LiveGreenNOW

By Ann Woodward

Masaya Volcano ~ Photos, Ann Woodward

Tourism is Nicaragua’s second largest industry. Most Americans know Nicaragua for its turbulent past. However, Interpol ranked Nicaragua with the lowest crime rate in Latin America. Today travellers are heading to Nicaragua to experience its beaches, lakes, volcanoes and cities.

There are 40 major volcanic formations in Nicaragua. Masaya Volcano is the country’s most heavily venting volcano; it constantly emits gas. Yet visitors are still allowed to drive right up to the crater and peer down into it! Masaya Volcano is easily accessible from Granada or Managua. We did an evening lava tour, arriving at the park around sunset and then hiking trails around to various vantage points. We also went down into the Tzinaconostoc Cave, which is home to bats.

Still seeking more adventure? Climb to the top of Cerro Negro (the youngest volcano in Central America) outside the city of Leon. Then surf back down. Yes, volcano boarding is an activity like snowboarding, but on volcanic sand instead of snow.

Volcano boarding at Cerro Negro ~ Photos, Ann Woodward

If you crave more traditional surfing, head to southwest Nicaragua. The beach town of San Juan del Sur serves as the base for most of the country’s surfing activity. Playa Madera, about 20 minute drive away from San Juan del Sur, is one of the main surfer’s beaches. Buena Vista Surf Club is a very small eco-resort on a jungle-y hill overlooking the main break of Playa Madera. Designed and run by a Dutch couple, this place is perfect if you want to stay in an open-air bungalow and fall asleep to a symphony of crickets, tree frogs and the sound of waves crashing below.

http://www.buenavistasurfclub.com/index.html

Little Corn Island offers a relaxed, breezy island atmosphere with very rustic beaches and good snorkeling and diving nearby. Hop a flight to Big Corn Island and then ride a panga boat to Little Corn. Most lodging is beach-front casitas. The Corn Islands were hit by Category 1 Hurricane Ida in early November 2009. Associated wind damage resulted in some fallen palm trees and banana trees, but fortunately hotels and restaurants remained intact.

Casitas at Casa Iguana on Little Corn Island ~ Photos, Ann Woodward

Nicaraguans are passionate about baseball. Games usually take place on Sundays. I saw a couple of games on Big Corn Island; it was a fun a way to spend an afternoon. Empanadas are the snack of choice, instead of hot dogs.

Granada and Leon are both beautiful colonial cities. Hang out and marvel at the architecture, shop at the mercado or take a Spanish class.

Getting there

Augusto C. Sandino International Airport in Managua is Nicaragua’s international airport. There are direct flights to Managua from Atlanta, Houston, and Miami.

Surfer at Playa Madera ~ Photos, Ann Woodward

This entry was posted on Monday, December 28th, 2009 at 8:01 pm and is filed under Eco Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.