Services in Managua, and Nicaragua in general, are very cheap. My wife had her nails and hair done for about 1/3 of what she would have paid back home. You can get a massage for $12 to $25 per hour at various resorts, hotels and beauty salons. I had a very nice, professional one-hour massage at the upscale Hotel Princess for $20. It’s not unusual to have a doorman at a pizza joint. Tips are included in restaurant bills, and optional in any other situation. We have actually had the pleasure of surprising unsuspecting gas-station attendants and luggage handlers with a small tip.

Tourist attractions in the city are limited, but there are a few. If you are in town during the baseball season (October through April), you can observe the national sport at the Estadio Dennis Martinez on Avenida Williams Romero. The stadium is named after former major league pitcher and beloved national hero Dennis Martinez, whose popularity is exemplified in his nickname, “El Presidente.”  I haven’t had the opportunity to go to a game, but I’ve heard that passions sometimes run high, so you might want to know which cheering section you’re seated in. Managua’s governmental center provides an excellent architectural peek into the country’s Spanish colonial past. One notable example is the Palacio Nacional (National Palace) which is located on a plaza facing Lake Managua, also known as Xolotlan. The building was recently refurbished and now hosts art exhibits, fashion shows and other events. Another example of colonial architecture, and regarded as the city’s best museum, is the Ruben Dario Theater. Named after Nicaragua’s most famous poet, it exhibits a collection of art by many of the country's foremost painters and sculptors.

One of the most historically unique sights in the city, within view of the Palacio Nacional, is a bronze statue left over from the days of the communist Sandinista government. It is a large effigy of a peasant worker holding a pickax in his right hand, while raising an AK-47 into the air with his left. When I was there, someone had attached a Sandinista and a Cuban flag to the barrel of the rifle. Interestingly, a piece of the statue’s lower right leg is damaged, supposedly from a bomb that was placed there in defiance of the previous regime. Managua is definitely worth a short visit, especially since you need no more than a day or two to experience it.

Exploration

Like in most countries, to discover the real treasures of Nicaragua, one must abandon the city and venture into the countryside. Nicaragua is a land of volcanoes, and if you don’t explore at least some of them during your stay, you are truly missing out. Volcan Masaya, just outside of Managua, is not your typical Nicaraguan volcano.  It doesn’t have the trademark cone-shape, nor is it very high. It is, however, active and definitely worth a visit.  Coincidentally, this activity prohibited tourists from visiting the volcano and its namesake national park during my first trip to the area. While driving up to the visitor center, you will notice how barren the terrain becomes. It has a lunar appearance, with little or no vegetation, and full of boulders and dried lava beds. The visitor center is neatly kept and full of interesting information about both Nicaraguan and world volcanic activity. At the front desk you can book a guided tour of a real-life bat cave. This is a truly unique experience that takes you 200 yards or so through a bat infested, extinct lava tunnel. Although fourteen lava tunnels have been discovered on Masaya, noxious gases prevent humans from entering all but one of them. The tunnel has produced artifacts that have lead archeologists to believe sacred rituals and human sacrifices occurred within it. As we crept our way into the cave, dodging stalagmites and stalactites, we saw dozens of tiny fruit bats and even a vampire bat.  Once you have meandered away from the cave’s mouth, you can turn off the light on your spelunking helmet and experience the true meaning of darkness. The crater of the volcano is equally impressive, even though the closest edges off it are closed due to its ever-increasing appetite. The volcano is constantly billowing smoke, and sometimes hurls lava rocks hundreds of feet into the air.  In fact, the volcano actually destroyed some tourists’ vehicles in the late 1990’s. There is also a large cross located at the highest point surrounding the crater. It is the fourth version of the original cross placed there in the 1500’s by a Spanish monk who believed the volcano was the entrance to Hell. It makes for a great photo, but unfortunately the stairway leading to the cross is also closed due to the volcanic activity.

Another 45 minutes down the road, just past the colonial city of Granada, is the dormant Volcan Mombacho.  This is a beautiful cone-shaped volcano that soars to 4600 feet above sea level. You will have to park your car at the half-way point, and then take an odd double-tracked truck to the summit. The truck ride will have you literally at the edge of your seat, as it winds around hairpin turns and teeters at the edge of the abyss below.  Once you reach the summit, there is a beautiful eco-trail that takes you through one of only two cloud forests in Nicaragua’s Pacific region. The trail can take one to three hours to complete, depending on how fast you walk and the path you choose. Highlights of the trail include exotic plants and wildlife, including monkeys, and breathtaking views of Lake Nicaragua, Granada, Volcan Masaya and Apoyo Lagoon (which was created by a prehistoric volcanic explosion and reaches depths of 650 feet). One point of interest is the Fumaroles. These are small holes in the ground that you can stick your arm into and feel the heat produced by the volcano. There is also a larger hole nearby which releases a hot, white, non-toxic steam that is more than welcome at that chilly altitude. Another interesting part of the trail is an approximately 3 foot-wide path between two walls of rock that rise straight up into the heavens. There is also a visitor center that sells bags of local coffee and other souvenirs, as well as snacks and refreshments.

One of my favorite destinations in Nicaragua is La Isla de Ometepe. This island is located 45 minutes by ferry from the city of San Jorge, on the South-Western shore of Lake Nicaragua. Ometepe is less developed than the mainland, and has only one dirt road following the perimeter of the island. While driving on the island, you will pass banana plantations, farms, and even a make-shift baseball field that faces the majestic Volcan Concepcion. Ometepe is actually two volcanic islands connected by an isthmus, or thin strip of land. The larger of the two, Volcan Concepcion, is a perfectly shaped cone that reaches 5280 feet. The smaller Volcan Maderas (4570 ft) is great for hiking, as it offers the second cloud forest of Nicaragua’s Pacific region. At the starting point of the hiking trail is a finca (farm) that offers typical Nicaraguan dishes and a place to lay your head, if you choose to stay there for the night. The accommodations are exactly what you would expect on a finca – adequate but very basic. The hike to the top of Maderas starts very easily, but soon becomes moderately challenging. By the time I reached the Mirador (view-point) about three-quarters of the way to the summit, I was feeling it. I climbed Maderas in the dry season, yet found myself trudging shin-deep through muck and mud. On the way to the summit you will pass through three climates – dry forest, rain forest, and cloud forest. The good news is that Ometepe has no poisonous snakes, so you need not worry about being bitten while you concentrate on where to put your foot next. The trek to the top of Maderas is well worth the effort, as it offers a plethora of vegetation and a gorgeous blue-green lagoon inside the crater. Be forewarned - descending into the crater is somewhat dangerous! There is a rope tied to a tree and you basically repel about 40 feet down a rock. The climb out of the crater is even tougher, so use extreme caution. Descending the volcano is no easy feat either. My wife and I slipped and fell at least three times each on our way down. 

The best place to stay on Ometepe is a lodge called Villa Paraiso. When I visited it was $35 per night for a bungalow sitting on a ledge overlooking the lake. Relaxing in a hammock with a cervesa and a stiff breeze coming in from the lake is hard to put into words. The lodge’s restaurant also faces the lake, and the food is good and reasonably priced. The lodge will arrange tours for you and even pick you up in San Jorge if you don’t want to put your rental car on the ferry to Ometepe. Our 7-hour tour of Volcan Maderas was $20 per person and included a picnic lunch, transportation, and a bilingual guide.

Lake Nicaragua, also known by its original name, Cocibolca, is an interesting place in itself. The lake, which is the largest in Central America, was actually a bay connected to the Pacific Ocean until volcanic activity sealed if off from the ocean. It is the only freshwater lake in the world that contains saltwater species such as sharks and swordfish. The sharks are supposedly related to bull sharks, and have been known to attack swimmers. Lake Nicaragua and the Rio San Juan are part of a canal system that was originally envisioned to be the East-West passage that connected the Pacific and Atlantic, instead of the one later built in Panama. 

A short ride to the southwest of San Jorge is the costal town of San Juan Del Sur. Located only 15 miles north of the Peñas Blancas border crossing with Costa Rica, this small fishing village becomes very popular during Christmas and the Semana Santa celebrations at Easter time. My wife and I spoke with the German owners of a popular restaurant/bar that claimed to make enough money during these two holiday periods to cover their yearly expenses. San Juan Del Sur offers several beachside hotels and restaurants, and is Nicaragua’s first and only cruise ship port-of-call. It has everything that a typical cruise port offers, like handicraft shops, bars, restaurants, Jet Ski rentals, and tours of the area. A short hike up a hill on the south side of San Juan Del Sur will bring you to the ruined fort of William Walker. Walker was an American adventurer who in 1855 captured and briefly occupied Granada, the former capital. He was defeated by a Central American army made up of Nicaraguans and Costa Ricans shortly after. 

Despite the increase in tourism, the biggest craze in this town is real-estate. San Juan Del Sur has several luxury homes that sit atop the hills that overlook the bay; with many more under construction. There are also many condominium and town home communities currently under construction in the surrounding area. The prices are climbing, but they are still very attractive when compared to similar homes only a few miles to the south in Costa Rica. San Juan Del Sur is clearly a town on the rise, and certainly one of Nicaragua’s top destinations.

Another popular place to visit, only an hour or so to the southwest of Managua, is the town of Montelimar. This tiny beachside village is anchored by the Barcelo Montelimar Resort, currently Nicaragua’s only all-inclusive resort. This is not a resort for those looking for action. It’s much more quiet and laid-back than the sometimes wild all-inclusives in Mexico and the Caribbean. However, if you want a resort atmosphere with the comforts and amenities of a traditional hotel, but prefer to relax and avoid the large crowds, this is the place for you. At times, we were the only people on the entire beach. The food quality was average at best, but the small lines and good service made up for the lack of flavor. Like most all-inclusive resorts, man-powered water vessels and activities are free of charge, but motorized sports cost extra. Horseback riding also incurs a small charge, but is well worth it. The tour starts on the beach, and then meanders through huge sugarcane fields and finishes with a jaunt through the resort. Overall, the Barcelo Montelimar Resort is a nice place to kick-back and relax for a while, all for a very reasonable price. 

Nicaragua has much more to offer than what I included in this review. The colonial cities of Leon and Granada (both former capitals), the English speaking Corn Island and Mosquito Coast on the Caribbean, and the German-inspired resort of Selva Negra are just a few of the popular destinations I have neglected to highlight in depth. If you are looking for a truly authentic Central American experience where you don’t see fellow gringos at every turn, then give Nicaragua a visit before they do. You will be pleasantly surprised by Central America’s best kept secret.

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