Must-see attractions in Nicaragua

  • Laguna de Apoyo and Mombacho Volcano

    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…

  • Iglesia de la Recolección

    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…

  • Antigua Catedral

    Managua

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

  • Volcán Maderas

    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…

  • Volcán Concepción

    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…

  • Museo Auka Tangki

    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…

  • Museos El Ceibo

    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,…

  • Museo de Chocolate

    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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Waiku Centro de Arte

    Caribbean Coast

    This excellent social project is run by two English-speaking activists, Greta and Yesi, whose small arts center displays painting, handicrafts, clothing…

  • Long Bay

    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…

  • Reserva de Biosfera Bosawás

    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…

  • Catedral de León

    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…

  • A Cinnamon Hummingbird (Amazilia rutila) is seen at the National Arboretum in Managua, on March 28, 2012. Created in 1992, this woodland with over 200 species, became an ecological laboratory and oasis for those that want to escape from the heat of the Nicaraguan capital. It receives 15000 students, tourists, and public in general per year. AFP PHOTO / ELMER MARTINEZ (Photo credit should read ELMER MARTINEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

    Arboretum Nacional Juan Batista Salas

    Managua

    These modest gardens, inconveniently located halfway between Barrio Bolonia and the Plaza Monumental on Av Bolívar (well, it’s convenient if you’re making…

  • Nicaragua, Granada, Iglesia de la Merced

    Iglesia La Merced

    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…

  • Antigua Estación del Ferrocarril

    Granada

    Nine long blocks north of town along Calle Atravesada you’ll find Parque Sandino, next to the old train station, now a technical vocational school. It was…

  • Refugio de Vida Silvestre La Flor

    Southwestern Nicaragua

    One of the principal laying grounds for endangered olive ridley and leatherback turtles, this wildlife refuge (locally called by its shorter name, 'La…

  • Fountain and ruben dario national theatre

    Monumento a Rubén Darío

    Managua

    On the lake side of Plaza de la Revolución, this monument was refurbished after the original 1933 statue fell into graffitied disrepair. A group of…

  • Managua, Nicaragua:  Old Cathedral and Nicaraguan flag

    Plaza de la Revolución

    Managua

    Inaugurated in 1899 by national hero and original anti-American General José Santos Zelaya, this open plaza has been the scene of countless protests,…

  • Cristo de la Misericordia

    San Juan Del Sur

    This 25m statue of Jesus – one of the tallest in the world – overlooks the town from its perch 2km to the north. Take the one-hour hike up from the north…

  • Fresh vegetables at market

    Mercado Municipal

    Granada

    Head to the overflowing and lively Mercado Municipal, a neoclassical building constructed in 1892, for a chance to observe locals haggling over fresh…

  • Museo de Antropología e Historia

    Southwestern Nicaragua

    If you have some time to kill in town, this 200-year-old house is the place to go. Inside you'll find some moth-eaten taxidermy, a wall of myths and…

  • 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…

  • Muelle Viejo

    Caribbean Coast

    Take a stroll along the wooden boards of the historic Muelle Viejo (Old Pier), where both Sandino and the Contras received arms smuggled in from abroad,…

  • Rama Cay

    Caribbean Coast

    This tiny and rocky barbell-shaped island 15km southeast of Bluefields is the de facto capital of the Rama nation. Dotted with coconut and banana palms…

  • Museo Rubén Darío

    León

    Nicaragua's most famous poet, Rubén Dario, lived in this house for the first 14 years of his life – indeed, he started writing poetry right here at age 12…

  • Virgen de Cuapa Santuario

    Caribbean Coast

    Most visitors to Cuapa come with the purpose of making a pilgrimage to this porcelain statue holding flowers in her hands, located at the entrance to town…

  • Museo Nacional

    Managua

    Inside the Palacio de la Cultura y Biblioteca Nacional, the beautiful national museum is an enjoyable romp through the country's history – from Nicaragua…

  • Catedral Metropolitana

    Managua

    Just north of the Metrocentro mall is an unforgettable Managua landmark that's practically new (the doors opened in 1993). It's an architectural marvel…

  • Reserva Silvestre Greenfields

    Caribbean Coast

    This privately managed, 284-hectare wildlife reserve near the village of Kukra Hill has tracts of both mangroves and jungle, and offers a variety of…

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