Whether or not you agree with the politics of today’s Sandinistas, there is no doubt that the man, Augusto Cesar Sandino—his ideals, actions, and legacy—left an indelible footprint on Nicaraguan history, culture, and politics. Step back in time and learn more about why this is so.

DAY 1
Arrive at Managua’s International Airport. Transfer to Masaya (turn right at the silhouette of Sandino) and check in to your modest hotel.

DAY 2
Take a bus to Niquinohomo, birthplace of Sandino. Visit the humble home where he was born the bastard son of a poor servant and her rich employer. There is now a library and mini-museum here, and be sure to snap a pic of the bronze statue at the town’s entrance.

DAY 3
Back in Masaya, visit the gallery of heroes and martyrs in the town hall; also walk through the Monimbó neighborhood, site of the famous uprising in 1979, and, 50 years before, the place where an impressionable young Sandino witnessed occupation by U.S. Marines.

DAYS 4–5
Go north, to la montaña. Take a bus to Matagalpa, where you’ll visit the small museum and birth house of Carlos Amador Fonseca, founder of the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN). Explore the city and pay a visit to one of various regional coffee cooperatives, struggling success stories of the revolution’s agrarian reform. Also, seek out the grave of U.S. volunteer Benjamin Linder, killed by the Contras while helping villagers construct a small hydroelectric project.

DAY 6
Travel to Jinotega, then hop a bus for San Rafael del Norte, occasional secret base of Sandino’s troops and hometown of his sweetheart. Visit the small Sandino museum here, the church where he and Blanca Aráuz wed, and enjoy the cool climate of Nicaragua’s highlands—guerilla country.

DAYS 7–8
Take the short ride to the Miraflor Nature Reserve and arrange a homestay with one of the families in the cooperative, some of whom have living grandparents with memories of Sandino.

DAY 9
Pop down to Estelí, where you’ll spend the morning visiting another gallery of heroes and martyrs, then north again to Ocotál, site of many a battle between Sandino and U.S. troops.

DAY 10
It will take most of your day to get to León, so enjoy those celebratory beers while sitting in the Puerto Café Benjamin Linder, a restaurant-bar-Internet joint that supports local disabled children in honor of the young namesake martyr’s ideals.

DAY 11
Explore the museums and historical murals of León; as you walk the streets, note the exuberance (and leftist graffiti) of the student population. It was this same youthful Leonese spirit that demanded reform from the Somoza regime.

DAY 12
Hit the beach at Las Peñitas, where you can relax and read some of the books about Sandino that you picked up in León’s bookstores.

DAYS 13–14
The circle is completed as you return to Managua and, after dropping off your bags in your hotel, head straight for the massive Sandino silhouette on the lip of the Tiscapa Crater. Contemplate the war relics there as you look out over Managua, then walk toward the lakefront, passing the alleged spot of Sandino’s assassination. Make your way to Carlos Fonseca’s eternal flame, and end at the Peace Memorial.