You’ll get a dose of cognitive dissonance arriving at Jicaro Island. There are palm trees and thatched roofs, even a shadowy volcano in the distance, but the air has none of the tropical tang you’d expect, and there are no waves or powdery shores. That’s because Jicaro is located on Lake Nicaragua, a freshwater lake 10 minutes by boat from the colonial town of Granada.The island’s single acre is occupied by Jicaro Island Ecolodge, a hotel as sensitive to the environment as it is easy on the eyes.

Jicaro Island Ecolodge offers nine casitas on the island, all have lake views and are within a short walk from the pool, restaurant, and wellness center. The casitas are two stories, with a private bedroom and a king size bed on the second floor; and on the first floor, a spacious living area that connects to an outside deck overlooking the lake. The casitas and the furniture are made locally from Rainforest Alliance certified wood. Each casita is equipped with mosquito netting and ceiling fans, and the large doors and windows can all be opened for cross ventilation. Most notably, the oversized hammock and comfy furniture of the deck will invite you to relax and feel the peace of this magical lake. Early morning coffee and late afternoon ¨sundowner¨ delivery service is available upon request.

Jicaro is a place where you can find the perfect combination of relaxation and exploration. After a day of lounging in your private hammock or indulging in a rejuvenating massage in the wellness center, you might want to adventure out on one of our signature tours. Explore some of the tours offering varied activities ranging from easy to challenging, and are all accompanied by a private guide who will teach you about local flora and fauna, as well as Nicaraguan history, culture and day-to-day living.

All of your meals and non-alcoholic beverages are included in the room rate. Breakfast and lunch are served a la carte and dinner is a choice of fresh daily specials created by our chef. Jicaro has an open kitchen right next to the restaurant, so it is a real treat to watch the chef prepare your dinner. The menu has plenty of options and prides itself on the selection of fresh fish from the lake and nearby ocean, local vegetables and fruit, and locally farmed chicken and beef. We believe that when you have fresh, tasty ingredients you can cook very simply and the food will be extraordinary.

Jicaro is the ideal location for people who want to reconnect with themselves and leave their hectic lives behind for a few days. Besides Yoga sessions and a variety of massage and wellness treatments, a visitor to the island will be enticed by the fresh and healthy local cuisine, the warmth of the local staff and the authenticity of the overall experience. The Yoga deck looks out over the lake and towards the Mombacho volcano; it is a spot that inspires serenity and tranquility.

The beach of Pochomil is one of the more beaches in Nicaragua. It is the nearest Managua and it gets very crowded with people in the weekend. To get there, you should leave Managua by the South Highway. Continue going straight until there are signs that point to Pochomil. The distance from Managua is 65 km, and it takes an hour to get there.

With its wide, quiet beach Pochomil is a great spot for horseback riding. You can make the journey as long as you want, and the beach is an easy place to ride. Walking on the beach when the sun disappears slowly into the ocean is great to do as well. The price is low – about $2 per half an. Special thanks to http://www.vianica.com/

Turquoise waters, white-sand beaches, coconut palms, coral reefs, magical sunsets … The Corn Islands are located about 70 km east off the Caribbean Coast, just in front of the city of Bluefields, Nicaragua. There are two Corn Islands – Big Corn Island and Little Corn Island. The Big Corn Island is the largest with nearly 6000 inhabitants, whereas the Little Corn Island merely has 500 residents.

One of the absolutely most amazing things in Big Corn Island are the sunsets… just sitting at the terrace with a cold beer, listening to the waves and enjoy the day turn into night. The Islands are lush with exotic fruit trees, native palms and surrounded by white sand beaches. The islands are too calm, far away from noise and stress and are known for panoramic beauty, exotic beaches, and lush green vegetation with fruit trees and palms.

There are many activities on the island. The islands are a perfect destination to undertake adventurous sports like diving or sea fishing. As the islands are surrounded by a barrier reef system, they offer awesome opportunity for seeing a wide range of corals, sponges, rays, turtles, tropical fishes and even dolphins. They are also a great spot to relax or enjoy the beach. A trip to Little Corn Island is also a great idea. You can take a water taxi and it is only about a 20 minute trip to the island (cost around $7).

Best time to Visit: September to April. How to Reach: Flights are available to Corn Island Airport from Managua and Bluefields. You can move between Big Corn and Little Corn by water taxis. For more information click here

From the frontier town of San Carlos, a two hour panga ride on the coffee-colored waters of Nicaragua‘s Rio San Juan will bring you to the riverbank huts of Sabalos Lodge. Partially hidden by the dense greenery of Los Guatuzos Wildlife Refuge, the seven cabins offer wilderness accommodation at its most adventurous. Yaro Choiseul-Praslin owns the lodge, a silver-haired Sandinista who led the agricultural reforms of the 1980s. His tales of revolution regale the multinational visitors who venture into the jungle. Wooden walkways lead to an open-sided dining room and to the huts scattered among the jungle foliage. Sparse on refinements, the huts offer soft mattresses mosquito nets, private bathrooms with water, and electricity – at least until 9 p.m., when generator is switched off and plunged into darkness.Lying in bed, listening to the soundtrack of jungle life, it is easy to imagine that this is virgin territory, uncharted by all the most daring, but for centuries, pirates navigated this river. Local excursions include wildlife walks and kayaking. Photo by: Tamsin&Andy

Ometepe is an eco-tourism island with a lack of hotels, but many islanders are opening their homes to low paying guests. Ometepe‘s unique double-breasted shape was foretold in a vision to Nahuas and Chorotegas who came from Mexico and made it their sanctuary. Photo by: NicaRagans

The friendly Ometepinos are always willing to show you some fresh delight on the island. You can sample its phenomenal riches on an easy hike on Maderas, the extinct and smaller volcano. Its crater is slightly spooky cold lagoon, set in a thick tropical jungle which really is full of down to the Charco Verde Reserve, where you find the best beaches – and an ancient witch called Chico Largo, who may offer you a life of luxury in return of transmuting your soul into one of the island’s cows. Photo by: Jungle_Boy

Sunset at Punta Jesus Maria, the western tip, where a 5 m wide sandbar projects 1 km into the lake, with water splashing you from both sides. Troops of howler, white-faced and spider monkeys en route to swimming at the jungle San Ramon waterfall, along with hummingbirds and urraca (blue-tailed magpies). Staying quite still, looking at and listening to the living fairytale. Photo by: bhlogiston

When to go: Year-round, so come for the fiestas patronales like Moyogalpa’s Santa Ana in July, when the Baile de las Inditasdance celebrates both Spanish and indigenous culture; or Altagracia‘s all-dancing, all-drinking feast of San Diego in November. Ometepe hold more folk and religious festivals than anywhere else in Nicaragua. Population: 35,000. How to get there: By boat from San Jorge on the lake shore near Rivas; or the ferry from Granada – San Carlos, which stops to Ometepe and which you must book in advance. Photo by: Joerg Zwingli

Photo by: mrtraveller

Cerro Negro is a volcano in Nicaragua, about 10km from the village of Malpasillo. Cerro Negro is a very new volcano, the youngest one in Central America. This fresh magma landmark offers a sudden experience through a roughly 1,600- foot volcanic slope, having air-rushing trajectory previously occupied by you and your volcano board.

Such an extreme sport is often notably at Cerro Negro. It’s hot, dusty, a little scary – and crazy enough to be fun. Cerro Negro is accessible from Leon, a colonial city historically emerged as a center of left-wing intellectualism that is about 15 miles southwest of the roughly 2,388-foot mountain (the height can vary from eruption to eruption, experts say). The city was once a Sandinista stronghold occupied by poets, revolutionaries and university students.

Nowadays despite from its spectacular churches, bright-hued colonial architecture, Leon is becoming synonymous, at least among backpacking adventure-seekers, with volcano boarding. The picture shows boarders receiving instructions on how to balance, steer and control speed on the slope, which is 41 degrees at its steepest.

With pebbles and dust flying everywhere, the ride is bumpy and the noise deafening. The whole run only takes a few minutes to descend.

Volcano boarding,  isn’t easy to master, but you can’t help but want to try. It’s a cheap adventure and a novel challenge, with actual technique required and speeds recorded. The post-boarding mojito Bigfoot throws in didn’t hurt either. Bigfoot Hostel runs boarding tours Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. The price is $28, including $5 park admission. Dorm rooms at the hostel cost $6 a night; there are also four double rooms for $13, and a room for four is $28.

Nicaragua is staggeringly beautiful country. Though it may be poised to be Next Costa Rica, Nicaragua is still an old country. Nicaragua has roughly the size of Greece or the state of New York.

 

In Nicaragua, there’s a large rainforest region, with several large rivers running through it. The Rio Coco is the largest river in Central America and also flows in Nicaragua. The culture of the country has strong folklore traditions, deeply influenced by European culture. It was colonized by Spain and for that reason has a similar culture.

 

A great variety of birds can be observed including eagles, turkeys, toucans, parakeets and macaws. Animal life in the area includes different species of monkeys, ant-eaters, white-tailed deer and tapirs.

 

The majority of the Nicaraguan population is Mestizo and White. Mestizos and Whites mainly reside in the western region of the country and combined make up 86% of the Nicaraguan population, approximately 4.8 million people.