Planning Your Time

If you’ve only got a day and a night, spend them in the city of Estelí [1], Nicaragua’s capital of tobacco, to sample world-renowned cigars and admire the town’s inspiring collection of murals.

With a second day, the bird-watcher, hiker, and historian should focus on nearby attractions like the Estanzuela waterfall, the lodge and trails at Tisey [2], or the orchid-rich broadleaf forest reserve of Miraflor [3].

With a little more leisurely pace however, you can easily spend another day exploring Miraflor. Or spend it getting a feel for the campesino lifestyle by spending a lazy afternoon in any of the small northern towns off the Pan-American—like Condega [4], La Trinidad [5], or Pueblo Nuevo [6]—or find yourself in the highland border towns of Ocotal [7] or Somoto [8].

If you’re really curious, go deeper still, by traveling long loops eastward to Jalapa [9] and Quilalí [9], or to Cusmapa, the highest town in Nicaragua.