Travel

Going to Nicaragua? Visit these 9 Cities!

August 31, 2017

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Last time I wrote a travel post about Panama. This time I’ll be writing about Nicaragua. If you haven’t read by now the Get To Know Me & What’s Been New post, you would not know that I was born in Nicaragua. Therefore, I travel very often to Nicaragua to visit my family. What a better way to visit a new place than being referred by a local.

Every time I visit Nicaragua I feel so happy. It’s like my happy place. This is because I don’t have to work, to cook meals alone, and to shop alone, etc. Anyways, I just love staying there. While I’m staying with my family, I love to go on new adventures. I think I have explored more Nicaragua now that I am living permanently in the U.S than before. Therefore, I’d love to share with you the 9 cities that you must visit while in Nicaragua. Without further ado, let’s start explaining these awesome places:

1.     The Capital Managua. The “Bella” Managua, is a place where you can find everything. If you are a meat lover, I recommend you to visit in Managua the Hotel y Restaurante La Plancha. I have been in different countries around the world and so far I’ve always come to the conclusion that this restaurant has the best plancha tender meat. I always order it as medium done. This is the key to a delicious meal and a happy belly! Other places to visit are the following places: Puerto Salvador Allende. This is a place to hang out with friends and family. You can also have a lot of fun with the Go Karts! Galerias Santo Domingo, this is one of my favorite malls to visit. It has literally every brand you’d like to shop at. If you get the chance to go there, don’t forget to visit the following restaurants to get a wonderful taste of delicious food: Tacontento and El Mesón EspañolQuesillos El Pipe is the best place to eat quesillos a Nicaraguan dish made of quesillo cheese, sweet cream, pickled onions and corn tortillas. If you want to watch a movie you can also do so at Galerias, you can visit Cinemas Galerias and enjoy a delicious snack that can be accompanied by wine, beer, or just a soda.

2. You will love to visit Masaya, “La Ciudad de Las Flores”. This city is magical since it has the essence of the Nicaragua culture and traditions. You should visit the Mercado de artesania and eat fritanga!  You could also consider going to Masaya volcano, especially at night!

3.   If you are planning to visit some beaches in Nicaragua, let me tell you-you should definitely visit Rivas. This department has some small towns like Tola and San Juan del Sur that both have gorgeous beaches. The best places to stay in are Aqua Wellness Resort, Rancho Santana, Mukul Resort, and Pelican Eyes Resort. If you are planning to wander around the town of San Juan del Sur you should visit San Juan del Sur Cervecería, they have awesome tacos, beer, and ambiance! If you are more into the island vibes, then you should consider visiting Ometepe. This island is within the Cocibolca Lake. It is totally breathtaking as it’s surrounded by fresh water and has two volcanos.

 4.  If you would like to visit the “La Gran Sultana”, Granada. Granada is a colonial style city, you will fall in love with its view. If this city is on your bucket list, then you must go to the following places: central park, Cocibolca lake, hike the Mombacho volcano and eat at El Zaguán.

5. You also have to visit “La Ciudad Universitaria”, León. This is a gorgeous city that is pretty hot, but it has beautiful beaches. If you’re seeking adventure, then you should hike El Hoyo and Cerro Negro volcano. I have only hiked El Hoyo and Mombacho volcano. I am planning next time to hike the Telica volcano. In order to hike the volcanos, you have to be in good shape and hydrated because the sun gets really intense and the roads are somehow difficult to hike. You could also visit the Cathedral in León, the top view is just breathtaking! One of the places to eat while in León is El Sesteo, this place is so yummy!

6.  If you are looking for palm trees, coconuts, and turquoise color water, then you must go to Corn Island. It is a true paradise. The food is exquisite and it will make you feel so relaxed. To get there you have to travel by airplane, so you have to buy a ticket at La Costeña. You can stay at Arenas Beach Hotel, it’s the only place I recommend.

7.  If you like mountains, fresh weather, coffee and Tabaco, then you should go to Estelí and Matagalpa. Matagalpa is the department where most coffee is produced. It is just the best in the entire country. Definitely, go there if you’d love to try a really nice cup of coffee.

8. Estelí is the city that manufactures Tabaco. It also has natural places such as a waterfall (La Estanzuela) and a natural reserve (Miraflor). If you are in Estelí, then you should visit these places above mentioned. If you want to eat really good while in Estelí, then go to Pullazo’s Ole, Café y Restaurante Cohifer, pupusas near Instituto San Francisco School and Café Papa Jam Pizza.

9. Last but not least, you’d enjoy going to Somoto Canyon. This Canyon is located in Somoto city. I cannot recommend you a place to eat there because I have not been there that often. So, it’d be better if you bring your own meals.

That would be it for now about Nicaragua. I’ll be writing more about my experiences hiking the volcanos. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, you can do so in the comment section of this post. I hope you are having an awesome week.

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored. 

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