Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sleeping
Redwood Beach Resort
( 8996-0328;
www.rbrmechapa.com
; d with fan US$79, with air-con US$89-109, all incl breakfast;
)
Across the estuary in Mechapa there is a sweet little spot nestled among the
coconut trees right on the beach. Accommodation is in comfy little stilted guanacaste-
wood cabins, each with balconies overlooking the waves.
Access is tricky - there's the three-hour bus ride from Chinandega, or if you call ahead,
staff can come pick you up from Jiquilillo or Padre Ramos. Adventurous souls could try
to hire a launch here from Playa Jiquilillo.
LODGE
$$$
Getting There & Away
Buses to Chinandega (US$1, two hours) leave Padre Ramos at 5:50am, 7am, 9am, 1pm
and 3:30pm, returning from the Chinandega Mercadito at 7am, 10am, noon, 3pm and
4:30pm. There's one bus to Mechapa from Chinandega daily, leaving the Mercadito at
2pm.
Reserva Privada Hato Nuevo
Just near the turnoff to Mechapa, is the newly established
private reserve
( in Chinandega
2341-4245;
www.hatonuevo.com
;
Carretera El Viejo-Potosí, Km 177.5; s/d incl breakfast US$40/50)
.
Rooms in the old farmhouse are a careful blend of rustic charm and modern amenity, and
the dining area, bar and gardens are all beautifully designed. It offers trekking, horseback
riding and boat tours.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Reserva Natural Volcán Cosigüina
It was once the tallest volcano in Central America, perhaps more than 3000m high, but all
that changed on January 20, 1835. In what's considered the Americas' most violent erup-
tion since colonization, this hot-blooded peninsular beauty blew half her height in a single
blast that left three countries in stifling darkness for days and scattered ash from Mexico
to Colombia. Today what remains of Volcán Cosigüina reclines, as if spent, the broad and
jagged 872m heart of the peninsula. It's now a very manageable (if blisteringly hot) three-
