Trip Itinerary

December 1st: Managua
Fly from Denver to Houston to Nicaragua. Stay overnight at the Best Western Las Mercedes near the airport.

December 2nd: Granada
Taken by Paxeos to Granada. Stay two nights at the Patio Del Malinche.

December 3rd: Granada
Touring Granada.

December 4th: Matagalpa
Picked up by Va Pues tour company, stopping at the Museum of Petroglifos in Chaguitillo which displays precolumian art and artifacts of the Nicaraguan people. Check into the mountain hotel Selva Negra near Matagalpa.

December 5th: El Chile
El Chile is described as an indigenous community located southeast of San Ramon, with great mountain views, and a tradition of fabric production. The material is woven locally to make bags, purses, etc. We will have an opportunity to see how the people live, make their own food and try a typical lunch. We are also promised a performance of music by the campesinos of the community. At the end of the day is a hike to the peak of Cerro El Chile.

December 6th: Esteli
Visit coffee plantation and possibly see the beans being picked. Then travel to Esteli where we may visit a cigar factory where cigars are rolled by hand, and a handicraft center. Stay the night at the Los Arcos Hotel.

December 7th: Return to Managua
Visit cigar factory, and make a stop at the farmer´s market at Sebaco, sampling the local ¨guirila con cuahada¨. Also a visit to the town of Ciudad Dario, and the museum of the Nicaraguan poet who has been compared to Shakespeare: Ruben Dario. There is also a small church of Ciudad Dario they want us to see. We will return to Managua in later afternoon.

December 8th: Fly back to Denver

Before the Trip

I saw a special on airfare and hotel for about $700 to Prague, but when we looked into it the hotel was out of the city, had bad reviews, and the air flight has inconvenient times and lots of stop overs. Where could we go for a week, and not have to deal with a time change? Where could we go that would be relatively inexpensive. Judy didn't want to go to Mexico: been there, done that. I didn't want to go to Guatemala: was there just last year. The Lonely Planet suggested Nicaragua was the undiscovered tourist spot they would recommend in Central America. So we booked a flight on Cheap Tickets before we knew much about the country. With some more Internet search, and reading the guide books we fleshed out a trip.

Keep posted, and we'll add more when we get there!