A Nicaraguan two-toed sloth wakes up from a treetop nap, part of an Austin-Lehman Adventure that woke travelers up!  

“Welcome to Nicaragua, the land of lakes and volcanoes,” said Jesus, the guide picking me up at the Managua Airport January 25th. By day two of my one week trip, I had already decided it was the land of lakes, volcanoes and photographs.

Whether it was the steam surging from the volcanic ground as the earth continued to form, or an elegant bride and groom at the entrance of a 17th century cathedral trying to convince the little ring boy to get off the floor and stop his crying jag so they could proceed down the aisle; or a bicycle cruising by with a father peddling a woman nursing her child, or fireworks going off near a full moon, or monkeys swinging 30 feet through the air from one branch to another not far from a sleeping sloth— everywhere the landscapes and people-scapes seemed to invite photographs.

Leon, Nicaragua in January          photographs by (c) Lisa TE Sonne

The words that Nicaragua formerly conjured (contras, revolutions, drugs) were replaced for me by cloud forests, revelations, and delights. I had said “yes” to Austin-Lehman Adventures’ inaugural trip in Nicaragua before the New York Times’ article touted the country as the #3 destination on the Bucket List of 46 places to go in 2013. So had half a dozen other curious spirits, all from New York. I am glad we experienced some of Nicaragua before it’s overrun with tourists.

Wonder-Full Week
A week in the course of decades of life is a small unit of time, yet it can be filled with so many experiences and people on a wonderful trip. Friendships clicked among fellow travelers (ages 36 to 57), with the ever-smiling knowledgeable guide Julio Flores and fun driver Juan Ramon, both from Oro Tours, the Nicaraguan ground team, with the warm local Nicaraguans and ex-pats met in the course of our days and nights, and with enthusiastic, intrepid Dan Austin, founder of Austin-Lehman Adventures who started researching the trip a year before and went along to see how he can make it even better  for future groups.

A howler monkey viewed from a horse while riding from jungle to beach at Morgan’s Rock, Nicaragua

My camera also clicked as I tried to capture some of the local life, beautiful smiles, and the participatory experiences offered on the trip from ash-boarding down a volcano, to getting covered in chocolate in a spa, and from milking a cow for a farmhouse breakfast to sipping Malbec in a private dining room with 1000 year-old artwork on the walls.

These initial images may give a visual sense of what visitors can enjoy in Central America’s largest country with the least dense population. For the sounds, smells, tastes and touches, Nicaragua awaits your own visit.

Adventure Photo Ops

In between leisurely meals, our adventures in Nicaragua for our Austin-Lehman week included:

Ash-boarding down a volcano, part of the Austin-Lehman Adventure in Nicaragua

*Ash-boarding down a volcano

Flying through the canopy in Nicaragua

*Zip-lining through jungle canopy

*Horseback riding under howler monkeys, up to promontories and on the beach

*Learning to roll a cigar at Dona Elba

*Kayaking in Lake Nicaragua to the private Zopango island for an organic lunch one day and in a Pacific mangrove estuary at sunset two days later.

*Savoring Morgan Rock’s private beach- releasing baby sea turtles in the morning and bogey boarding in the afternoon

*Enjoying a romantic carriage ride on cobblestone streets with empty neighborhoods (everyone was at the baseball stadium or watching the play offs on televisions)

*Walking the streets of Leon and Granada and witnessing daily life and milestone events- two weddings, a religious parade, and a gorgeous black carriage for a funeral with live musicians playing

*Milking a cow and gathering fresh eggs from the hens for a freshly made Nicaraguan farmhouse breakfast

*Buying original artwork from the artist at Granada’s international cultural center where violins are being made in the room next to painters filling canvases

*Being covered in real chocolate for a therapeutic massage and exfoliation spa treatment in the land where the source of chocolate (cacao beans) was the currency for hundreds of years.

Two locals in Nicaragua’s largest hammock, part of the Sonrisa Cafe where deaf and mute folks serve coffee, food and smiles as well as make beautiful hammocks. Granada, Nicaragau

*Lifting two little kids in and out of the largest hammock in Nicaragua at the innovative Sonrisa Cafe and Center where the deaf and mute make hammocks and serve coffee and food

*Hiking along dense fauna with occasional orchids, bromiliads, and heliconia to a narrow passage that the Chorotegas  believed was the source of the origin portal of the first people

After awhile, I felt very repetitive saying “Bueno” and “muy Bueno” and “excelente,” so often, so I asked our guide Julio, for a Spanish word that means great, wonderful, fantastic. He smiled and said ”pijudo.” The word was used many times since!

It was hard to leave Leon with its lion statues, and old history and my room at the pre-colonial La Perla with the 20 foot ceilings and breakfast in the fountain courtyard.

One of many horse drawn carriages in Granada, Nicaragua

It was hard to leave Granada staying at La Gran Frances with its interior open-roofed courtyard swimming pool, and location close to the Plaza which had its own rich life cycles from sunrise to sunrise.

And it was really hard to leave Morgan’s Rock Hacienda and Resort with the forest, jungles, beaches, people, and my spacious bungalow in the canopy that felt like a stylish screened tree house with the oceans’ waves below, and the suspension bridge walk to the main lodge where good food and infinity pool awaited. And then there are all the roads and hiking traills taken and those not taken-yet.

So I hope it is “Hasta La Vista” for me and my camera- that we will see again  “the land of lakes and volcanoes” and photographs, friendships and adventures.

-Lisa TE Sonne for Luxury Travel Mavens

Photographs by Lisa TE Sonne © all rights reserved. Thanks to Austin-Lehman Adventure for creating the trip and to Anna, Dan, Ed, Erik,  Juan, Julio, Ken, Mark, Peter, Ruth, and Troy for sharing and enriching the adventures and road trips..

Three generations make this Nicaraguan Pottery in Granada. It takes 22 days for each piece.