by Justin Haring

Perhaps if there is a single concept to describe the experience of a journey through Nicaragua’s north mountain region it is the magic of change. As you climb and descend through hills and valleys of the Matagalpa department, the environment, the plant life, the geography, the geology and the lives of the people change before you with seemingly minor variations in altitude.

Palm and banana trees, pine trees and hard woods too as rolling hills ascend to jagged mountains. Every shade of green, from verdant to emerald, decorates the sharp, rocky inclines.

The temperatures vary as well; at the highest elevations, the cool, moist air is more reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest or Northern Europe than the Tropics.  

If you have become accustomed to the pervasive tropical heat of most of the rest of Nicaragua, a grand pleasure of a visit to the north country is feeling the brisk mountain breeze, or falling asleep at night wrapped in a cocoon of blankets. 

The region has three climate zones. Areas located at an elevation around 1,200 meters (4,000 feet) are classified as “semi-wet tropical” while the town of San Ramón at 750 meters (2500 feet) is “semi-dry tropical” and warmer. Lower areas are classified as “dry tropical.”

The urban center of the central highlands, about two hours’ drive north of Managua, is Matagalpa. With a population of about 90,000, it is the capital of Matagalpa Department, and is one of the nation’s principal urban areas and an important commercial center for the nearby coffee-producing and gold-mining region. Coffee processing, flour milling, and textile manufacturing are major industries here. The cathedral from the Spanish colonial period is a noted landmark. The hilly streets of Matagalpa have a well-kept look to them; the stories of hardship associated with the collapse of coffee prices a few years ago seem to have abated

Matagalpa, “La Perla del Septentrion” (the pearl of the north) as it is known, has much to offer pilgrims from the low country, aside from its pleasurable climate.  It is a great base for excursions further north, being only about a 45-minute drive from Jinotega.  Accommodations vary, but Lomas de San Tomas and Hotel Fountaine Blue are two of the best options at around US$40 a night.  Lomas de San Tomas has a great view, but Fountaine Blue is closer in town. 

There is a variety of good restaurants. A favorite is El Pullazo, right on the road as you come in from Managua, where you can get a great steak.  They are also the proud owners of quite possibly the only fish-tank east of Managua.  One of Matagalpa’s best-kept secrets is the little Italian restaurant called La Vita è Bella, a block and a half north of the Central Park.  The Italian owners present authentic cuisine that never fails to impress.

There are plenty of options for nightlife on the weekends in Matagalpa, most notably Tequila’s on the road in from Managua.  There are other disco clubs scattered intermittently throughout town, so keep your eyes peeled during the day for a good place to hang out at night. 

Outside Mataglapa, the two most-visited tourist destinations in the area are the Selva Negra Resort and La Esperanza Verde. Both are not only resorts, but also self-enclosed communities growing premium-grade coffee and other produce while preserving the natural environment surrounding it.

La Esperanza Verde won the Smithsonian Magazine’s Sustainable Tourism Award. Said INTUR’s Lucia Salazar, “It is the first time Nicaragua is the winner in a world wide competition. The award bestowed on Finca Esperanza Verde Ecolodge and Nature Preserve gives a positive image to our country currently promoting itself as a tourist destination, especially with European and North American tourists who usually seek destinations friendly to the environment. This is an excellent opportunity to let people know about our country. The award will help to change the negative image that we have, it will attract more tourism which will permit the creation of more employment and it is of immense pride for Nicaragua.”

Finca Esperanza Verde Eco-lodge, built of handmade brick with solar electric panels on all the rooftops and two solar refrigerators in the kitchen, has a 100-mile view across the Dariense mountain range. It is a cool, green and tranquil paradise at 1,200 meters/4,000 feet elevation. From the 18-bed lodge visitors may bird watch while seated in a rocking chair or stroll through nearby hiking trails to view 150 species of birds and other wildlife. The lodge includes two cabins with bath and shower which each sleep six people in comfortable bunk beds and three private rooms with shared bath and shower. There is an 8-bed dormitory located next to the butterfly farm nearby.

Eco-tours to San Ramón are organized by former tourists who want to introduce others to rural Nicaraguan where a casual horseback ride can turn into an opportunity to visit the horse owner’s farm to meet his family. In addition, a hike through the shade grown coffee farm can turn into a lesson in how to cure rashes and stomachache with herbal medicines grown along the path as well as a dip in a secluded pool below a waterfall.

The Selva Negra, coffee plantation is about 9 km north of Matagalpa on the steep and incredibly winding road to Jinotega.  You will see an old rusty tank splashed sloppily with red, blue, pink, and white representing a montage of political endorsements from past and current elections. You may also see coffee workers there waiting for the bus to pass while their children play soldier on the corroded war machine.  This remnant of past hostility marks the entrance to a place of peaceful tranquility.  At the end of this road is a quiet mountain lake encircled by beautiful German-style cottages set against a backdrop of dense forest.  This is the mountain resort of Selva Negra. 

Originally settled by German immigrants in the late 1800s, Selva Negra is still owned and operated by their descendants.  Eddy and Mausi Kühl are often on hand to chat with their guests about everything from the workings of the farm to the indigenous language of Matagalpa’s original inhabitants. 

During your stay, you can enjoy homemade cheeses, sausages and sauerkraut, among other tasty menu items in their restaurant.  They also offer horseback tours of the plantation and monkeys, quetzals and sloths frequent their hiking trails.  There is even an orchid-covered chapel, built several years ago for a family wedding - rustic perfection in a forest setting.

While the higher zones may be dedicated mostly to coffee, if you pick up a hitchhiker - common along these roads - he will invariably tell you that what is grown here is corn and beans. You wonder whom - and how - they manage to work these sloped fields. A visit to a roadside market stall reveals, however, that a few other things are grown.

The area between Matagalpa and Jinotega is not only remarkable for its serene esthetic, but also for its produce.  Several years back, an NGO came through and taught the people how to take advantage of the chilly climate using mini-greenhouses and other advanced farming techniques to grow things that would normally scorch in the harsh lower lands.  Now, you can buy strawberries and cauliflower, as well as beautiful bouquets of flowers along the way to Jinotega.

Even given these innovations, the majority of the people here still make their subsistence farming corn and beans.  They plant by hand, using just a pointed stick to make a hole for the seed, throwing a sprinkle of chemical fertilizer on top as they go.

On ground less steep, they employ oxen dragging wooden ploughs as they did before the Spaniards set foot on this continent.  Bananas and Plantains are another staple of their diet; you can buy an entire head of bananas along the road for around 6 córdobas.  However if there is only one thing you ever buy from a lady selling things out of a basket on her head, it should be a fresh güirila (pronounced gwee-dee-la) with a piece of cuajada (fresh salted cheese).  This is a thin tortilla made with fresh, undried corn.  It is the ambrosia of the northern reaches, to know of its goodness is well worth conquering any fear you may harbor toward local food vendors. 

Life is a delicate balance for these people.  They live from harvest to harvest.  Too little or too much rain can ruin an entire crop.  Even strong winds can blow down corn stalks and leave a man wondering in dismay about what he will eat until the next harvest.  When times get hard, many men in this area turn to the coffee plantations for temporary employment.  If there is still no work, many men will venture as far as Costa Rica to bring home a living for their large families. They are friendly people, honest, and caring.  They are curious and may stare at you.  After all, it is not everyday that they see foreigners and they want to make the most of it.  

As the road twists yet further north you are met with spectacular views of mountain valleys and far away ranges.  If you happen to be in the back of a pick-up on a clear day, you can even see as far as volcano Mombotombo, an awesome site.  There are lots of neat places and lookouts to stop at along the way.  One such place is the Disparte restaurant about 20 km before Jinotega.  This is where the builders of the road from Matagalpa to Jinotega had to blast their way through a rock wall to continue the road.  They have some caged monkeys and an incredible lookout from the top of a pinnacle of rock left from the blast.

Jinotega is known as “La Ciudad de Las Brumas”, the city of fog, because of the fog that fills the valley on chilly mountain mornings. As a windy city, it is Nicaragua’s answer to Chicago.  In the evening, cool winds whip through the streets strong enough to almost blow you over, so bring a jacket.  If you are going to spend the night, there are many inexpensive little hostels.  The hotel Café is the nicest place in town, though.  An illuminated cross on the western edge of the valley can be hiked to in about an hour and a half that gives a nice view of the whole city below.  Jinotega is a lovely city to stroll through, with a couple of cathedrals and a nice central park.  Most of the restaurants serve good typical fare. On the weekends, the dance clubs open up.  The Monkey Jungle and Disco Dance Magic are a couple of the best options.  Jinotega is really a farmer’s city where people from the country come to get supplies and sell their wares.  It is a charming place, but does not offer much excitement for a long stay. 

A little further north and you come to Nicaragua’s only man-made lake, Lago Apanas. There are tales of huge fish that lurk in the depths of the lake, Guapote and Tilapia that will feed a family of six. Of course, Nicaraguan fishermen, like all others, love to tell stories.  If you speak Spanish, you can talk to anyone and they will help you to find a boat and will probably go with you to a good fishing hole, otherwise, get a guide from Jinotega.  Better bring your camera, just in case…