The Hot Springs of Aguas Claras

The Aguas Termales (Hot Waters) located seven kilometers west of the Empalme de Boaco are one of the best reasons to visit the Boaco area. The area is called Aguas Claras, where out of a crack in the ground bubbles a hot spring heated by an uninvestigated geothermal source (the locals will tell you it’s an underground volcano, which probably isn’t too far from the truth). Around 2000, an entrepreneur channeled the geothermally-heated waters into pipes and from there into a series of pools protected by palm-thatch roofs. The whole place is now a hotel and resort complex boasting three large pools and two small ones for children. All five are spotlessly clean and more professionally maintained than you’d expect. The water isn’t boiling hot, the way you find in similar establishments in Scandinavia, but it’s extraordinarily warm, and you can try all the pools until you find one with a temperature that suits you. While you lounge in the pool, you can order food from an extensive menu of traditional Nicaraguan food (chicken, fish, beef) and a wide selection of alcohol. Under the palm thatch are several soft hammocks, and in the lobby of the hotel are a pair of good billiards tables.

  There’s a high-class hotel on the premises with 17 rooms—6 inside the main building and 11 more in private cabins set around the back. Fancy, modern rooms with air-conditioning and hot-water baths (they’re not quite hot tubs, but that was the idea) cost $25 each. Two simple rooms upstairs have a shared bath (no hot tub), fan instead of a/c, and cost $15. It’s well worth the extra money to go for the better-quality accommodation. Day-use fees vary during the week, but are never more than $1.50, cheaper for kids; credit cards are accepted for hotel and restaurant expenses, not the entrance fee.

  During Semana Santa and weekends in the dry season, the hotel can fill up quickly. Call the office in Managua to make reservations, tel. 505/244-2916. There is no phone on the premises, but the Managua office communicates via a radio.