El Castillo and Indio-Maiz Reserve

Places of Interest - Nicaragua

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introduction

El Castillo is an unique piece of Nicaragua in about the middle of the so important (and infamous) river "San Juan" that separates the country with Costa Rica. El Castillo is a village consisting of a wide footpath with wooden houses on either side of which the ones on the river side are on poles and often have a wooden balcony / platform. There is no motorized traffic, so it has an authentic, very relaxed atmosphere.

You can also reach the village by boat only. On top of the hill, the old Spanish colonial castle towers over the river and village. Not without reason is it exactly built where the rapids in the river and thus the pirates needed time to transport themselves. There are numerous legends of heroic battles and adventures which you can read about in the very interesting museum next to the castle.

Finally, you can easily make a tour to the very interesting tropical rainforest of park Indio-Maiz which is a stone's throw away. You can hike, swim, sail, ride and stay overnight at a "community" home.

highlights

Castle El Castillo:

A must for history sniffers; a beautiful "Playmobile-like" colonial Spanish castle on top of a hill to scare English pirates. Built in the 17th century when the castle in San Carlos proved to be inadequate and Granada was looted by pirates for many times in a short time.

It is not without reason that it was built exactly next to the river rapids. Many heroic adventure stories but this castle has survived more storms.

It was used by William Walker in 1857 but also by both parties in the Sandinista - Contra war in the 80’s of the last century. It is now a museum and besides the history lessons you can learn from here you can enjoy the beautiful view over the river, the village and the nearby National Park.

Indio-Maiz reserve:

Indio Maiz is one of the most important and largest tropical rainforest parks of Latin America. The national reserve is located on the river San Juan but entirely on Nicaragua territory. Because the area belonged to the Somoza family, was difficult to reach and there was still a war raging, this area escaped for destruction and/or development.

A multitude of (wild) animals live here like monkeys, caimans, turtles but also (poisonous) snakes, mountain lions and jaguars. You can only explore the area with a tour and you have to pay an entrance fee and register yourself - something you can only achieve by boat.

In El Castillo, many companies offer tours so "shop" around and do not take the first provider you encounter.

history

Almost immediately after Colombus discovered Nicaragua in 1502, the Spaniards started looking for a way to go from the Caribbean (from the Caribbean to the Pacific) over the river San Juan. A route that was already used by the Aztecs in the 13th century for trade. Some 30 years later the passage was found and partly because of that Granada could grow into a city of great prosperity. That prosperity attracted the attention of other nations (Dutch, French and English pirates) who used the river and the lake to plunder Granada several times.

It was decided to build fortifications; a castle in San Carlos and later another one in El Castillo. In 1762 a daughter of a Spanish settler (Rafaella Herrera) fought a heroic battle with English pirates. It seems that she even fired bullets themselves and thus eliminated the captain of the pirates. She also set fire to leaves at night and pushed them with sticks to the pirates. It worked and the pirates fled.

But in 1780 El Castillo was anyway conquered by the English pirates - nevertheless they had to leave again - malaria was everywhere and the English left and the Spaniards walked back into the fort. In 1821, Nicaragua won its independence but this did not (yet) apply to the entire country. The Jamaican governor demanded San Juan de Perlas for the MIskito empire and renamed it Greytown.

When the Californian gold rush came into being, the route across the San Juan River became the fastest way to get from New York to San Francisco and Greytown grew rapidly in prosperity. People were transhipped in various boats to eventually reach the Pacific Ocean. When the Panama Canal was built in 1914, the city of Greytown collapsed and was also annexed to the rest of Nicaragua. In 1982 it was burnt to the ground by the Sandinists and the remains were destroyed by a hurricane. The current San Juan de Nicaragua was built in 1990 and of Greytown only the cemetery remains.

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tips & advice (2013)

You can only transport yourself with a boat here - there are fast and slow boats that sail on the entire San Juan river. The slow boat takes about 3 hours (San Carlos - El Castillo) and costs 90 C $. The fast boat does the trick in 1.5 hours and costs 150 C $. Times from San Carlos are: 6:30 and 10:30 the fast, 8:00 the slow (during the week).

El Castillo - San Carlos: 5:00 slow, 5:30 fast, 7:00 slow (on Sunday this one doesn’t run) and 9:30 fast. There are others though but later. The slow cost is 80 or 90 and the fast 140 or 150 C $.

Name: El Castillo

Price: 70 C $ (incl. Camera)

Time: 9:00 - 12:00 and from 13:00 - 16:30

Content:

Before you enter the actual castle it is wise and interesting to first take a look at the museum. It is clear and tells you not only about the castle itself but also about the passage route from Caribbean Sea to Pacific Ocean and about the most important pirates.

There are two old guns and some other material inside, but especially the information is interesting. For a change it’s also available in English.

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I have eaten at my own hostel which was kinda pricey but very good. At restaurant (and hotel) Tropical I did not like the hamburger but on the other hand the "gallo pinto" at the comedor (eating facility) above the harbor was very affordable and also good to eat.

Name: Casa de Huesped Chinandegano

Address: Muelle

Price: 192 C $ (8 USD) (excluding Wc and shower)

Phone nr. : 25830191

Content:

Lenin and his family will treat you as if you were part of the family in this hostel. Very friendly and helpful, even a bit shy. There is a large wooden deck where you can eat your food (it is also a fine restaurant) and relax in one of the hammocks or enjoy the unique view over the river and the nearby national park. The birds are sitting right on the edge of the balcony.

Because it is located on the water it is also very quiet and you hear the rapids of the river. The rooms are fine and have a good bed (mattress), a towel and a table. It is clean and you feel that attention has been paid to everything.

This also applies to showers and toilets that are super clean. He also arranges tours to the nearby national park. Possibility of internet (with Lenin's dongle) for 20 C $ per hour.

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