Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tours
Tree Huggers
GUIDED TOUR
( 8496-7449;
treehuggersnicaragua.wordpress.com
; Av 2a NE & Calle 3a NE; 8am-8pm)
This friendly and vibrant tour office is the specialist in trips to Miraflor but also offers
other interesting community tourism trips around town and a great-value cigar tour. It also
has a wealth of information for independent travelers. Profits support local social projects.
Cigar Tours
Estelí produces and rolls some of the world's finest tobacco. Seeds are original Cuban
stock, as are the curing and rolling techniques you can witness firsthand in the warehouse-
like factories. Fumes can get intense, but you'll acclimatize. Tobacco is harvested March
through April and
puros
(cigars) are rolled always and forever.
While the tobacco industry is a massive employer in the region and a major contributor
to the local economy, conditions for workers vary dramatically. Some factories have airy
and spacious rolling areas while others are your classic sweatshop.
Many of the major producers have special tax status and are unable to sell cigars from
their factories. It is not possible to send cigars home via the postal service in Nicaragua.
Local tour guide
Leo Flores
( 8415-2428; leoafl@yahoo.es)
is well connected in the in-
dustry and can get you access to a wide variety of factories and plantations.
Alternatively organize a tour to watch the rolling process at Cuban-owned
Tabacalera
Santiago
with Tree Huggers for US$5 including transport and a local guide. The tour offers
insights into the entire cigar-making process and visitors are free to talk to the staff as they
roll 60 varieties of stogie. Cigars are available for purchase at the end of the tour.
The following producers also organize tours with advance notice.
Tabacalera Cubanica
OFFLINE MAP
CIGAR TOUR
GOOGLE MAP
( 2713-2383; Panamericana & Calle 7a SE)
This pioneering factory produces Padrón cigars,
Nicaragua´s most prestigious (and costly) brand.
Drew Estate
(
www.cigarsafari.com
;
Barrio Oscar Gamez 2)
Estelí's most innovative cigar company offers all
inclusive multiday 'Cigar Safari' tours aimed at serious cigar enthusiasts.
CIGAR TOUR
