Top things to do

Mancarrón's greatest human-made gift is Nuestra Señora de Solentiname, where populist priest Ernesto Cardenal ran a rather enlightened parish. Constructed by the community in 1979, it features a beautiful whitewashe…

Just about the only full service restaurant in town, this attractively set place has old wooden floors, beamed ceilings and pleasant lake views. The extensive menu includes some excellent tender beef dishes and fish…

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 ecosystem with incredible biodiversity. While much of the res…

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. Affordable balsa sculptures are in one room, and higher-end paint…

Properly known as La Fortaleza de la Limpia Pura e Inmaculada Concepción, this photogenic fortress was constructed between 1673 and 1675, commissioned after Granada was sacked three times in five years. The Raudal E…

Administered by the Fundacíon del Rio in San Carlos, this 90-hectare property borders Reserva Biológica Indio-Maíz, and offers a peek at the region’s very big trees, very small frogs, beautiful rivers and wealth of …

The San Miguelio wetlands contain a handful of rivers, including the gorgeous Río Piedra, a glassy slice of black water framed by a dense tangle of jungle. Trees, hip-deep in water and sprouting with orchids and bro…

The highest concentration of craft workshops on the islands are just inland from the dock in Comunidad El Mancarrón (also called El Refugio). Feel free to wander and watch as families carve balsa-wood figures in the…

This fun open-air cafe enjoys a gorgeous location overlooking a creek and surrounded by jungle, and has for years been a traveler's favorite, offering mainly pasta dishes with plenty of vegetarian choice. Tragically…

There's not much left of the town's fortress, which dates from 1724, but it enjoys some impressive Lake Nicaragua and Río San Juan views from several lookout points linked by garden trails. The cultural center insid…