Must see attractions in Nicaragua

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

The hollow shell of Managua’s Old Cathedral remains Managua’s most poignant metaphor, shattered by the 1972 earthquake – and slowly undergoing restoration…

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…

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…

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…

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…

The excellent Museo Numismástico (Money Museum) documents the troubled history of the Nicaraguan economy through its coins and banknotes. Across the road,…

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…

Mystical stone statues rise like ancient totems in the courtyard entrance here. It houses the most important collection of stelae in the country, with…

Mancarrón's greatest human-made gift is Nuestra Señora de Solentiname, where populist priest Ernesto Cardenal ran a rather enlightened parish. Constructed…

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…

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…

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…

Anyone with even a passing interest in archaeology should stop in here, one of the finest museums in the country. The beautifully displayed collection…

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…