Northern Highlands - Nicaragua - page 410

One daily bus leaves Cotran Norte in Matagalpa at 1:45pm for Las Nubes, passing
through La Fundadora and La Esmeralda, returning at 6am. It gets full, so arrive early or
you may be riding on the roof. There are plans for a new bus service from Jinotega, which
should be running by the time this topic is published.
Heading north from Jinotega, there are a number of coffee farms inside the reserve that
welcome visitors. Set on a dramatic forested mountainside at 1200m with views all the
way down to Lago Apanas, La Bastilla Ecolodge ( 8654-6235, 2782-4335;
www.bastillaecolodge.com ; Reserva Natural Datanlí-El Diablo; dm/s/d/t incl breakfast US$15/40/60/
90) has easily the most comfortable accommodations in the reserve. The spacious, solar-
powered brick cabañas have red floor tiles and sparkling bathrooms with solar hot water.
But the best part are the sensational views over the coffee plantations full of birds from
the rocking chairs on the wide wooden balconies. There are also classy tent platforms with
private bathrooms and a comfortable dormitory. But 1st-class comfort and service is only
half the story here. The ecolodge is an entirely nonprofit initiative that funds the nearby
technical training center. Many students from the center work as guides and can take you
along the 450 manzana farm's three hiking trails. Or you can try your hand picking your
own coffee.
To reach here take any Pantasma via Asturias bus from Jinotega and jump out at the
'empalme La Bastilla,' from where it's a tough 5km hike uphill. If you call in advance,
staff will pick you up at the turnoff.
A short distance north of La Bastilla (a walking trail was under construction at the time
of research) in the heart of the reserve is the community-run Cabañas El Gobiado (Cooper-
ativa Lina Herrera; 8844-0024, 8507-2750; Reserva Natural Datanlí-El Diablo; s/d/t US$10/15/
22.50) . The coffee clumps you'll see on your way here bear beans destined for market
and are the only source of income in a deeply impoverished corner of Nicaragua. A local
family runs the lodge on a plateau between jungled mountains that rise like jagged teeth
into the sky. There's a nature trail (guides US$5 per visitor) that winds through them for
three hours, connecting waterfalls to bird towers that peak above the canopy. You can visit
as a day trip, camp here or stay in one of the recently refurbished cabañas . Waking up
here, when the mist clings to those peaks, pays off.
El Gobiado is 3km down a rough spur road from the village of Venencia on the Ji-
notega-Asturias road. It is a one-hour walk or phone ahead to organize horses.
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