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Managua
Nicaragua's capital city is an overflowing cauldron of people,
poverty and dirt on the shores of the Lago de Managua.
Although it's the entertainment, commercial and transport
hub of Nicaragua and home to over a quarter of its entire
population, rebuilding the city in the wake of natural (two
earthquakes in the twentieth century) and manmade (the 1970's
revolution) disasters has been so slow that it still resembles
a large sprawling suburb with no identifiable city centre.
Many visitors find Managua less than enticing but there are
some attractions nestled among the shopping centres, empty
dirt spaces, busy markets and ramshackle buildings. The main
sights surround the Plaza de la Democracia. The
Teatro Rubén Darío is considered one of
the best venues in Central America; here you can watch music
and dance performances and the chandeliered Sala de Cristales
hosts rotating international art exhibitions. The Huellas
de Acahualinca Museum has ancient footprints of people
and animals trying to escape a volcanic eruption, while the
Museo Revolución offers an insight into the
Sandinista revolution of 1978-9.
Granada
Granada, Nicaragua's oldest colonial city, was once the major
transit point for shipments of gold and other minerals mined
from across the Spanish empire - a position that brought it
fantastic wealth. Its fortunes have waned since then and now
it's a quiet but inviting place with plenty of colonial architecture
to wander around; most of its major attractions including
the Cathedral and Parque Colón are within
a few blocks of each other. Branching out from the city you
can explore Lake Nicaragua (only 15 minutes walk away),
the brooding volcano Volcán Mombacho and the
tropical hiking paradise of Isla de Ometepe on the
lake.
Corn Islands
The Corn Islands (Islas de Maíz), 40 miles off the
east coast of Nicaragua, are perfect for fishing, diving and
doing absolutely nothing. Most people head to the paradoxically
named Big Corn Island (just four square miles in size)
with its reasonable selection of tourist facilities. Those
looking for real seclusion, however, can journey a further
12 miles to Little Corn Island (a mere mile in size)
which has no resorts, cars or roads and a supremely relaxed
atmosphere. Like its bigger brother, it has quintessential
Caribbean beaches lapped by warm water, with colourful reefs
and fish in abundance. There is talk that an Italian company
is planning to invest $30 million in the island so anyone
attracted by its remoteness should visit soon before construction
gets underway.
Matagalpa
Known as 'La Perla del Septentrión' (Pearl of the
North), probably because of its relatively cool climate, Matagalpa
is a small, quiet town in the heart of coffee plantation country.
Many visitors come here on their way to the hiking trails
of Selva Negra National Park but Matagalpa is well
worth a stopover if only to watch the clouds descend from
the surrounding blue mountains and come to rest on the rooftops
of the town.
The town is home to a significant German, Italian and American
immigrant population, many of whom moved here in the nineteenth
century and give it a cosmopolitan air. Its major attractions
are the Catedral de san Pedro and the big Sandinista
monument on the north of the pleasant Parque Morazán.
You can also buy local artensanísa including interesting
black pottery (ceramíca negra). The style of this pottery
suggests a link between the indigenous people of the area
and the Maya since the only other place this type of craftsmanship
is found is in southern Mexico. |
