Nicaragua: Land of Lakes and Volcanoes

We’re still on our journey through Central America and have just left El Salvador, known as the ‘Land of Volcanoes’. Now we’re in Nicaragua, known similarly, as the ‘Land of Lakes and Volcanoes’. There are plenty of volcanoes across this whole area as it’s part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, the ring of volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean. But in Nicaragua it’s the lake that is also famous.

A flooded Lake Managua and smouldering Momotombo Volcano

Called Lake Nicaragua, it is the only freshwater lake in the world to contain oceanic animal life. Nicaragua’s other main lake is Lake Managua which was very flooded when we were there. Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America (about half the size of New Zealand). It is a poor country with a population of around 7 mil. To get there, we flew from El Salvador.

Lakes near Managua, Nicaragua

But at the El Salvador airline check-in counter, we endure a grilling from airline staff about our proposed activities in Nicaragua. After taking, then returning our passports 30 mins later, a woman finally gave us the ok. Eventually we boarded the aircraft and had a turbulent 50 min flight to Managua (pronounced Mnaagwa) the capital of Nicaragua and its largest city (pop 1.1 mil). After landing in Managua, we grabbed our luggage and headed for the exit.

Street of our hotel in Bolonia, Managua, Nicaragua

But we were detained by customs officers before we got there - because we had binoculars – really? After two hours of miscommunication, we were told to report back to Managua customs with the binoculars before we left Nicaragua. After repeatedly telling them that we were not returning to Managua, another binocular detainee interpreted, and they allowed us to report at a southern border instead. Eventually we arrived at our Managua hotel in the supposedly upscale area of Bolonia.

Near the gas station pick-up in Managua, Nicaragua 

We found Managua to be dirty, and were happy to move on. The next morning, saw us waiting at a local gas station where we were to catch a shuttle bus. We were a bit tense because we didn’t know whether we were at the right gas station. Thirty minutes after the pick-up time, a bus rolled up and disgorged half a dozen people who all headed to the toilet and food bar – it was our bus.

Architecture in León, Nicaragua

Three hours later, we were walking about in lovely León, Nicaragua’s second largest city (pop 213,718). León was the colonial capital of Nicaragua for three centuries, and this has left it with some beautiful Spanish colonial buildings. We had a lovely hotel in León, right in the city centre and built in Spanish Colonial style. The only down side was the lack of hot water for a shower.

León Cathedral (UNESCO), Nicaragua

The next morning, after a cold shower, we headed out into León’s 32⁰C heat to look around a bit more. We visited León Cathedral, built over more than 150 years from the mid-18th century. It’s Central America’s largest cathedral and now a UNESCO World Heritage site. We also had a lovely wander around the main square and surrounding streets.

Liberation mural in León, Nicaragua

Nearby, we saw some wonderful street murals about the 1979 revolution when the Sandinistas, a socialist movement by the people of Nicaragua, took control of León from the corrupt Somoza dictatorship. While we were in León, we noted a few occasions where men were collecting money from tuk tuk drivers for protection, and we also saw payments made to police. Corruption is still rife here.

Around León, Nicaragua

We had a lovely time in León, and visited most of its squares, the colourful market, many of its churches, and several other places of interest. The poverty in Nicaragua was evident in León, with people selling anything and everything from roadside or street stalls. Such stalls have been a common theme throughout our travel in Central America to date.

Ruins at León Viejo (UNESCO), León, Nicaragua

While in León, we took a taxi to the Ruins of León Viejo (old Leon). The town was decimated by a volcanic eruption and then earthquakes in the 16th century. It is now one of the oldest Spanish colonial settlements in the Americas and a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was very interesting.

Calabash growing in Nicaragua

While there, we spotted some big round green cannon-ball sized fruit growing on a tree, and learned that it is a calabash tree. The calabash seeds are roasted and used in soups and salads, the fruit is edible and often used in the treatment of colds, and various intestinal illnesses, and the outer shell is used to make utensils such as cups and bowls. What a useful tree!

Marg walking in our barrio street, Granada, Nicaragua

Our next stop was the city of Granada, on the shores of Lake Nicaragua. Despite numerous pirate invasions in its younger days, Granada's historic centre is full of large Spanish-style buildings with lovely courtyards and gardens. However, our accommodation was a two-room family home converted to an AirBnB in a barrio on the fringe of the city.

Seen on our walk into the centre of Granada, Nicaragua

There are no street numbers in Nicaragua, so our address was 'Calle San Juan del Sur, 1/2 block north of the bakery'. From our street, we had a lovely walk to the centre past homes with wrought iron grills, people selling food door-to-door, a sports field that was always in use, a stunning but run-down church, and a pedestrian street full of smart cafes and restaurants. 

Spanish colonial architecture in Granada (UNESCO), Nicaragua

We had a lovely time walking in the centre too. Granada is one of the oldest European settlements in the Americas, and its historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is a delightful city with well-preserved and colourful buildings. One such building is the Chocolate Museum which we visited.

 

Cacao tree with fruit in Granada, Nicaragua

Chocolate comes from the fruit of the cacao tree and is made from roasting and grinding the fruit’s seeds or beans. Chocolate was first discovered in around 1200 BC by the Olmec people. Over the centuries the Aztecs, Mayans, Spanish, and Europeans have learned to make it, each refining the process. We had to try some so we had a drink of chocolate with almond milk, vanilla and cinnamon. It was so, so delicious.

Near Port Granada on Lake Nicaragua, Nicaragua

A few days later, we took a walk to nearby Port Granada on Lake Nicaragua. The port area is quite rundown, but that didn’t stop a young guy from trying to exhort money from us for walking there. So we walked around the lake instead. It was so windy that waves were breaking over the road in places.

 

Horses and carts still used in Nicaragua

During our stay in both León and Granada, we noticed that the horse and cart were still very much in use in Nicaragua. Horses are also used to round up cattle, and grass is still cut with a scythe. However other areas are very modern. Leaving Granada, we took a shuttle bus to stay for two nights on Lake Nicaragua’s Ometepe Island, a small neck of land binding two volcanoes on the lake.

Rough seas and no ferries on Lake Nicaragua

Getting to Ometepe required a shuttle bus to the little town of San Jorge, then a ferry to the island. The road trip was fine, but upon arriving at San Jorge we learned that the ferries had been cancelled due to the high winds and waves. So we found a taxi driver and persuaded him to loan us his phone so we could cancel our Ometepe hotel.

Relaxing at the resort in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

Then we jumped in his taxi and he drove us south to our next destination, San Juan del Sur on Nicaragua’s Pacific coast. We had planned to stay there anyway, but not for another 2 days. So, the lovely taxi driver drove us around San Juan until we found some accommodation. It was a fabulous resort, located above the town with great sea views.

Sunset from our condo in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

While at the resort, we arranged to move into our already booked AirBnB one day early, so everything worked out fine. Our AirBnB was a beachfront condo, and although it was a bit shabby, it was right in town and gave us spectacular views of the beach, and of the sunsets, and of everyone lined up to see the sunsets.

Scenes from San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

San Juan del Sur is a small and quaint seaside town. It has interesting shops, the inevitable broken footpaths, lots of seafood restaurants, hundreds of surfers, and a vibrant nightlife. We walked around the beach, had many delicious seafood meals, and relaxed on the condo deck watching the beach life below. 

San Juan del Sur Bay from our condo, Nicaragua

Nicaragua has been interesting. While having some beautiful historic towns, and gorgeous beaches, it also has lots of food-related litter and broken concrete footpaths. But despite this, the architecture was interesting, the beaches lovely, and the people friendly and keen to show off their country. Next, we cross the border into Costa Rica, but that’s in the next blog.

This post is the tenth in a series that tells the story of our travel in Mexico and Central America. The first post in the series can be found here.