Ruined city, a gorgeous lagoon, and Colonial City of Leon
Catarina Lookout, little shopsEarly this morning we head off from my hotel in Managua to the old colonial city of Leon. The drive takes about an hour and a half, and first we stop to visit the remnants of uncovered ruins of Old Leon. Originally built to be by the lake waters, the city was intentionally abandoned and moved 85 years after its founding to avoid potential eruption destruction by Momotombo Volcano nearby. Now, you can explore the old cathedral site, Governor’s house, and then the resting place of Cordoba and Davila, enemies buried side by side.
One can see as you walk lumps in the vegetation hinting at the presence of other ruins yet uncovered, as well as see glimpses of the 500 year old bricks peaking out through the grass.
We next continue on to a lookout of a volcano called el Tigre. We climbed up a steep hill for about 10 minutes, where from there we proceeded down to a beautiful fresh water lagoon at the base of the volcano. The views are spectacular, and as it is Sunday, we are met by many locals swimming and playing in the blue lake. After a brief visit (and a quick swim for one of the gentlemen in our group) we continue on to Leon City where we have lunch at a local restaurant located kitty corner to Catedral La Asuncion. This is the one cathedral that opens its rooftop to the public - allowing one to take in the views of the chain of 12 volcanoes consecutively on a clear day. Here too are the tombs of Ruben Dario, famed literary giant of Nicaragua, as well as other great men for the nation of Nicaragua. Also you can see on display here the Black Christ - taken over from the original cathedral in the move from Old Leon.
We go to inspect a few hotels in the area too - and then go to see the art museum. Though not all original works, it has an impressive display of European and local art, as well as the building housing it being an old presidential palace of sorts and still has some of the original woods boasted in its architecture. We do not have enough time this day to do much more. We wander the colonial streets for a bit, and I purchased sliced up mango from a local vendor for 5 cordobas, or about 25 cents. We return to Managua this evening.
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
2 days ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
2 days ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
1 week ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.