Miraflor National Park (Esteli)

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Esteli is a university city, a market town where to thousands of farmers come from the surrounding mountains and is a Sandinista stronghold.

There are some disco’s, restaurants and bars but don’t expect a very alive city, although you can’t say it’s a sleepy town. There is a market, plenty of supermarkets and, if desired, several discos just outside the city so you do not have to get bored. The temperature is pleasant (perfect for a Spanish course) and a visit to the nearby MIraflor National Park is a must.

You can sleep here at a finca (farm) and take walks through the cloud forest and experience how people have been living here for thousands of years. In Esteli you can then make a tour in a cigar factory and enjoy the hundreds of wall drawings that the city has. The city has a past with heavy fighting during the Revolution and the Contra war.

Many ancient wall drawings of Aztec ancestors have been found in the north of Nicaragua and it’s clear that this region was inhabited a long time before the Spaniards arrived in 1554. When gold was found in 1850 a new immigrant flow started, including, of course, Spaniards; but also a large group of German immigrants settled here, grew coffee and merged with the local population.

Patriots on the run for William Walker and his army settled here in the north and formed the army of the north; they would defeat "Jacinto" Walker in the battle of the city. Sandino and his rebel army also carried out his first attack on the US marines base in this area (Ocotal). They would react with the first air attack ever made. From Nueva Segovia Sandino would initiate multiple attacks and capture half of the country.

It was during the Revolution in 1977 that the poor farmers of the north took up arms against Somoza and became hardened Sandinists. A number of wealthy farmers owned the vast majority of the country and so it was not surprising that the battle flared up here and fought - especially in the mountains in and around the city of Jinotega. After the Revolution Ortega donated the land to the poor farmers.

Finally, the contras from nearby Honduras would cross the border to overrun Nicaragua in the early 1980s. Also this danger was also immediately eliminated. Today it is a quiet and peaceful area but with a remarkable past and hardened people.

Esteli - Miraflor NP: - there are buses from the station (Cotran) Norte tot he park at 6:00, 12:00, 15:30 - the trip takes about one and a half to two hours (and is quite bumpy) and costs 23 C $.

Come a little earlier to have a place in the chicken bus for your knees (it’s very small for tall people) and (big) bag. On the bus it say’s it’s destination is the city of Yali (via Miraflor). You have to get out at the stop La Rampla (tell this tot he driver and he will call out of loud when he’s arriving there).

Esteli - Matagalpa: there are constant buses to Matagalpa from Esteli (from the Station Contran Sur). The journey takes about 1.5 hours and costs 30 C $.

Restaurant El Quesito - a buffet restaurant between Av1A NO and Av Central at about 1A SE - the food is fine, you can sit at small tables with a small petroleum lamp and it is super cheap. The guy behind the desk speaks English and you can get a plate full for under 80 C $ so that you can eat (free) in the evenings because it’s too much for one bite.

Las Brazzos and Ixcotelli; both are big café-restaurants where you can eat and drink in a large garden that is partly covered. A liter of beer costs about 45 C $ and the ambiance is good. There are some TV's and the audience is a mix of young and old, man and woman. The disadvantage of the latter is that it closes the doors at 23:00.

• Name: Hostal Sonati (Esteli)

Address: Calle 2A NE

Price: 6 $ for a bed in a dormitory (4 or 8 people)

Content:

This hostel is just half a year open and it’s goal is not to gain profit. All furniture, beds etc are brand new and you can use a large kitchen, laundry room and there is a large terrace with garden. You can also use the free WIFI at one of the tables in the lobby.

The staff is friendly and helpful and the coffee is free. The rooms (especially the large ones) are fairly spacious, even though there are no lockers or safes. The shower works great and it is clean. You can make tours through the hostel and it is also very centrally located (100 meters from a large supermarket and the main square) but still very quiet. 

• Name: Finca Fuente La Vida (Miraflor NP)

Address: La Rampla (busstop) in Cebollal

Price: 11 $ for a bed in a private room (cabana) incl. Breakfast and dinner

Content:

This beautiful finca is not as popular as the nearby Neblina del Bosque where you certainly can’t sleep alone (because of the amount of tourist) but perhaps a lot more realistic experience. You approach the house through a large garden full of orchids and other plants that attracts lots of animals. On a wooden platform you will find chairs and tables where you will be served your meals and there is a thatched roof where some hammocks hang to relax.

The family is friendly and helpful and one of them speaks some English to help you get to the highlights of the park. There is a large friendly dog running around and it is super quiet during nighttime. The toilets and showers are outside and primitive but if you sleep in the cabanas it is all a bit more luxurious. You are a bit further away from the bus stop but closer to the sights and the nearby community Cebollal.

TIP; ask at the UCA Miraflor information office in Esteli or they can call if there is room (and so they know that you are coming and with how many people you plan to go there). The reception (agency) can be closed - just knock on the door and look through the windows - there is often someone present but the door is locked.