MANAGUA

Managua is the capital of Nicaragua. It is located in the southern coast of Lake Managua. With a population of 1, 400,000 inhabitants, it has various tourist sites to visit, among them: the historical center, the National Palace of Culture, The Presidential Building, the Old cathedral, the National Theater Rubén Darío. Other interesting places to visit are the Tiscapa Park, Acahualinca’s Foot Prints Museum and the Roberto Huembes Market, among others

GRANADA

Founded on 1524, Granada is the oldest city of the Americas on firm land. This is a beautiful colonial city with baroque and neoclassic style structures, where their splendid mud tile roofs stand out. Near the Central Park is the cathedral in its greatest splendor, the City Hall, and the Cultural House. Granada is located on the shores of Cocibolca Lake (or Lake Nicaragua), with its imposing Islets that form an archipelago of 350 small islands. It hosts the “Toro Shark”, unique specie of shark adapted to fresh-water.

MASAYA

Masaya, also known as the City of Flowers, It is the cradle of Nicaraguan folklore and crafts. The Crafts Market has world-wide recognition for its colorful hammocks, hemp tapestries, embroidered dresses, and wonderfully carved ceramic objects. Before arriving at Masaya, you will find the Masaya Volcano National Park whose flora includes wild flowers of different species, where gorgeous wild orchids of diverse colors and exquisite forms prevail.

LEÓN

The city of Leon is located to the northeast, about 90 kilometers from Managua.  Until 1852, due to wars, Granada and Leon took turns being the capital of Nicaragua. Its imposing Cathedral is considered the most important colonial building of Central America. The Cathedral’s walls are decorated with fresh oils of great artistic value. Its altar is also worthy of contemplation. Some prominent Nicaraguans are buried within the church, among them Rubén Darío, the greatest Nicaraguan poet, who lies next to the statue of St. Paul. When returning to Managua, we recommended that you take some time to visit the ruins of Old Leon, declared World Heritage in 1990 by UNESCO.

WHITE TOWNS

Between Granada and Masaya you will find several picturesque towns, known as the White Towns. These are small enchanting little towns, where you can observe typical adobe constructions, with white-painted walls and colorful doors and window sills. The cities that form the so called white towns are: Catarina, San Juan de Oriente, Niquinohomo, Nandasmo, Masatepe, San Marcos, Diriamba, Jinotepe, among others. The city of Diriamba is the cradle of the Gueguense play, declared in 2005 Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

OMETEPE

This is one of the biggest lacustrine islands of the world and is famous for its two majestic volcanoes: the “Concepción” (1,610 m) and the “Maderas” (1,340 m) which has a beautiful crater lagoon on its top and waterfalls on its slopes. Ometepe is also famous for its petroglyphs and Pre-Columbian statuaries

SAN JUAN DEL SUR

The main port of call for cruise ships, San Juan del Sur is also a colorful fishing village. It has a beautiful bay with restaurants and bars. It is a stop for fishing boats, yachts, cruises and also one of the most beautiful beaches with spectacular summer houses. Modern lodges and small hotels provide many options for the traveler. Near San Juan del Sur are La Flor and Chacocente beaches. These are two wildlife refuges and one of the very few places around the world where the sea turtles arrive to lay their eggs.

MONTELIMAR

Montelimar Beach is located just 65km from Managua. This 4km beach and its warm waters make it the perfect place to relax, swim, and enjoy the sun with its breathtaking, colorful and peaceful sunsets. In Montelimar you will find one of the main beach resorts of Nicaragua: Hotel Barceló Montelimar.

RÍO SAN JUAN

The San Juan River flows 180 Km from the Nicaragua Lake to the Caribbean Sea. This is an area of natural wonders, important natural reserves and historical importance. During the 1849 Gold Rush it served as a passageway for all the American travelers, because of its natural inter-oceanic waterway.
Sailing by the river you arrive at El Castillo, a XVII century Spanish fortress built to protect the country against invasions. It was here that Admiral Nelson was defeated and lost an eye when he was a young captain.

SOLENTINAME

Discover the “Islas de Solentiname”, where the famous naive painting school of Nicaragua was born. It's a 36 small island archipelago in the southeast of the Nicaragua Lake, just where the San Juan River begins to flow to the Caribbean.

In the San Fernando Island are most of the naive painting artists. Go there and spend sometime watching the way they work. The archipelago has a large inventory of wildlife waiting to be discovered by the traveler.

CORN ISLAND

Corn Island is a small paradise, only 1.5 hours away from Managua by plane. It has 8 km2 of unspoiled, natural white sand beaches. The water is blue on one side of the island and turquoise on the other. There the coral reef is virtually untouched, making it a “Mecca” for the scuba diving and snorkeling fanatic. From Corn Island you can visit Little Corn Island and enjoy its beautiful beaches, walk into the island and enjoy its colorful and pristine waters.

OCOTAL

Ocotal is the closest town to the Honduran border. It sits in front of the Dipilto-Jalapa ridge, which is the highest mountain range area in Nicaragua (2107m high). Pine forests and mining are the main sources of work in this area. The Coco River drains these ridges into the Caribbean.
Ciudad Antigua, a very old town not far from Ocotal has a very antique church. Mozonte, and indigenous settlement is known for the beautiful ceramic pieces produced by local artisans.

MATAGALPA Y JINOTEGA

Matagalpa and Jinotega are located on the Nicaraguan north-center high plateu. It has a rich variety of wildlife and flora that includes beautiful ferns and orchids living in a humid tropical forest environment. In this area you will be able to enjoy the large plantations of our famous coffee which is worldwide known by its quality, aroma and authentic flavor.
In Ciudad Dario you can not miss the Rubén Darío museum. Actually it is also the house where our great poet was born. Near Jinotega is the town of Wiliwí which is the largest indigenous settlement in this area. Over 3000 feet high in average, this region offers a mild and cooler climate than the rest of Nicaragua. It has many rivers and small lakes and many protected areas such as the Miraflor Natural Reserve and the Bosawas Biosphere Reserve which is the largest protected area in Central America.

ESTELI

Estelí is a cool and pleasant town located in a valley among mountains. Tobacco is the main business of the area, producing some of the finest cigars of the world. The House of Culture is an interesting place to visit in town. After a nice rest you can drive to La Estanzuela waterfall, a beautiful cascade about 5 km south from town. From there you should pay a visit to San Juan de Limay, where artisans make sculptures and figurines, using a unique stone called stone of limay also known as the Nicaraguan marble.