It is a land of tremendous diversity. All these photos were taken during one trip to the northern part of the country. One can travel through lands that are reminiscent of the Sahel of Africa.
Then three hours later, after climbing into the mountains find oneself in cool, tropical highlands full of clud forests and cool streams and waterfalls.
The seasons are different here. The call the rainy season winter even though is occurs from May through to October. The temperatures are not really much lower, but the afternoon rains do cool the later part of the day. Then after the rains slow down it is the time for flowers! There is no autumn colors here but the trees make up for it with flowers. The blossom at the beginning dry season so they can drop there seeds before the next rains. The forests are alight with color.
It is hard to believe that this cold stream is only five hours from the Sahel type climate of the western lowlands. We needed two blankets on our bed that night! Yet, I have no worn a sweater in three years down on the Pacific coast.
Cloud forests of north central Nicaragua
The land of lakes and volcanoes has some pretty nice hot springs too. The springs are found at Aguas Claras, Clear Waters. They are located in the state of Boaco. There is a nice set of cabins around two of the pools. We were there during the week and were the only guests, with our own private pools....pretty sweet!
Then there is the history of the country. Granada is one of the oldest cities in Central America. It is full of colonial wonder and charm. The pirate Drake sailed up the San Juan river from the Caribbean and sacked the city hundreds of years ago.
But, all in all my favorite part of the country is the wild and beautiful southwest Pacific coast. It reminders me of a wild and tropical version of the coast of northern California, or Oregon.
It is a paradise for me. It has a wonderful climate. An up welling of cool waters offshore moderates the temperatures tremendously. It rarely climbs above 31 degrees during the hottest two hours of the days and cools off rapidly to the low 20's during the night. These are amazing temperatures for a location just 11 degrees north of the equator! And it is a water lovers delight. Some of the best surf in the world is found here. The easterly winds create the perfect conditions of beautifully formed waves. Then there is great fishing, diving, beach combing, and sun bathing.
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Vista Playa Madera.
This is all in a country that is the size of New York state, and I have not even touched upon the whole Caribbean lowlands and coast. They are another wonderful world.
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