Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
uphill. Matagalpa-bound folks need to take the bus to Muy Muy, from where there are fre-
quent departures for Matagalpa. Bus services include the following:
Managua ( ordinario US$1.50, three hours, 3:45am to 5:25pm, half-hourly; minivan
US$1.90, two hours, every 1½ hours or so) Bus departs when full.
Muy Muy (US$1.25, one hour, 5am-5:30pm, every three hours)
Río Blanco (US$2.20, 2½ hours, 7am and 1pm)
San José de los Remates (US$1.25, 1½ hours, 2:30pm) Returns at 8:30am.
Santa Lucia (US$0.80, one hour, noon and 3pm)
Santa Lucia
POP 3000
Just 12km north of Boaco off a 4WD-only road, the picturesque, crumbling Spanish-colo-
nial town of Santa Lucia is nestled in the heart of a 1000-year-old volcanic crater surroun-
ded by rainforested peaks that are part of Reserva Natural Cerro Cumaica-Cerro Alegre .
From town it's a difficult 4km hike to Cueva Santo Domingo , an old Sandinista strong-
hold with many petroglyphs left by the previous indigenous residents. There are more pet-
roglyphs at Piedra de Sapo , at the top of the volcanic rim, from where you can see
Masaya, Managua and the lakes on a clear day.
Back Road to Matagalpa
If you're heading north from Boaco and not in any hurry, consider taking the scenic back-
country route to Matagalpa through peaceful pastoral lands at the foot of rugged and
rarely visited mountains.
The first stop is the quiet farming town of San José de Remates , an hour north of the
turnoff at Teustepe on the Boaco-Managua road. San José has relatively easy access to
Reserva Natural Cerro Cumaica-Cerro Alegre, and it flaunts it through a municipal tour-
ism program launched to help preserve its own clean water supply.
Several years ago, a Boaco-based cattle-ranching operation had polluted the watershed
to the point that municipal ground water was threatened. The townspeople mobilized, con-
vinced the rancher to grow sustainable organic coffee instead, and reforested much of the
property themselves. The land is now protected as a municipal park, Reserva Hídrica Muni-
cipal La Chorrera , adjacent to the national reserve. Local tourism helps foot the bill.
 
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