Monumento Nacional Cañon de Somoto
Northern Highlands
The Coco (or Wangki), Central America’s longest river, runs all the way to the Caribbean, but its first impression may be its most spectacular. Gushing…
Getty Images/iStockphoto
Northern Highlands
Nicaragua's Northern Highlands are off the typical backpacker route through the country, but nobody with an interest in coffee, cigars and wonderful scenery should miss them. Here colorful quetzals nest in misty cloud forests, and Nicaragua’s best coffee and tobacco are cultivated with both capitalist zeal and collective spirit. With a little time and commitment you’ll get pounded by waterfalls; explore Somoto's canyon; and pay tribute to the pirates, colonists, revolutionaries, artists and poets who were inspired by these fertile mountains and mingled with the open-hearted people who’ve lived here for generations.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
Northern Highlands
A steep yet worthwhile hour’s hike from the cemetery and embedded in a boulder-crusted ridge is the town cross, originally placed here in 1703 by…
Estelí
Be sure to stop by this moving gallery devoted to fallen revolutionaries, with displays of faded photos, clothes and weaponry. Check out the exhibit (with…
Casa Museo Comandante Carlos Fonseca
Matagalpa
Commander Carlos Fonseca, the Sandinista equivalent of Malcolm X (read: bespectacled, goateed, intense, highly charismatic), grew up desperately poor in…
Reserva Natural Macizos de Peñas Blancas
Northern Highlands
What is possibly the most enchanting nature reserve in northern Nicaragua has the mossy, misty, life-altering cloud-forest scenery you’ve been waiting for…
Northern Highlands
If you’re looking for comfort with your virgin cloud forest experience, then Selva Negra – part family resort, part coffee farm and part rainforest…
Northern Highlands
Nicaragua's highest peak, Cerro Mogotón (2107m) towers over the coffee fields of Nueva Segovia, close to the Honduran border. Once off-limits due to land…
Templo Parroquial de San Rafael Arcángel
Northern Highlands
Beginning in 1955, the revered Father Odorico D’Andrea turned this antiquated cathedral into a labor of divine love. It’s impeccably restored, with a…
Guidebooks
Purchase our award-winning guidebooks
Get to the heart of Northern Highlands with one of our in-depth, award-winning guidebooks, covering maps, itineraries, and expert guidance.
