icaragua Coast-to-Coast Volcano-Hopping - September 2006

Nicaragua is so hot right now, but few norteamericanos seem to know it: The country remains virtually untouched by the U.S. travel market, perhaps because most travelers recognize Nicaragua only as the other half of the Iran-Contra Affair.

These days, though, the political climate has stabilized, and the future's looking more hopeful. Canada-based outfitter GAP Adventures introduced a new itinerary to the country this July. "Nicaragua still doesn't have as much in the way of tourist infrastructure as the rest of Central America," says GAP spokesperson Jeff Russill. "But that makes travel there the real thing."

GAP's groundbreaking trip starts in the capital, Managua, and continues to the Spanish colonial city of Granada, perched on the northwest shore of Lago de Nicaragua. You'll climb several of the region's stunning volcanoes, visit a live smoker in Volcán Masaya Parque Nacional, and journey to Isla de Ometepe, considered the world's largest volcanic island situated in a lake. The surrounding waters of Lago de Nicaragua are home to some of the only freshwater-adapted sharks on the planet, bull sharks. Along the way, à la carte activities let you play as hard as you like: hiking, biking, and surfing at the horseshoe-shaped cove of San Juan del Sur on the Pacific coast or snorkeling off the deserted flour-sand beaches of former Caribbean pirate hideouts. You're unlikely to discover any buried bullion, but you'll be among the first to dig up Nicaragua's natural treasures.

Pick This If: You're an early adopter with a magma habit.

Departs: Year-round

 

Source: National Geographic Travel

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