Managua and Esteli

Nicaragua, the tenth country we visited during our Pan-American trip, surprised us both very pleasantly. Very good roads, two very interesting cities with colonial architecture and a complicated historical past (Granada and Leon), very good food and beer at absolutely moderate prices, plus we met many welcoming people who were curious to interact with tourists.

From Granada, on July 1st, we took an organized day trip to Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. We chose to take a tour rather than go on our own, because the attractions in Managua are very spread out and it is difficult to park a van. Since we were the only tourists registered for this trip, it was, so to speak, a private trip. The guide, Freder, is a very knowledgeable guy, who explained to us in detail the history of the city and the revolution that ended the Somoza regime. Returning to Granada, we took a short city tour with Freder the next day (it was a bonus he offered). Heading towards Leon, we chose the mountain route that passes through Esteli, a town very famous for its cigar industry. Here we visited a cigar factory, not with an organized tour, but simply by asking at the entrance of a factory if they could give us a short tour. The tour was free and I can say that it was an interesting experience.Baca selengkapnya