THE CATARINA MIRADOR

This hillside pueblo clings to the verdant lip of the spectacular Laguna de Apoyo crater lake. The Mirador is a blustery cliff-side walkway and restaurant complex at the edge of the crater with one of the best panoramas in Nicaragua. Look for the red tiled roofs of Granada, broad Lake Cocibolca behind, and on a clear day, the twin volcanic peaks of Ometepe. The view at the Mirador is only one reason people visit Catarina; lush, ornamental plant nurseries and the shops of local artisans and basket makers lining Catarina’s streets are the others. The Catarina shopping spree begins before you even turn into the entrance to the town, and continues up past the church and along the final hill to the entrance of the Mirador. There you’ll only be asked to pay an entrada if you have a vehicle ($.75).

  The laguna is a first-class swimming hole (despite the requisite monster legends), and a network of tough foot paths link the Mirador to the waterside. But a better access route is via direct bus service between the laguna itself and Masaya or Managua.

  Hotel Jaaris (tel. 505/558-0020, $8 s) and Hospedaje Euro, both one block west (i.e. downhill) from the Catarina church, offer simple but clean accommodations.