Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Intur
(Parque Central, 1c O, ½c N; 9am-2pm Mon-Fri, to noon Sat)
Friendly tourist office that
is able to arrange guides to surrounding attractions.
Getting There & Away
Buses to Managua, El Rama and San Carlos all leave from the Cotran bus terminal across
Hwy 7 from downtown, 500m south of the hospital (taxis US$0.60). Minivans for
Managua (US$3.30) leave the Cotran when full. Passing
expreso
buses to Managua ori-
ginating in San Carlos and El Rama do not enter the Cotran - hail them on the highway.
Buses to Cuapa, La Libertad and Puerto Díaz leave from the Mercado.
El Rama
(US$4, five hours, almost hourly from 4:30am to 2:45pm)
Managua
(US$2.10, four hours, 4am to 6pm, hourly)
Puerto Díaz
(US$1, one hour, 5:30am, 9:30am, 11:30am and 1pm)
San Carlos
(US$4.50, four hours, 4am to 3:30pm, two hourly)
Puerto Díaz
Just 28km west of Juigalpa, the lakefront village of Puerto Díaz defines the term
tranquilo
. Aside from visiting some of the least-visited islets in the lake, eating fresh fish and con-
templating the vast expanse of pale-blue water that is Lago de Nicaragua, there's not a
whole lot to do here.
Absalon Rivera
( 8444-4976; contiguo El Pescadito)
arranges boat trips (per day US$50,
six to seven passengers) to the archipelago in front of town, where you can visit each of
the three rocky islands with their array of birdlife and swimming beaches. There's a house
on
Isla Redonda
where you may be able to sling your hammock for the night, but you'll
need to bring food and water with you from the mainland.
Isla Grande
is home to a tiny
farming community and
Isla El Muerte
is owned by an absent foreigner, but the guard will
probably let you poke around.
In a breezy ranch by the water,
El Pescadito
( 8639-6116; meals US$3-5; 6am-10pm)
serves a terrific fried fish (so fresh the meat really does fall off the bones) with panoramic
lake views.
Bar y Restaurant Lizayel
(meals US$3.50-4.20; 6am-10pm)
, right across the
road, has a similar menu but less ambience. It also organizes boat trips (US$21 per hour)
to the islands.
For a refreshing swim, head up to the cement pools and thatched bar of
Mirador Vista
Linda
(
8am-7pm Sat & Sun)
, on the hill just above
2512-2699; adult/child US$0.80/0.40;
