juan & Islas Solentiname
Avid birders won’t want to miss tiny Islas Zapote and Zapotillo, which feature Nicaragua’s highest concentration of birds, most famously flocks of roseate…
Caribbean Coast
Spilling out from a dank warehouse perched on a public pier, the local market is packed with small stands displaying pineapple, banana, citrus and casaba…
León
An early 20th-century landmark, the Casa del Obrero (House of the Worker) honors Nicaraguan laborers. The building became a historical symbol on September…
