Nicaragua is Open and Ready for Adventurers and Business

Published by 7x7 SF

May 10, 2013 - Gentle splashes of fresh water sprinkle over the bow, reviving us as we breeze through islets—more like dollops of jungle spooned from a batter of rainforest than beachy outcroppings. Egrets soar past our path and skid into landing, loons drag their knuckles on the placid waves, and somewhere beneath, bull sharks silently drift along, having adapted to the lack of salt water over thousands of years. My husband and I are on a small skiff traveling through an archipelago of 365 atolls off the coast of Granada, formed from the last reaches of an eruption thought to have happened thousands of years ago, when nearby Mombacho Volcano blew its top near the northwestern tip of Lake Nicaragua.

It’s a scene not dissimilar to one that could have been witnessed by some of our San Franciscan ancestors—Gold Rushers from New York crossed this very lake after landing on Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast and braving a harrowing trip down the San Juan River. On their 46-day journey, their last stop was the port of San Juan Del Sur, now a Pacific coast haven for backpackers and surf seekers that resembles any stretch of beach in Mexico. One of the most popular tourist destinations in Nicaragua, it pales in comparison to the rest of a country drunk with beauty, from the historical charm of colonial Granada to the majesty of Masaya Volcano’s fuming crater to Carlos Pellas’ recently opened Mukul Resort—a modern splendor putting Nica on the map for global travelers in search of awesome luxury.

In a country that has weathered waves of promise and destruction, from its interoceanic heyday before the Panama Canal stole its thunder to its more recent damage from nearly a decade of civil war, hope radiates out of every devastating vista. And it’s no longer calling solely to ramblers and adventure seekers, though they’ll find plentiful options. Nica’s broad appeal—to the surfers, history buffs, eco conscious, cigar aficionados, jungle trekkers, and sybarites—has been here all along. It just wasn’t being offered on the right kind of plate. Why now? Because Carlos Pellas is in the kitchen.

It is to his credit that I’m here—Mukul’s February opening and the development at Guacalito de la Isla on Nica’s Emerald Coast are, mildly put, drawing attention. But this New York state-sized country is far greater than one man’s Pacific coast playground for the privileged. It’s a country only beginning to realize its potential.

The drive from the capital city of Managua to Granada offers 45 minutes of lush scenery down highway Carretera a Masaya, past the smoldering rim of the Masaya volcano. It’s not a leisurely drive, with sporadic, bleating beeps warding off weaving motorcycles, brave bicyclists, even bolder pedestrians, and cars drifting precariously across the lanes, but it makes the destination even dearer. We roll into the narrow streets, and crayon-hued facades of cerulean, atomic tangerine, and mint pop against the soupy evening sky. Mombacho Volcano’s graph-like outline divides the blue above the oldest city on the Central American continent.

Breakfast at La Gran Francia Hotel is in a garden surrounded by fragrant flowers tumbling over every surface, with basil so prolific that it looks more tree than herb. It’s this lushness, even in relative urbanity, that is one of Nica’s most striking qualities. Despite being sacked and burned numerous times, Granada has maintained its colonial charm, mostly due to a city law requiring that every building maintain the form of its original construction.

After a quick morning tour, we embark to the looming peak that dominates the Granada skyline. The 30-minute drive to the top of Mombacho Volcano begins as a steady ascent and turns clinging climb as we transition from one ecosystem to the next, marked by the shrill chirp of cicadas that sound like a car alarm on speed and helium, and the guttural roar of howler monkeys protecting their turf. This is volcano country, with vegetation stretching its massive arms in all directions. We make a pit stop at the midway visitors center and bistro of Café Las Flores—a local coffee company whose plantations scatter the hillsides—for a delicious jolt that rivals any precious cup in San Francisco...

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