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  ACCOMMODATION At Frida Travel you can choose from a wide variety of lodging all over Costa Rica with direct links to online booking.

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  THE CENTRAL VALLEY  Most exciting experience in Costa Rica. visit volcanoes,rivers, private reserves, Orosi Valley famous for its old Church

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  Few regions of comparable size can offer as many sights, unique attractions and leisure-time activities as Costa Rica

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Frida Travel
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Discover Central America - NICARAGUA

Full country name: Republic of Nicaragua
Area: 129,494 sq km
Population: 5.2 million
People: 69% mestizo, 17% European descent, 9% African descent, 5% indigenous peoples
Language: English, Spanish
Religion: Roman Catholic (85%), Protestant (16%)
Government: republic
Head of State: President Enrique Bolaños
GDP: US$1.11 billion
GDP per capita: US$2,200
Inflation: 3.7%
Major Industries: Coffee, seafood, sugar, meat, bananas, food processing, chemicals, metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear
Major Trading Partners: Canada, Japan, Germany, Venezuela, USA, the rest of Central America.

Attractions

Managua

The capital of Nicaragua is spread across the southern shore of Lago de Managua and is crowded with more than a quarter of Nicaragua's population. It's been racked by natural disasters, including two earthquakes this century, and since the 1972 earthquake the city has had no centre.

Several of Managua's attractions stand around the Plaza de la República, including the lakeside municipal cathedral. Near the cathedral is the impressively restored Palacio Nacional, which has two giant paintings of Augusto Sandino and Carlos Fonseca at the entrance.

Around Managua

The large volcano at the centre of Parque Nacional Volcán Masaya, which still steams and belches, is surrounded by smaller volcanoes and thermal springs. Legends say that the pre-Hispanic inhabitants of the area threw young women into the boiling lava to appease Chaciutique, the goddess of fire.

While the Spanish believed it was the entrance to hell, there are some heavenly bodies of water. Laguna de Xiloá, a stunning crater lake northwest of the city is a favorite swimming spot. El Trapiche, to the southeast, has spring water channeled into large outdoor pools surrounded by lush gardens.

Granada

Granada, nicknamed 'La Gran Sultana'(The Great Sultan) in reference to its Moorish namesake in Spain, is Nicaragua's oldest Spanish city. Founded in 1524 by conquistadors, it rumps up against the imposing Volcán Mombacho on the the northwest shore of Lake Nicaragua.

With its access to the Caribbean Sea via the lake and the Río San Juan, Granada has always been a main trade centre. Today the town is relatively quiet and a major literary centre, and retains its colonial character. It's a wonderful walking city, with the cathedral and Parque Colón near the plaza.

León

León is traditionally the most liberal of Nicaragua's cities and remains the radical and intellectual centre of the country. Monuments to the revolution, including bold Sandinista murals, are dotted all over town, and many buildings are riddled with bullet holes.

Though scarred by earthquakes and war, the city is resplendent with many fine colonial churches and official buildings. Its streets are lined with old Spanish-style houses that have white adobe walls, red-tiled roofs, thick wooden doors and cool garden patios.

The Caribbean Coast (Nicaragua)

Unlike the rest of Nicaragua, the Caribbean coast was never colonised: it remained a British protectorate until the late 1800s. The only part of the rainforest-covered coast usually visited by travellers is Bluefields, but some visitors also head out to the Corn Islands (Islas del Maíz).

The journey from Managua to Bluefields involves a five-hour boat trip down the Río Escondido. Bluefields' mix of ethnic groups makes it an interesting place, and the people here definitely like to have a good time; there are several reggae clubs and plenty of dancing on the weekends.

GUATEMALA - HONDURAS - EL SALVADOR - NICARAGUA - PANAMÁ