Some of the coolest places we’ve stayed and some of the most incredible adventures we’ve experienced are thanks to meeting and talking with people who gave their recommendations, both good and bad.
We wrestled with the idea of skipping Nicaragua because of its current political situation, its dangerous reputation in the news, and the fact that 95% of the south-bound travelers we talked to planned to skip right over it.
Not one to give up that easily, we started researching and looking for safe accommodations and thinking about our #centralamericatravel goals and we decided to go full send (hope you’re proud, Allen!).
As mentioned in our Honduras post, once Ramon said he was available to guide us up and down Cerro Mogotón, the highest peak in Nicaragua, and make sure we didn’t step on any landmines (sorry, Marla!), we said “Por Qué No!” and changed our plans to head to Ocotal, Nicaragua instead of León.
Ramon, despite his serious demeanor, is a pleasant and proud Spanish-only speaking coffee plantation owner who guides people safely up the mountain as his side gig. He picked us up from our hotel and after a drive down a long dirt road with quite a few river crossings, we arrived at his coffee farm (they supply Dogwood Coffee) where he and his brother fed us delicious bread and brewed the most delightful cup of coffee Kourtney has had yet!
You can tell that these gentlemen take such pride in their work even Coons had trouble saying “no, gracias” to a taste, and if you know Coons, you know this is a BIG deal.
Our hike was so much fun! It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day (to start). The first part we were skipping on rocks over the river, balancing on fallen tree stumps, helping each other over large boulders, and crawling under downed trees.
The second section was steep, but thankfully the generous country of Luxembourg had donated money to make wooden “stairs” in order to make the trail more accessible and help increase tourism. The third section was MUD-DY. All of the sudden, we entered the classic fog-encased summit we have become accustomed to hiking in. Ramon casually mentioned after the fact that this part of the trail is damp and dank ten months out of the year — so that’s why you’re wearing knee-length rubber boots, Ramon!
After we reached the summit and shared a snack, we started down the other side through more mud and clouds, finally finding the sun again in a large field of flowers almost as tall as Kourtney; don’t they compliment her rain jacket nicely?
Despite this damp and dirty hike, we had an absolute blast and remained in good spirits the whole time — maybe the coffee and the pizza for breakfast helped too.
After Ocotal, we took a Colectivo bus to Somoto to enjoy a canyon tour. Described as the “Grand Canyon of Nicaragua,” this six hour trek was a must-see and reminded us of the Narrows hike in Zion National Park.
Our guide brought us hiking and swimming over and through large rock faces; pointed out the best spots to jump off the rocks; and he pointed out bats in the caves and iguanas bathing in the sun. We found bullet shells, indicating that we were close to the border with Honduras (of course!), near the fork in the river where the Honduran and Nicaraguan sections meet. The intersection of these two rivers forms the Coco River, the longest in Central America! We had a blast on the tour but we were definitely looking forward to some traditional gallo pinto (Nicaragua style rice and beans) and pollo back at the hostel.
From Somoto, it was finally time for some volcano sledding in León. The non-profit organization Quetzaltrekkers runs their version of volcano boarding at Cerro Negro. A 45 minute hike up volcanic rock in the blistering sun brings you to the top where you can see other volcanoes in the area. Careful not to touch the rock for too long as it is hot enough to roast vegetables over!
Our guide, Wilbur, who hates volcano boarding (too much sand everywhere!), gave us a quick briefing and ran down the hill in order to snap photos and videos of us cruising by. Dressed in our minion suits and safety goggles, we hopped on our sleds, kissed our lucky eggs, and dropped into the black sand dunes!
Wilbur was stunned we wanted to do it again, but we had the need for speed and went for round two. Luckily we booked with Queltzaltrekkers, the only company that lets you take two runs down the volcano for the price of one. We were still finding small black pebbles in our hair weeks later, but this excursion was well worth it!
From León, we took another couple of buses to Granada, our final stop in Nicaragua. We stayed at Hostal Oasis, a recommendation from the couple we went volcano boarding with, because it has a pool and Nicaragua is muy caliente! The free rum hour didn’t hinder the decision either. We met a lovely couple there and we booked a tour the next day for their sister hostel, Paradiso, to enjoy a day on the water.
Of course, the weather this day was cloudy and overcast, but we made the most of it, kayaking on the white-capped lake, and kicking butt in a couple games of pool vs. the sharks from London.
In Granada, we also enjoyed climbing church towers to view the town and touring a local cigar factory.
Realizing the food budget was getting out of control, we stopped at the local grocery market to buy food; we cooked almost all of our meals in the kitchen at Oasis while chatting with a French couple who are biking through Central and South America with their THREE children (two, six, and eight)! The tres amigos study for at least an hour a day, and the parents report the children speak better Spanish than they do.
This low-key stop in Granada was much needed because next on the agenda is a three-day hiking trek in Costa Rica for Kourtney’s birthday weekend!
