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Nicaragua: Matagalpa and the north

Matagalpa is a breath of fresh mountainous air where liberal descendants of coffee plantation owners rub shoulders with Sandinista-supporting subsistence farmers.

The cool climate is perfect for growing vegetables and grazing cattle while pristine cloud forest provides the perfect environment for shade-grown coffee and is a boon for birders and hikers. In addition to coffee, Nicaragua’s best chocolate is produced in this area. Matagalpa is also the birth place of Sandinista founder, Carlos Fonseca: the house is now a small museum.

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Self-drive Nicaragua: Adventures by road

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11 days from £1,597pp

Our insider tips for Matagalpa and the north

Claire Milner

This is possibly the best place in the country to eat steak as the climate is perfect for farming. The steak I enjoyed was as good as anything I’d eaten in Argentina !

Rafe Stone

The National Coffee Museum is well worth a visit if you want to know a bit more than the average coffee tour offers.

Jamie Swan

If heading north from Managua take the time to stretch your legs with an 800m stepped climb to Peña De La Cruz for fantastic views over the city and surrounding mountains.

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Jamie backpacked across Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina and Brazil before joining us; he has a degree in politics and is also a keen sportsman.

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Nicaragua: Matagalpa and the north

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