Matagalpa

Matagalpa is a must-visit city if you are interested in seeing the Nicaraguan mountain region. It is a good jumping-off point on a Nicaragua vacation for visiting the coffee, tobacco and cattle farms in the area or hiking and witnessing what remains of the impact of German immigrants in Nicaragua.

If you like mountain hiking, bird watching, horseback riding, browsing for monkeys, ecotourism, agritourism, Indian villages, cigar factory tours, coffee farm tours, and mountain scenery, Matagalpa is the place to visit. It is located in the north highlands that make the water shed division of the Caribbean and Pacific rivers and was called "The Frontier of the Jungle" by the Spanish Conquistadores because it divided the historical Miskito Kingdom and the Colonial Spanish towns. It has mountain resorts with bungalows, youth hostels, regular hotel rooms, B&Bs, and a vast array of shops, boutiques, cafés, restaurants, bars and discotheques.

Many local businesses and residents speak English due to the surge of tourism during recent years as well as the increasing number of ex-pats who now call Matagalpa their home. Matagalpa is a nice town to walk around. Visit historical churches, like the Cathedral, built in 1874. Walk around town and take photographs of oxen carts, cowboys, loaded mules, women wearing their chals, men with hats and musicians playing guitar, trumpet, violin and accordion (Polkas and Mazurcas). These are not performances being put on for the tourists on a Nicaragua vacation but are actual real-time expressions of the local culture that is their way of life.

In many ways, life here is as it was 100 years ago. Tradition is definitely alive and well here in Matagalpa. Worth a visit is the Castillo de Cacao located just outside of the city limits. This tiny chocolate factory manufactures high-quality chocolate and if you call ahead, you can arrange a factory tour. Other things to see or visit - are the Coffee Museum, a Carlos Fonseca Birth Place museum (Founder of the Sandinista Front) and the House of former Nicaraguan President, Bartolome Martinez.