From hanging out on the Pacific beaches of San Juan del Sur and Las Peñitas and shopping for crafts in Masaya to catching up on the ever-evolving nightlife of Managua, Moon Handbooks Nicaragua is the guide to the best the country has to offer, both on and off the beaten path. Practical information includes suggested travel strategies and lists of must-see sights, plus essentials on dining, transportation, and accommodations for a range of budgets. Complete with details for volunteering and studying Spanish, hiking more than a dozen volcanoes, or strolling down the old colonial streets of Granada and Leòn, Moon Handbooks Nicaragua gives travelers the tools they need to create a more personal and memorable experience.

Discover Nicaragua
Planning Your Trip	p. 3
The Regions	p. 6
The 21-Day Best of Nicaragua	p. 12
The Path of Sandino	p. 14
Hiking the Ring of Fire	p. 16
Outdoor Adventure	p. 18
The Great Green North	p. 20
Down the Rio San Juan	p. 21
Explore Nicaragua
Managua	p. 24
Near Managua	p. 52
Chocoyero-El Brujo Nature Reserve
Montibelli Wildlife Reserve
The Lagunas of Xiloa and Apoyeque
Pacific Beaches
Beaches near Pochomil
Masaya, Carazo, and the Pueblos Blancos	p. 56
Masaya	p. 59
Near Masaya	p. 67
Coyotepe
Volcan Masaya National Park
Nindiri
The Pueblos Blancos	p. 69
The Catarina Mirador
San Juan de Oriente
Diria and Diriomo
Niquinohomo
Masatepe
San Marcos
Carazo and the Pacific Beaches	p. 72
Diriamba
Jinotepe
Near Jinotepe
Carazo Beaches
Granada	p. 77
Near Granada	p. 94
Las Isletas
Parque Nacional Archipielago Zapatera
Laguna de Apoyo
Volcan Mombacho
Rivas and La Isla de Ometepe	p. 101
Rivas	p. 104
Near Rivas	p. 110
Nandaime
San Jorge
La Isla De Ometepe	p. 113
Moyogalpa
Near Moyogalpa
Altagracia
Near Altagracia
Playa Santo Domingo
Laguna de Volcan Maderas
San Juan del Sur and the Southwest Coast	p. 129
Tola and Pacific Beaches	p. 146
Tola
Playa Gigante
Las Salinas de Nagualapa
Guasacate and Popoyo
El Astillero and Beaches to the North
Penas Blancas and the Border with Costa Rica	p. 149
Leon and the Volcanic Lowlands	p. 151
City of Leon	p. 154
Near Leon	p. 169
South of Leon
North of Leon
West of Leon
Chinandega	p. 173
Near Chinandega	p. 177
El Viejo
Chichigalpa
Corinto
Puerto Morazan
Cosiguina Peninsula and Beaches
Honduran Border at El Guasaule
Esteli and the Segovias	p. 183
City of Esteli	p. 187
Near Esteli	p. 196
Salto Estanzuela and the Tisey Reserve
La Trinidad
Miraflor Nature Reserve
Condega
Palacaguina and Coffee Cooperative
Pueblo Nuevo
San Juan de Limay
Ocotal	p. 206
Near Ocotal
Crossing the Border at Las Manos
Jalapa
Quilali
Somoto	p. 211
El Espino Border Crossing
The Matagalpa and Jinotega Highlands	p. 215
The Road to Matagalpa	p. 217
Ciudad Dario
Sebaco
Matagalpa City	p. 223
Near Matagalpa	p. 235
East of Matagalpa
The San Ramon-Mulukuku Road
The El Tuma-La Dalia Road
North of Matagalpa
The Matagalpa-Jinotega Highway
Jinotega City	p. 242
North and East of Jinotega
Bosawas Biosphere Reserve	p. 252
Boaco, Chontales, and the Road to El Rama	p. 254
Boaco	p. 258
Near Boaco
Juigalpa	p. 268
Near Juigalpa
Nueva Guinea	p. 276
The Atlantic Coast	p. 278
El Rama	p. 285
Near El Rama
Bluefields	p. 289
Near Bluefields	p. 296
El Bluff
Rama Cay
Greenfields Nature Reserve
Karawala and Sandy Bay
Pearl Lagoon
Near Pearl Lagoon
The Pearl Cays
Corn Island	p. 300
Little Corn Island	p. 306
Puerto Cabezas (Bilwi)	p. 311
Near Puerto Cabezas
Waspam and the Rio Coco	p. 320
River Trips from Waspam
Trips by Land from Waspam
The Honduran Border at Leimus
Solentiname and the Rio San Juan	p. 324
San Carlos	p. 329
Rio Frio Border Crossing
The Solentiname Islands	p. 334
Mancarron
Elvis Chavarria
Donald Guevara, Mancarroncito, Zapote, and Zapotillo Islands
Islas El Padre and La Atravesada
South of San Carlos and the Lakeshore North	p. 339
Los Guatuzos Wildlife Refuge and Centro Ecologico
Esperanza Verde
North of San Carlos
Down the Rio San Juan	p. 341
Boca de Sabalos
Montecristo River Resort
El Castillo
Gran Reserva Biologica Rio Indio-Maiz
San Juan del Norte
Know Nicaragua
The Land	p. 348
Geography
Flora and Fauna	p. 355
Flora
Fauna
National Parks and Reserves	p. 359
National Parks
Biological Reserves
Wildlife Reserves
Natural Reserves
Biosphere Reserves
Private Reserves
Environmental Issues	p. 365
History	p. 367
Pre-Colonial Years
Colonialism
Independence
The Somoza Era
The Sandinista Revolution
The New Democracy
Government and Politics	p. 381
Organization
The Constitution
Political Parties
The Economy	p. 384
Debt, the HIPC, and Foreign Aid
Agriculture
The Coffee Economy
Industry
Tourism
The People	p. 390
Population
Ethnic Groups
Culture, Conduct, and Customs	p. 393
Family
Clothing and Neatness
Concept of Time
Alcohol
Religion
Language
Etiquette and Terms of Address
Table Manners
The Arts	p. 403
Literature
Dance and Theater
Visual Arts
Music
Getting there and Away	p. 408
By Air
By Land
Getting Around	p. 409
By Air
By Bus
Boats
Taxis
Driving
Two Wheels
Hitchhiking
Visas and Officialdom	p. 414
Passport and Visa Requirements
Customs and Immigration
Foreign Embassies and Consulates in Nicaragua
Official Holidays
Tips for Travelers	p. 418
Volunteering
Studying
Spanish-Language Schools
Working
Resort Vacations
Tour Operators
Alternative Tour Providers
Health and Safety	p. 424
Before You Go
Medical Attention
Staying Healthy
Disease and Common Ailments
Bites and Stings
Crime
Begging
Information and Services	p. 433
Money
Maps
Tourism Information
Film and Photography
Communications and Media
Weights and Measures
Glossary	p. 440
Spanish Phrasebook	p. 441
Further Study	p. 445
Internet Resources	p. 448
Index	p. 450
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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