Nicaragua Information

For a unique cultural and shopping experience, head to the quaint town of Catarina. This town near Apoyo Crater Lake offers beautiful carved, wooden furniture, baskets and more. Explore the merchants for a great gift or keepsake.

And even though visiting this community will give you a deeper insight into Nicaraguan culture, don't think you'll have to go way out of your way to get here. Catarina is centrally located south of the capital city of Managua, west of Granada, east of Pan American Highway and north of Lake Nicaragua which is home to the volcanic island of Ometepe.

From there, visit the tropical nurseries around Catarina. Lush and bursting with colorful flora, these sites are little slices of Eden. Finally, make your way to the viewing point on the rim of the Apoyo Crater Lake to see Lake Nicaragua and the volcanic peaks on Ometepe Island in the distance.

We don’t know if there’s a way to say "cowabunga" in Spanish, but Nicaragua is a great place to find out. The southern Pacific coast offers some beautiful beaches to hang ten. 

San Juan del Sur is Nicaragua's surf town. Though increasingly recognized as a great surf spot, the crowds here are still smaller than Mexico or Costa Rica. As this destination becomes more well known, the town and the surrounding beaches are connected by increasingly sturdy infrastructure. Still, you're likely to be slowed by some livestock crossing the road. Playa Madera is about 30 minutes to the north, and it is the most popular of the breaks around San Juan. Hop further north to Playa Colorado, where a river completes its journey to the sea and the waves are killer. So killer, in fact, that the International Surfing Association hosted its 2012 World Masters Surfing Championship at Playa Colorado.  

Poetry is a big deal in Nicaragua. Poets contributed a lot to the Nicaraguan identity, and people here know it. Especially loved is the Nicaraguan native Rubén Darío, for whom a national holiday was created. For 2 weeks in early January, Matagalpa celebrates the poetic culture with presentations, competitions and even floats. Also during that time, the city of Leon conducts its own symposium on Dario’s work.

In the second week of February, the city of Granada hosts the International Poetry Festival. Hundreds of poets from all around the world flock to this city on the coast of Lake Nicaragua to recite and discuss their craft. These poets from places as diverse as New Zealand, India, Japan, Senegal, the US and more conduct readings and discussions. The festival also hosts a carnival which includes a parade and poetry readings by the participating poets at street corners.