Explore
Nicaragua Itinerary
Day 1:
Leave the States and fly to San Jose, Costa Rica (your air itinerary can
be coordinated by one of our staff members). Upon arrival you will be met
by a member of our staff who will greet you outside the customs and
immigration area at the airport. Our first evening we will be staying at
Hotel SanGildar in Escazu just outside of San Jose. San Jose is the
capital of Costa Rica and is located in the Central Valley where we will
find rolling hills with coffee fields dotting the countryside. After
dinner we will gather for a brief trip orientation. Welcome.
Lodging - Hotel SanGildar
Day 2:
Today is mostly a travel day as we leave San Jose and make our way to the
little village of Cano Negro in northern Costa Rica. In all it is about a
4-5 hour drive. Along the way we will travel through the rich fertile
central plateau where we will pass coffee plantations, sugar cane fields
and small farms.
Depending on our mood we may stop for a short paddle around Fortuna or
take a walk to some local waterfalls. Whatever we decide we will
anticipate a late afternoon arrival in Cano Negro.
This small village sits on the edge of the Rio Frio and the Cano Negro
Wildlife Refuge. The quiet pace of the village seems to be kept time with
the gentle current of the river. The wide reaching lake is a wonderful
place to get the canoes wet and go for a paddle around dusk. There is much
bird activity at this time as flocks come in to roost for the evening and
find an evening meal in the shallow waters.
Our lodging for the evening is right along the water so we can leave our
canoes along the shore where they will be ready for us in the morning.
Simple accommodations and a good evening meal are the perfect way to end
our day.
Lodging - Albergue Cano Negro
Day 3:
We are up early this morning and ready to paddle through Cano Negro and
down the Rio Frio to Los Chiles. An early morning departure by canoe
allows us to fully enjoy our surroundings and the peacefulness of paddling
on the quietwaters. The bird life is exceptional here and we are able to
take it all in as we drift along on the easy currents.
This wilderness area includes a lake and marshlands formed by alluvial
sediments -- a shallow, seasonal, freshwater lake that is a spill-off site
for the adjacent Frio River and its tributary, the Monica River. The area
formed by the lake and its surroundings constitutes one of the most
biologically diverse regions in all of central America.
After a full day of paddling we will arrive in Los Chiles enjoy a cold
drink and check in to our lodge for the evening. Los Chiles is a small
border town and the dock is always bustling with activity as local boats
and supply boats go back and forth along the river. A late afternoon walk
through town will probably find kids playing soccer in the park and shop
owners doing the last of the day's business.
Lodging - Jirabu Cabinas
Day 4:
We will be up early to get our passports and papers in order for our
travels into Nicaragua today. We will say good-bye to our van, as the rest
of the trip will be done in motorized boats and canoes. We will take the
local water bus from Los Chiles down the rio Frio to Lake Nicaragua and
the bustling little town of San Carlos Nicaragua. This small town sits on
the banks of Lake Nicaragua and the confluences of the Rio Frio and Rio
San Juan. Here we can wonder through the small market and pick up any last
minute supplies, fresh fruit and vegetables and anything else that catches
our eye.
We will meet our local guide and boatman who will take us into Lake
Nicaragua and the Soletiname Islands. Once there we will be able to
stretch or legs and go for a walk to get familiar with our surroundings
and home for the next two evenings. Albergue Soletiname is a comfortable
family run lodge, which offers rooms with shared bath and fans. Home
cooked meals are a treat with creamy avocados being a island favorite.
Lodging -- Albergue Soletiname
Day 5:
After an early morning breakfast we will load up our canoes and our
boatman will take us to the Los Guatusos wildlife refuge. Here we plan to
put the canoe in the water and explore the refuge close-up.
Los Guatusos, a wildlife refuge -- the cradle of wildlife for this
incredible lake. We will look for several species of monkey, reptiles and
huge array of tropical birds. There is also a wonderful orchid project
going on that is worth a visit.
We return to Albergue Soletiname for one more evening. Before dinner we
may have time for a walk to some of the local artisans homes, go for
another short paddle or hang out in a hammock and enjoy relaxing in a cook
breeze.
Lodging
Albergue Soletiname
Day 6:
We say goodbye to our hosts this morning and journey back to San Carlos
where we will begin our trip down the rio San Juan. We have about a 3 hour
boat trip from San Carlos to El Castillo. We may choose to explore some of
the smaller tributaries by canoe along the way.
The Rio San Juan flows 180 km through deep virgin rainforest from Lago de
Nicaragua to the Caribbean. "And so we started down the broad and
beautiful river in the gray down of the balmy summer morning..." wrote
Samuel Clemens (later to be known as Mark Twain) at the beginning of the
description of the journey he made down the San Juan River in 1866. Long
before Twain, British Admiral Horatio Nelson cruised the river. He fought
the Spanish before surrendering to them at El Castillo, a mighty old
fortress, the ruins of which can still be seen. The fortress was built in
1675 to block attacks on León and Granada by rampaging pirates.
Later, during the migrations to California from the eastern United States
between 1850 and 1870, travelers transferred at San Juan del Norte from
Atlantic steamers to small boats, which went up the river and across Lake
Nicaragua; they then traveled overland to the Pacific port of San Juan del
Sur. Along with the lake it has been considered as well as Panama as a
possible canal route between the Caribbean and the Pacific.
The cloud and rain forests in the northwest contain abundant wildlife
including ocelots, wart hogs, pumas, jaguars, sloths and spider monkeys.
Birdlife in the forests is particularly rich: the cinnamon hummingbird,
ruddy woodpecker, stripe-breasted wren, elegant trogon, shining hawk and
even the quetzal, the holy bird of the Maya, can all be seen.
We will pass El Mirador where you will see the old cannons of Rafaela
Herrera that in 1762 stopped the english pirates. We continue our journey
on the San Juan and its imposing nature is put into perspective by the
beauty of the trees and vegetation that seem almost endless and probably
untouched by human hand. We know that is not the case, but the majesty of
the river is imposing. Big sanctuary-islands protected by the Environment
Ministry, resist the river's dashings and divide its course. We will
explore the quiet backwaters on the Sabalo river on our way to El
Castillo.
Maybe, the most amazing natural history fact is that is possible on a
single trip along the San Juan to see all six species of kingfishers found
in the New World. There may be no other place on Earth where this is
possible.
The Inmaculada Concepcion Castle and town have a big meaning on national
history. It is reported that efforts are continuing to restore the site, a
fortress that was built by the Spanish in 1675 at a strategic point on the
river to block the British, French and other pirates from coming up the
river to attack the rich towns of Granada and Leon.
Some bitter battles were fought at El Castillo against flotillas of
assailants. In 1762 there was a fierce battle to repel a 2000 strong force
of 40 ships lead by Henry Morgan. The fort was subsequently captured by
English pirates that tried to divide the Spanish Empire in America.
The town now has the best hotel of the region built completely with
precious woods of the locality, and thanks to the generosity of the people
of Spain, and also to the creativity of the local artisans whose job made
possible great halls and rooms where you can see and enjoy the soft noise
of the river's rapids.
Dinner is usually a special treat of large fresh water shrimp, which come
from the rio Frio and are very tasty.
Lodging -- Albergue El Castillo
Day 7:
A full day of hiking in the Indio Maiz rain forest reserve. This is a
virgin rain forest reserve and Bartola was built for the many
international groups that research the abundant flora and fauna of Indio
Maiz (Central America's biggest rain forest reserve).
We may also explore the jungle canals of the Rio Bartola and other quiet
water tributaries of the San Juan.
The biggest threat to rainforests in Central America is the continual
invasion of land-hungry farmers who cut and burn the forest to plant
survival crops like corn and beans. But once deforested, most rainforest
land can't support crops for very long. So the farmers have to move on,
clearing more and more forest.
In the wilds of southern Nicaragua, conservationists are helping farmers
end this hopeless cycle by teaching them how to grow bigger and healthier
crops and provide for a brighter, more stable future. As a result,
families will no longer depend on the rainforest for more land and wood.
The forest in question drapes along the San Juan river, which divides
Nicaragua from Costa Rica. The rich-in-biodiversity rainforest is part of
an international park shared with Costa Rica, called "Si-A-Paz," or
"Yes-to-Peace" in English. When Nicaragua's long civil war ended in 1991,
thousands of displaced, impoverished farmers began searching for unclaimed
land, and the "unclaimed" forest of Si-A-Paz beckoned. A coalition of
conservationists and technicians are working with families that live in
the marginal lands just outside the park. Farmers learn how to plant
nontraditional, nutritious crops and to use organic farming techniques
that slowly turn worthless land into productive gardens. Farmers are also
now planting trees for fruit, firewood and lumber. And for the first time,
they are learning about rainforest ecology.
"Little by little our attitude about the forest is changing," Zelmira
Diaz, who lives with her family near the San Juan river, told the
Rainforest Alliance. "Now we know how to protect the land and make it give
more."
After a full day of exploring this park and refuge we will return to El
Castillo for one more evening.
Lodging -- Albergue El Castillo
Day 8:
Our journey continues, down the rio San Juan to the rio Sarapiqui. This
will be our longest boat ride of the trip. Our boatman will easily
navigate the rio San Juan and we can sit back and relax and enjoy the
scenery along the way. Small farms dot the river bank on the Costa Rican
side of the river while the Nicaraguan bank remains a thick and dense
forest. There is not much activity along the river and we get a sense of
being far removed from the rest of the world.
At the confluence of the rio Sarapiqui we will check back into Costa Rica
and travel upstream to Puerto Viejo. Shortly after entering the rio
Sarpaiqui the river narrows and becomes an intimate river with a lush
canopy over head. Trees flank the banks and are laden with orchids and
bromeliads. The enchanting river lowland is home to parrots, toucans,
oropendolas, sun bitterns and kingfishers. It is also the perfect place to
keep an eye out for monkeys, sloths and iguanas.
We will say good bye to our boatman and meet our van again. We will have a
short drive to La Quinta Lodge. Here we can unwind and go for a short walk
through the gardens, visit the butterfly garden or just relax by the pool
with a cold drink.
Lodging - La Quinta Lodge
Day 9:
After a full breakfast of gallo pinto eggs and fresh fruit we are off to
enjoy a day on the Sarapiqui. The river combines magnificent scenery and a
variety of small rapids that provide some excitement to the calm
stretches. The river also offers some wonderful swimming holes, quiet
spots for lunch and the opportunity to do some exploratory paddling on its
tributaries.
We will enjoy another evening at La Quinta lodge where we can choose from
absorbing the forest's wonder in a hammock, relaxing in the open air
dining room enjoying fresh tropical fruit, strolling the grounds birding
and admiring the gardens.
Lodging - La Quinta Lodge
Day 10:
We will have another chance to get the canoes wet on the rio Puerto Viejo
today, or we may opt for another section of the rio Sarapiqui. Whatever
our choice it will be the perfect ending to our journey along the rivers
and lakes of southern Nicaragua and northern Costa Rica.
We return to Escazu for our final evening. We will enjoy dinner and have
time to reflect on the scenic wonders of our journey and start thinking of
our next trip.Lodging -- Hotel SanGildar
Day 11:
Today we say are farewells and depart from San Jose to home. Or, for those
who would like to do some exploring on their own we can suggest/arrange
some extension trips.
ZZ-CNB09
