Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
LA RUTA DE CAFÉ
The Ruta de Café is a loose association of coffee
fincas
that welcome tourists to their fields
(which range from
colectivos
of small subsistence growers to 100-year-old plantations). You can
spend the night, hike through neighboring cloud forests, join in harvests (October to March) and
sip plenty of local joe. There are four branches to the ever-expanding Ruta de Café, which spans
the entirety of the northern highlands.
Estelí & Nueva Segovia
Near Estelí, the Área Protegida Miraflor is a tapestry of family coffee
fincas
that formed in the
wake of the Sandinista revolution. Further north, the lush, layered and shady coffee fields of Di-
pilto produce some of the most acclaimed beans in Nicaragua, and Finca Cerro de Jesús grows
terrific coffee among large tracts of cloud forest in the rocky peaks surrounding Jalapa.
San Rafael del Norte
Accessed from San Rafael del Norte, El Jaguar is a family farm and model of sustainability with
14 hectares of organic coffee parcels surrounded by 53 hectares of tropical cloud forest. Nearby
Finca Kilimanjaro also arranges tours and overnight stays. In addition to joining the harvest, you
can ride trails to glorious
miradores
(lookout points), plunge into swimming holes and milk the
family cows.
Jinotega
When German coffee growers and their families first arrived in Nicaragua in the early 20th cen-
tury, they came to the mountains that soar above Jinotega. It is here that you'll find La Bastilla
Ecolodge, a nonprofit initiative within a nature reserve that offers full coffee tours including tast-
ing sessions.
Also in the reserve are Finca La Estrella, where you can harvest berries with family farmers,
and Cooperativa Lina Herrera, a shade-grown cooperative surrounded by thick forest.
Matagalpa
The big draw here are two very different coffee-farm experiences. Selva Negra, an 850-hectare
estate, was founded by German immigrants in the 1880s and is still managed by their heirs. It of-
fers sustainable coffee and wildlife tours.
For a more rustic experience, head to the communities surrounding San Ramon where you can
join the locals in the harvest and follow the beans to a community roasting plant.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Matagalpa
POP 89,100 / ELEV 902M
