The inland of Nicaragua

Situated in the lake of Nicaragua you will find the island of Ometepe. This island is formed by two volcanoes, one of which is still active. The active volcano Concepció, with its 1610 meters altitude, is the highest of the two volcanoes. Here you will find a dry tropical climate and the soil is quite poor, which makes it very warm and dry if you want to climb here. The other volcano is the Maderas, covered with humid tropical rainforest. If you want to climb this volcano, you will probably hear and see howler monkeys.

In the town of Altagracia it is recommended to visit the museum and the Indian statues and petroglyphs. At Ojos de Agua you can bathe in the natural water while enjoying the beautiful surroundings. Of course there are also beautiful canoe trips on the lake or you can visit the waterfalls of San Ramon.

From León you can make a trip to the young volcano Cerro Negro. Walking over the lava bed you will reach the crater, where you will encounter the different natural colours, yellow, red, green and white. These colours emerge through the constant escape of gas. From here you can see the volcanic chain leading to the Pacific Ocean. A nice way to get down is by sliding and sliding over the fine volcanic sand. 

Between Managua and Granada is the town of Masaya, known for its folklore and traditional market. On the market you can find beautiful hammocks, products made of leather, wood, reed and clothing. On Thursday evening there are shows with people dancing to guitar and marimbam music. Where you can also regularly see the typical Nicaraguan Güegüense, a dance with masks about love.

Matagalpa is a mountain town, surrounded by tropical cloud forest with special flora and fauna. The town is known for its coffee industry and you will see this along the way in the many coffee plantations. It is definitely worth a visit to this town, if only because of its beautiful cathedral.  

In the surroundings of Matagalpa you can see several colourful bird species, due to the diversity of this area. The cloud forest of Aguas del Arenal is located between the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean. Between the coffee plantations there are several fruit trees where the birds come to.  In addition, the various marshy ponds in the reserve provide an additional habitat for birds.

In the south of Nicaragua lies the town of El Castillo. This town is known for its old Spanish fortress. The fort was built in 1675 in a strategically located bend to protect the city of Granada against incoming pirates. In the museum you will learn more about the turbulent history of the fort. Afterwards you will sail to your hotel.

From El Castillo you can visit the Indo Maiz nature reserve. You will make a boat trip along the San Juan River to reach the reserve. The reserve is home to numerous animal species, including deer, wild boar, pumas, sloths, jaguars, monkeys, frogs, caimans and turtles.