Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
There's no Intur, but the
Chichigalpa alcaldía
( 2343-2456; alchichi@ibw.com.ni)
, about
two blocks from the charming Parque Central, has a Commission of Culture that can ar-
range guided tours of
Flor de Caña
(not open to the general public), city tours that take in
the ruins of
Iglesia El Pueblito
, and guided hikes to the top of San Cristóbal via
Parque
Ecológico Municipal
. This smoking city park, about 10km from town and accessible by
4WD only, preserves 50
manzanas
(city blocks) of mostly primary forest, including a
trailhead to the top of the volcano. Guides cost US$15 per group.
Other than the automotels at the
empalme,
there's the reasonable
Hospedaje Friends
(frente licoreria; s/d US$7.50/10)
, just west of the entrance to the rum factory in an unsigned
building. These are decent budget rooms, but solo female travelers may feel uncomfort-
able here. Right at the other end of the scale is
Hotel La Vista
( 2343-2035; Alcaldía, 1c E,
75m N; s/d incl breakfast US$40/60; )
, with good-sized rooms stocked with wrought-
iron and hardwood furniture. The breakfast is big, and the balcony does indeed have a
vista.
Microbuses to Chinandega (US$0.20, 15 minutes) depart from the market when full,
5am to 6pm.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Cosigüina Peninsula Beaches
The Cosigüina peninsula is well on its way to becoming an island, worn away on two
sides by brilliant estuaries and fringed with sandy beaches, ranging from the pearl grays of
Jiquilillo to coal black at Playa Carbón.
These aren't the easiest beaches to visit, but you'll be rewarded with impressive
stretches of sand interrupted only by fishing villages, sea turtles and mangrove swamps.
The surfing is great but largely unexplored, and hotels are few and far between.
El Corinto
POP 18,000 / ELEV 10M
Nicaragua's only deep-water port, El Corinto actually inherited the job from a much older
town, Puerto El Realejo, founded on February 26, 1522, and subsequently attacked by
such famous pirates as William Dampier and John Davis. As the centuries passed and
sand filled in the estuary, the barrier island of Punto Icaco became the port, where El Cor-
into was founded in 1858.
