Must-see attractions in Caribbean Coast

  • Museo Auka Tangki

    Caribbean Coast

    Don’t miss Dr Dionisio Melgara Brown’s museum, a 10-minute walk along dirt roads curving away from the river. Brown, a retired teacher, built this museum…

  • Museo Arqueológico Gregorio Aguilar Barea

    Caribbean Coast

    Mystical stone statues rise like ancient totems in the courtyard entrance here. It houses the most important collection of stelae in the country, with…

  • Waiku Centro de Arte

    Caribbean Coast

    This excellent social project is run by two English-speaking activists, Greta and Yesi, whose small arts center displays painting, handicrafts, clothing…

  • Long Bay

    Corn Islands

    This stunner of a beach arcs from a pile-up of local fishing pangas and lobster traps to a wild, jungle-covered headland at its far end. If you’re looking…

  • Reserva de Biosfera Bosawás

    Caribbean Coast

    This remarkable expanse of protected wilderness is Nicaragua's biggest biosphere reserve, and makes up more than 14% of Nicaragua’s national territory. It…

  • Muelle Viejo

    Caribbean Coast

    Take a stroll along the wooden boards of the historic Muelle Viejo (Old Pier), where both Sandino and the Contras received arms smuggled in from abroad,…

  • Rama Cay

    Caribbean Coast

    This tiny and rocky barbell-shaped island 15km southeast of Bluefields is the de facto capital of the Rama nation. Dotted with coconut and banana palms…

  • Virgen de Cuapa Santuario

    Caribbean Coast

    Most visitors to Cuapa come with the purpose of making a pilgrimage to this porcelain statue holding flowers in her hands, located at the entrance to town…

  • Reserva Silvestre Greenfields

    Caribbean Coast

    This privately managed, 284-hectare wildlife reserve near the village of Kukra Hill has tracts of both mangroves and jungle, and offers a variety of…

  • Parque Arqueológico Piedras Pintadas

    Caribbean Coast

    Here you'll find hundreds of petroglyphs carved into the mossy boulders, including deer, snakes, turtles, crocodiles and spirals, set among rolling green…

  • Awas & Raiti Pura

    Caribbean Coast

    Take the path opposite the church due west along the paved road through the savanna and, after 30 minutes, you will reach the humble Miskito fishing…

  • El Bluff

    Caribbean Coast

    Across the bay, the port of El Bluff is nestled at the point of a long sliver of land where the Caribbean Sea rushes into Bahía de Bluefields. There is…

  • Wild Cane Key

    Caribbean Coast

    This large island with a long and spectacular beach once hosted the family paradise of a young New Zealand millionaire. However, following a series of…

  • Reserva Hídrica Municipal La Chorrera

    Caribbean Coast

    A community-run nature reserve designed to protect the town's water supplies, this innovative project has a number of hikes marked out, including the four…

  • Reserva Natural Kahka Creek

    Caribbean Coast

    This reforestation and ecotourism project near Pueblo Nuevo is set in lush gardens surrounded by jungle. There are a number of hiking trails and a lookout…

  • Crawl Key

    Caribbean Coast

    Pronounced 'Claw Key' by locals, this slender crescent of white sand is covered with soaring coconut palms. It’s also home to an unfinished three-story…

  • Casa Museo Judith Kain

    Caribbean Coast

    Set in the former home of a prolific local painter, this museum provides a window into what it was like to live in Bilwi in the good old days. There are…

  • Pozo el Salto

    Caribbean Coast

    This lovely partially dammed swimming hole, 4km north of town on the road to Managua, is framed in cascades of water and has been popular with picnickers…

  • Culture House

    Corn Islands

    The museum in this wooden building next to the stadium won't hold your attention very long with its pictures of old beauty queens, preserved lobsters and…

  • Sitio Arqueologico La Laguna

    Caribbean Coast

    Around 10km from Boaco, this archaeological site is only just beginning to be investigated and features a number of petroglyphs in stones scattered around…

  • Parque Central

    Caribbean Coast

    The central plaza is constantly buzzing with man gossip thanks to the steady stream of ranchers, who come to get their boots shined next to El Lustrador,…

  • Mercado

    Caribbean Coast

    Spilling out from a dank warehouse perched on a public pier, the local market is packed with small stands displaying pineapple, banana, citrus and casaba…

  • El Monolito de Cuapa

    Caribbean Coast

    A massive stone monolith that rises from a hillside savanna outside Cuapa. If you walk from town, it will take about two hours to reach the peak…

  • Tarpon Channel

    Little Corn Island

    One of the best places to see hammerhead sharks in the Caribbean, this excellent intermediate dive site off the eastern side of Little Corn is a long…

  • Lighthouse

    Little Corn Island

    Little Corn's lighthouse is actually a metal tower that doesn't emit any light these days, but it does offer fine panoramas of the island and is a dreamy…

  • Southwest Bay

    Corn Islands

    The most popular beach on Great Corn, Southwest Bay has calmer, more sheltered water than at most other beaches on the island, though the area is more…

  • Grape Key

    Caribbean Coast

    Home to an abandoned hotel, this lovely round island has probably the best swimming in the archipelago, with pure white sand beaches sloping down to deep…

  • La Bocana

    Caribbean Coast

    The closest thing Bilwi has to a decent beach, this place is about as far from a Caribbean fantasy as it's possible to get, but folk still tramp up here…

  • Otto Beach

    Little Corn Island

    The island's most popular beach, Otto boasts multicolored waters perfect for swimming and a fun young crowd. Here you'll find the island's fanciest…

  • Quinn Hill

    Corn Islands

    This remote hillside is where Spanish artist Rafael Trénor has installed a cube (the lower half is buried to make it look like a pyramid) symbolizing one…

  • Moravian Church

    Caribbean Coast

    You'll probably feel familiar with Pearl Lagoon's iconic church before you even reach the Caribbean, as it graces Nicaragua's 20 Cordoba banknote…

  • Cueva Santo Domingo

    Caribbean Coast

    A tough 4km hike from town, this cave is an old Sandinista stronghold with many petroglyphs left by the previous indigenous residents. It's not well…

  • Moravian Church

    Caribbean Coast

    This large concrete church is Bluefield's most iconic building, constructed to the exact specifications of the 1849 wooden original, which was destroyed…

  • Mercado Municipal

    Caribbean Coast

    This ramshackle collection of stalls selling ripe produce, traditional fried-fish breakfasts and sweet, savory rundown (seasoned fish or meat cooked in…

  • Cocal Beach

    Little Corn Island

    A long stretch of white sand fronted by brilliant turquoise waters. Cocal has lost a lot of its mass through erosion but is still a fine place for a…

  • Mount Pleasant

    Corn Islands

    Walk up the dirt trail behind the Sunrise Hotel in South End past the banana groves and you will be rewarded with panoramic views from Mt Pleasant,…

  • Parque Reyes

    Caribbean Coast

    Bluefields' best green space is a popular meeting point with impressive 25m-high trees sprouting bromeliads in the canopy and a monument to the six ethnic…

  • Parque Palo Solo

    Caribbean Coast

    This rather lovely, beautifully tended and shady park is where couples come to whisper, cuddle and kiss beneath palm and ficus trees, and absorb a truly…

  • Catholic Church

    Caribbean Coast

    The renovated town church, about two blocks downriver from the dock, is not an architectural classic but has stained-glass windows and a neon cross. It…