Masaya & Los Pueblos Blancos
Described by the Spaniards as the gates of hell, the craters that comprise Volcán Masaya National Park are the most easily accessible active volcanoes in…
Must-see attractions in Nicaragua
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…
Reserva Natural Volcán Mombacho
Nicaragua
It’s been a few decades since this 1345m volcano, the defining feature of the Granada skyline, has acted up, but it is still most certainly active and…
Convento y Museo San Francisco
Granada
One of the oldest churches in Central America, Convento San Francisco boasts a robin's egg–blue birthday-cake facade and houses both an important convent…
Museo Arqueológico Huellas de Acahualinca
Managua
Discovered by miners in 1874, these fossilized tracks record the passage of perhaps 10 people – men, women and children – as well as birds, raccoons, deer…
León
Three blocks north of the cathedral, the 1786 Iglesia de la Recolección is considered the city’s most beautiful church, a Mexican-style baroque confection…
Managua
The hollow shell of Managua’s Old Cathedral remains Managua’s most poignant metaphor, shattered by the 1972 earthquake – and slowly undergoing restoration…
Reserva Natural Isla Juan Venado
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
This 20km-long, sandy barrier island (in some places only 300m wide) has swimming holes and lots of wildlife, including hundreds of migrating bird species…
Isla de Ometepe
Climbing this 1394m volcano is challenging but worthwhile. Guides are required for the seven- to eight-hour round-trip trek (with four to five hours of…
Isla de Ometepe
This massive (and active) volcano is an Ometepe landmark. The seven- to 10-hour hike up loose volcanic stone to the summit of this looming peak can be…
Museo de Arte Fundación Ortiz-Gurdián
León
Probably the finest museum of contemporary art in all of Central America, the Ortiz-Gurdián Collection has spilled over from its original home in Casa Don…
Isla de Ometepe
The excellent Museo Numismástico (Money Museum) documents the troubled history of the Nicaraguan economy through its coins and banknotes. Across the road,…
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
Flor de Caña rum is among the world's finest and it has been produced in Chichigalpa since the distillery's founding in 1890. Visitors are initiated into…
Museo Arqueológico Gregorio Aguilar Barea
Caribbean Coast
Mystical stone statues rise like ancient totems in the courtyard entrance here. It houses the most important collection of stelae in the country, with…
The Río San Juan & Islas Solentiname
Mancarrón's greatest human-made gift is Nuestra Señora de Solentiname, where populist priest Ernesto Cardenal ran a rather enlightened parish. Constructed…
Museo Histórico de la Revolución
León
León is the heart and soul of liberal Nicaragua. Stop into this museum for an overview of the Nicaraguan revolutionaries who stood up against the Somoza…
Corn Islands
This stunner of a beach arcs from a pile-up of local fishing pangas and lobster traps to a wild, jungle-covered headland at its far end. If you’re looking…
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…
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
Anyone with even a passing interest in archaeology should stop in here, one of the finest museums in the country. The beautifully displayed collection…
Caribbean Coast
Don’t miss Dr Dionisio Melgara Brown’s museum, a 10-minute walk along dirt roads curving away from the river. Brown, a retired teacher, built this museum…
Granada
Granada's new chocolate museum is excellent if you're traveling with children: the 'beans to bar' chocolate workshop, where participants learn to roast…
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…
Caribbean Coast
This excellent social project is run by two English-speaking activists, Greta and Yesi, whose small arts center displays painting, handicrafts, clothing…
Museo Histórico Cultural de la Costa Caribe
Caribbean Coast
Learn about the Caribbean region's diverse cultures with a visit to this fascinating museum, which contains an interesting mix of historical items from…
The Río San Juan & Islas Solentiname
The second-largest tract of intact primary forest in the country, the Reserva Biológica Indio-Maíz is a vast wilderness and a hugely important rainforest…
León
Officially known as the Basílica de la Asunción, León’s cathedral is the largest in Central America, its expansive design famously (and perhaps…
Museo de Leyendas y Tradiciones
León
León’s most entertaining and eclectic museum is housed in La XXI (the 21st Garrison), decorated with murals graphically depicting methods the Guardia…
Granada
Perhaps the most beautiful church in the city, this landmark was built in 1534. Most come here for the spectacular views from the bell tower – especially…
Reserva Natural Volcán Momotombo
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
The perfect cone of Volcán Momotombo, destroyer of León Viejo and inspiration for its own Rubén Darío poem, rises red and black 1280m above Lago de…
Reserva Natural Chocoyero-El Brujo
Nicaragua
This 184-hectare natural reserve, 30km outside Managua, is a small wilderness enclave within easy reach of the capital. Imagine: a hardwood forest, dense…
Refugio de Vida Silvestre Río Escalante-Chacocente
Southwestern Nicaragua
The main event at this remote wildlife refuge is the mass arrival of female turtles (at intervals between July and December), who crawl up onto the sandy…
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
Most people come to this reserve to see the volcano Cerro Negro (726m and growing), one of the youngest volcanoes in the world. Almost every guide in León…
Reserva Natural San Cristóbal-La Casita
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
Eye-catching Volcán San Cristóbal (1745m), the tallest volcano in Nicaragua, streams gray smoke from its smooth cone. Achieving the summit of this beauty…
Iglesia de San Juan Bautista de Sutiaba
León
The Subtiaba neighborhood is centered on this church, located about 1km west of the León cathedral. It’s better known as ‘Catedral Subtiaba,’ and is the…
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…
Isla de Ometepe
This stunning 40m waterfall is one of the jewels of the island. The 3.7km trail begins at the Estación Biológica de Ometepe. You can drive 2.2km up to the…
Unión de Pintores y Artesanos de Solentiname ‘Elvis Chavarría’
The Río San Juan & Islas Solentiname
Set in an old mahogany house uphill from the sheltered dock, this cooperative features the work of about 50 of the islands’ top artists and artisans…
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
Buried and lost for over 300 years, this was Nicaragua’s first capital – a rough-and-ready settlement that some say was doomed from the start. Founded in…
Caribbean Coast
This remarkable expanse of protected wilderness is Nicaragua's biggest biosphere reserve, and makes up more than 14% of Nicaragua’s national territory. It…
