Must-see attractions in Nicaragua

  • Nicaragua Libre

    Nicaragua

    This small rural community at the base of Volcán Mombacho is part of the UCA community-tourism project. It offers guided trips through organic coffee…

  • Museo Adiáct

    León

    This interesting little museum inside the Casa Cultural de Subtiaba, is a beautifully muraled building; you may need to ask that it be opened. You’re…

  • Reserva Natural Kahka Creek

    Caribbean Coast

    This reforestation and ecotourism project near Pueblo Nuevo is set in lush gardens surrounded by jungle. There are a number of hiking trails and a lookout…

  • Iglesia de San Francisco

    León

    The 1639 Iglesia de San Francisco is one of the oldest in the city, a national heritage site with lots of gold, a gorgeous nave, and a rococo interior. It…

  • Reserva Charco Verde

    Isla de Ometepe

    Rich with wildlife and fringed with black-sand beaches, this wooded ecological reserve is a quiet spot for hiking, birdwatching and taking a dip in the…

  • Crawl Key

    Caribbean Coast

    Pronounced 'Claw Key' by locals, this slender crescent of white sand is covered with soaring coconut palms. It’s also home to an unfinished three-story…

  • Casa Museo Judith Kain

    Caribbean Coast

    Set in the former home of a prolific local painter, this museum provides a window into what it was like to live in Bilwi in the good old days. There are…

  • Petroglyph

    San Juan Del Sur

    There's a spectacular petroglyph not far from town, depicting an enormous and elaborate hunting scene carved perhaps 1500 years ago. To find it, walk…

  • Isla El Muerto

    Nicaragua

    This crescent-shaped islet off the north coast of Isla Zapatera has perhaps the most impressive expanse of petroglyphs carved into a 95m-by-25m expanse of…

  • Cementerio de Granada

    Granada

    Used between 1876 and 1922, this beautiful cemetery on Granada's outskirts has lots of picturesque mausoleums and tombs, including those of six Nicaraguan…

  • National Assembly Pedestrian Walk

    Managua

    East of the National Assembly along Av Central is a pedestrian walk with open-air exhibits on Nicaragua's history, featuring everything from historic…

  • Iglesia de la Merced

    León

    Home to León’s patron saint, la Virgen de la Merced, this is considered the city’s second-most-important church. After Volcán Momotombo erupted and forced…

  • Punta Jesus Maria

    Isla de Ometepe

    Just outside the town of Esquipulas, this well-signed sand spit stretches out into the lake for more than 1km at the height of the dry season, when lake…

  • Parque Luis Velásquez

    Managua

    This park is a prime spot for observing local life. It really comes alive on weekends and in the evenings, when it seems like all of Managua's families…

  • Tarpon Channel

    Little Corn Island

    One of the best places to see hammerhead sharks in the Caribbean, this excellent intermediate dive site off the eastern side of Little Corn is a long…

  • Galería Casa Los Tres Mundos

    Managua

    This gallery is the workshop of former Catholic priest, politician, poet, artist and sculptor Ernesto Cardenal, who founded the primitivist art community…

  • Southwest Bay

    Corn Islands

    The most popular beach on Great Corn, Southwest Bay has calmer, more sheltered water than at most other beaches on the island, though the area is more…

  • Grape Key

    Caribbean Coast

    Home to an abandoned hotel, this lovely round island has probably the best swimming in the archipelago, with pure white sand beaches sloping down to deep…

  • Otto Beach

    Little Corn Island

    The island's most popular beach, Otto boasts multicolored waters perfect for swimming and a fun young crowd. Here you'll find the island's fanciest…

  • Iglesia El Calvario

    León

    A hodgepodge of neoclassical and baroque styles, the richly hued El Calvario dates from the 18th century. It's notable, among other attributes, for the…

  • Moravian Church

    Caribbean Coast

    This large concrete church is Bluefield's most iconic building, constructed to the exact specifications of the 1849 wooden original, which was destroyed…

  • Isla Grande

    Isla de Ometepe

    Close to Altagracia, this island, basically a plantain finca (farm) gone feral, is rarely visited despite being a fantastic place for birdwatching. If you…

  • Mi Museo

    Granada

    This museum displays a private collection of ceramics dating from at least 2000 BC to the present. Hundreds of beautifully crafted pieces were chosen with…

  • Cocal Beach

    Little Corn Island

    A long stretch of white sand fronted by brilliant turquoise waters. Cocal has lost a lot of its mass through erosion but is still a fine place for a…

  • Monumento Roosevelt

    Managua

    Acsending Loma de Tiscapa from Crowne Plaza, you'll pass Monumento Roosevelt, constructed in 1939 and offering lovely lake views over the Laguna de…

  • La Capilla María Auxiliadora

    Granada

    This gorgeous 1918 Gothic church with white-and-blue trim is worth a look for its interior – arguably the most beautiful of all of Granada's churches –…

  • Galería de Héroes y Mártires

    León

    A homage to León’s more recent history is found at the Galería de Héroes y Mártires, run by mothers of FSLN veterans and fallen heroes, with murals,…

  • Iglesia de Xalteva

    Granada

    The dilapidated but attractive colonial church that houses La Virgen de la Asunción was almost completely rebuilt in the 1890s after suffering serious…

  • Playa El Coco

    Southwestern Nicaragua

    This wide stretch of white sand is hemmed in by headlands at both ends and the water is calm and good for swimming. There's a restaurant and several good…

  • Iguana Beach

    Little Corn Island

    Really just the southern extension of Cocal Beach, Iguana boasts a solid stretch of sand as it is protected by the headland.

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Parque Arqueológico Piedras Pintadas

    Caribbean Coast

    Here you'll find hundreds of petroglyphs carved into the mossy boulders, including deer, snakes, turtles, crocodiles and spirals, set among rolling green…

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