Known as the \u2018land of lakes and volcanoes\u2019, Nicaragua offers travellers a unique experience of relatively untouched natural landscapes. It\u2019s comparable to neighbouring Costa Rica in its diverse natural beauty, yet visited by far fewer tourists. As a result, travelling here feels like an extraordinary, off-the-beaten-track discovery. Most famous are its volcanoes, some dormant, some active. You can easily climb the smaller ones, or drive up to the top to see red-hot lava and plumes of white smoke. The country is fringed by both the Pacific swells and placid crystalline Caribbean, so surfing and snorkelling are both popular activities.<\/p>\n
Lake Nicaragua is Central America\u2019s largest lake, a 100-mile freshwater stretch inhabited by bull sharks. The Bosawas Biosphere Reserve covers 2 million acres \u2014 15% of the country \u2014 a dense swathe of virgin rainforest where pumas roam and 3-toed sloths hang. City wise, charming Granada is a colonial gem, with colourful houses, leafy plazas and a Spanish feel. University town Leon is considered the cultural centre of the country and feels like a living museum thanks to its revolutionary murals and crumbling 300-year-old mansions. And finally the idyllic white-sand beaches. With very little tourist infrastructure, the palm-fringed Corn Islands, lapped by the azure Caribbean sea, are a castaway dream.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":3893,"template":"","format":"standard","country_category":[190],"when-filter":[],"type-filter":[],"who-filter":[],"appeal-filter":[],"class_list":["post-4179","destination","type-destination","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","country_category-central-america-en-us"],"yoast_head":"\n