A country · 64 places · 14 regions

Nicaragua, all of it.

64 curated places across 14 regions — photographed, mapped, and noted with the season each is best in.

Cerro Negro · via Wikimedia Commons

The 4 biggest regions — Granada Department, León Department, Managua Department and Rivas Department — read below as chapters, with 10 more waiting past them.

Chapter I · Granada Department · 7 places

Granada Department

Granada, founded in 1524 on the western shore of Lake Nicaragua, is considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited Spanish colonial cities in the Americas. Its central plaza is flanked by the ochre-yellow Cathedral of Granada and brightly painted 16th- and 17th-century façades. Horse-drawn carriages navigate streets of terracotta-roofed houses, and the nearby Isletas—a chain of over 350 small islands formed by an ancient Mombacho eruption—are accessible by boat from the city waterfront.

Granada, Nicaragua

Granada Department, Nicaragua

✦ November to April

Laguna de Apoyo

Granada Department, Nicaragua

✦ Year-round; November to April is driest · $

Mombacho

Granada Department, Nicaragua

✦ December to April for clearer summit views

All 7 places in Granada Department →

via Wikimedia Commons

Chapter II · León Department · 6 places

León Department

One of the youngest volcanoes in Central America, a stark black cinder cone rising from farmland northeast of León. Its gravelly slopes made it the birthplace of volcano boarding, where riders sled down the ash at high speed. The short, steep hike to the crater rim rewards with views over the Maribios volcanic chain.

✦ November to April; start early to avoid midday heat on the exposed slopes · $

Meet Cerro Negro All 6 places in León Department →

Chapter III · Managua Department · 6 places

Managua Department

Nicaragua's national baseball stadium is named for Dennis Martinez, the first Nicaraguan to play in the US major leagues and pitcher of a perfect game. The modern arena, opened in 2017, replaced an older stadium on the site and seats tens of thousands. Baseball is the national passion, and the ballpark hosts league finals and international matches. Located near the old city centre, it is a modern landmark in a capital still marked by its 1972 earthquake.

Dennis Martinez National Stadium

Managua Department, Nicaragua

✦ November-April · $

Apoyeque

Managua Department, Nicaragua

✦ December to April

New Cathedral of Managua

Managua Department, Nicaragua

✦ November-April · $

All 6 places in Managua Department →

via Wikimedia Commons

Chapter IV · Rivas Department · 6 places

Rivas Department

A pair of spring-fed natural pools on Ometepe island, filled with cool, crystalline water beneath shady trees. Their mineral springs are a favourite refreshing stop for island travellers.

✦ December to April · $

Meet Ojo de Agua, Ometepe All 6 places in Rivas Department →