Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
It is far easier to hire a vehicle (up to eight passengers) for an express trip - expect to
pay around US$50 to US60 to Buena Vista.
El Castillo
POP 1000
Cute, compact and crowned with its stunning 17th-century Spanish fortress, it's no sur-
prise that diminutive El Castillo is the Río San Juan's showpiece destination. It's laced
with pebbled-concrete walking paths that wind up, down and around the hill, shaded by
mango, coconut, orange and almond trees, and cradled by the Río San Juan - wide and
foaming with two sets of rapids that proved to be the bane of British pirates for centuries.
A town this civilized means that the jungle has been tamed here. So don't expect the
howlers to sing you to sleep. The good news is that you are just 15 minutes by boat from
Nicaragua's best-preserved lowland rainforest, the Reserva Biológica Indio-Maíz.
Sights & Activities
La Fortaleza
(admission US$2, camera fee US$1; 8am-noon & 1-4:30pm)
Properly known as La Fortaleza
de la Limpia Pura e Inmaculada Concepción, this photogenic fortress was constructed
between 1673 and 1675, commissioned after Granada was sacked three times in five
years. The Raudal El Diablo rapids were key - they slowed the pirates down just long
enough to aim enormous cannons their way. Still, it was attacked, rebuilt and fortified
every other decade for 200 years.
The fort's cinematic moment arrived when proto-feminist folk hero Rafaela Herrera
was only 19 years old. Her father, the fortress commander, was critically wounded in a
1762 battle with an on-rushing British fleet. Herrera, still the region's favorite heroine,
stepped into command (evidently wearing a nightgown) and successfully repelled the pir-
ates. In some versions of the story she fired the cannon that sank the lead ship.
Then, in 1780, 22-year-old Brit Horatio Nelson conquered the edifice. However, British
control was short-lived, malarial mosquitoes ravaged the battle-depleted party and within
a few months, the Spanish were able to walk back into the abandoned fort. Today the fort-
ress houses a terrific museum, with informative Spanish-language displays. Your entry fee
includes a tour by the enthusiastic staff.
FORT
