Both Esteli and Matagalpa offer a blend of urban and outdoors for those looking who want both when visiting Nicaragua. Esteli is fast becoming a chic urban center, attracting younger crowds with its trendy shops and restaurants. And surrounded by forests and mountains, it offers the active traveler plenty of nature-inspired adventure as well. Matagalpa, known as the Pearl of the North, is one of the country’s most important city centers. Beyond the museums and cultural venues within the city itself, the Matagalpa region is home to quaint small villages, gorgeous waterfalls and eco-tourists retreats.
Nicaragua has near 80 nature reserves—this, one of the more prominent located near Esteli. With 13,000 acres, the reserve is comprised of rural farming communities, wetlands, and the river La Estanzuela with accompanying waterfall.
An exciting hike that lets you interact with the outdoors and local culture. Travel through tiny villages, through forests and mountains to emerge at Mirador and see the expansive views across Matagalpa city.
Take a tour through Nicaragua’s first chocolate factory. The chocolate bars, sold throughout Central America, are among the region’s most popular. The confectionary treat is made using organic cocoa harvested right there in Matagalpa.
