Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tree Huggers (
Click here
)
provides detailed, impartial advice on planning a trip and also
makes reservations.
Sights & Activities
Miraflor has three climate zones (ranging from 800m to 1400m), home to over 200 spe-
cies of orchid and 307 bird species, linked by 20km of trails and rutted roads. The
zona
bajo
(low zone), around Coyolito, is a tropical oak savannah ecosystem; the
zona interme-
dia
(intermediate zone), which includes Sontule, has some remnant cloud forests and tons
of orchid varieties; in the
zona alta
(high zone), you'll find coffee farms, more swatches
of cloud forest, and some excellent quetzal and monkey viewing near Cebollal in Los Vol-
cancitos.
Local
guides
(per day US$15, horses per person US$10) usually meet incoming buses
and are both inexpensive and a great resource. They know all the best hikes and climbs,
and can share insights into Miraflor's unique history and local daily life.
Specialty coffee (with/without tasting session US$70/30, up to 10 participants), orchid
(US$30, up to 10 participants) and bird tours (US$60, up to six participants) are held sea-
sonally and should be arranged via UCA Miraflor in advance.
Some landowners charge admission to visit sights or pass through their property; bring
plenty of change.
Coyolito
The lowest in elevation, this is the warmest and closest settlement to Estelí. It offers mag-
nificent views, especially from the
Mirador La Meseta
(admission US$0.40)
, and access to
several waterfalls that range from trickling to thundering depending upon the season.
Check out
Las Tres Cascadas
(admission US$1)
, a series of cascades and swimming holes,
and
La Chorrera
, a towering 65m-high waterfall that was used as en execution site by So-
moza's troops. There's also brilliant bird-watching in the forest that lines the river here.
VILLAGE
Sontule
This friendly community is surrounded by coffee farms managed by three working co-
operatives. Sontule families once worked for just four prominent landowners who owned
Miraflor and compensated their workforce with only room and board. When the Sandinis-
tas took power and nationalized the land, it was the women of Sontule who started Mira-
flor's first farming collective. Stay here and you can learn all about it, join in the coffee
VILLAGE
