Volcanoes, wildlife and colonial cities draw adventurous tourists to Nicaragua
By Craig Guillot/ Special to the Herald
Sunday, January 2, 2005

MANAGUA, NICARAGUA - You don't have to ask around much to be warned of the supposed dangers in Nicaragua. It is, after all, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, a place that has been wracked by natural disasters, war and revolution. Anyone who remembers the headlines of the '80s can't help but subconsciously associate Nicaragua with war, chaos and danger.

But adventurous travelers are starting to discover that behind its lingering bad rap, Nicaragua is a quiet and peaceful country and - believe it or not - one of the safest places in Latin America. Think exotic version of Costa Rica.

Bullet holes and shrapnel marks still adorn many buildings but the country's fighters now use ballot boxes instead of bullets. For those willing to look beyond misguided stereotypes, this Central American nation has great potential for tourists.

Nevertheless, Managua - Nicaragua's capital city of 1.3 million - can hit some visitors like a brick in the face. Far more real and gritty than San Jose, Costa Rica, it is one of the most battered and scarred cities in the Western Hemisphere. In the past 150 years, it has been leveled by earthquakes and wars, struck by polio epidemics, torched by fire and flooded. When a massive earthquake leveled 600 city blocks in 1972 (and killed between 5,000 and 10,000 people), no one even bothered to rebuild. Even to this day, most of the city center remains a patchwork of vacant fields with rickety shacks and half-crumbled buildings.

The few visitors who linger around Managua have the opportunity to peer into the core of a country with a turbulent past. There's a certain beauty in its residents, a will to survive and carry on with a smile.

A great place to start exploring is the Plaza de Republica which contains the Palacio Nacional and the old cathedral, nearly leveled in the earthquake.

The massive Mercado Roberto Huembes is a great place to shop for arts, crafts and hammocks. It is surprisingly safe by Central American standards. Be aware, though, that throughout the city theft can be a problem.

For a quiet night in the capital, Hotel Los Felipe (505-222-7055) offers simple yet clean rooms nestled around lush gardens. Many people stay here for the free entertainment provided by the mischievous spider monkeys that roam the premises.

Managua is a good base for exploring other parts of the country. Day-trippers can visit Pueblos Blancos (White Villages), a cluster of a dozen charming villages south of the capital. Each has its own unique treasures, from bamboo craftworks and folk dances to crater lakes and magnificent churches.

Laguna de Apoyo, a baby blue lake in the crater of the Apoyo Volcano, is a great natural retreat. Visitors can hike in the forests in the crater walls and observe toucans, howler and white-face monkeys, butterflies and hummingbirds. Proyecto Ecologico, a non-profit research station, even offers scuba diving trips into the lake.

But no place is making a mark on Nicaragua's tourism map like Granada. Founded in 1524 by Hernandez de Cordoba, Granada - also known as La Gran Sultana - is the oldest city in Central America. Far from the madness of Managua, many believe it has the potential to become Nicaragua's crown jewel of tourism. Although it's the country's third largest city, Granada retains a colonial atmosphere with a tranquil historical center that serves as a living museum.

Fresco vendors roll carts down cobblestone streets, families drag out rocking chairs to watch the sunset and young boys shine shoes and knock mangos out of the trees in the central plaza. In the early mornings, old men whisk horse carriages down dusty paths past wandering livestock and wade-fish using nothing more than a hook with a line tied around their wrist. Although rickety trucks ply the streets, horses with homemade trailers and bikes are still common means of transportation. Hotel Colonial (505-552-7581; www.nicaragua-vacations.com) offers large clean rooms and a helpful English-speaking staff.

Chicken buses - old American school buses with murals, roof racks and jacked-up suspension - are one of the main means of transportation in Nicaragua but they can be quite crowded and uncomfortable. Expresso minivans, a much better option, and taxis serve most parts of the country but road travel in Nicaragua can be dangerous. Visitors are advised to never travel between cities after dark (most cars have no headlights and many drivers are drunk) and travelers should pick taxi drivers like their life depends on it - it literally does.

Whatever means of transportation, visitors certainly should head west of Managua to Granada's rival, the liberal city of Len. Buried by Volcon Mombotombo in 1610, the rebuilt city was the capital of Nicaragua a few times before 1852. Though Len escaped much of the piracy that Granada saw during the 1800s, it saw heavy fighting during the Somoza era. When the Sandinistas captured the town in 1978, Somoza released his fury with massive aerial bombardments and tortured and killed anyone suspected of sympathizing with the F.S.L.N. Even to this day, Len remains a Sandinista stronghold, evident in its numerous political murals, voting records and occasional protests.

IF YOU GO

Language: A certain command of basic Spanish is essential for travel to Nicaragua; English is rarely spoken.

Tours: The country's tourism industry is in its infancy but a few tour operators are starting to sprout up, including Careli Tours (www.carelitours.com), which offers short trips and multiday excursions throughout the country.

For more information: Go to www.intur.gob.ni, the official site of Nicaragua's growing tourism boar.