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Matagalpa Attractions
Besides the attractions listed, it's worth a quick stop at two other sites: La Iglesia de Molaguina, 2 blocks east and 2 blocks north of Parque Darío (no phone), is a beautiful, simple church. It's popular with locals, although curiously, no one can remember when exactly it was built. East of the city, in the local cemetery, you'll find the final resting place of Benjamin Linder, an American volunteer killed during the war. His simple gravestone reflects his passion for juggling and unicycling.
Cerro Apante is a 1,442m-high (4,731-ft.) hill that dominates the town from its southeastern location. It makes for a good half-day hike and has splendid views at the top. Start at the northeastern corner of Parque Darío and walk southeast down Av. José Benito Escobar . You'll eventually begin to leave the city, walking through the neighborhood of Apante. (If you get lost, just ask for "el cerro.") The actual summit is off-limits, but if you follow the ridgeline north, you'll find a footpath that takes you back down to the town another way.
Touring the Coffee Farms Around Matagalpa -- While you're in the area, you should definitely try to take a tour of some coffee farms -- it's a great opportunity to meet real Nicaraguans in their natural environments, as well as to try some great coffee. However, coffee tourism is very much in its infancy, with very few farms offering set tours in English. It is best to organize a tour through your hotel or lodge.
7 Results
- Historic Site
Casa Cuna Carlos Fonseca
This tiny adobe building is the birthplace of Carlos Fonseca, founder of the FSLN and martyr of the revolution. As a result, he is Matagalpa's most famous son. The building exhibits artifacts from the commandant's life, such as his typewriter, uniforms, and other memorabilia. - Tour
Castillo Cacao
This boutique chocolate factory is the real deal and makes "almost organic" chocolate from sacks of beans that go through a roasting machine, then a crusher, and then a grinder, to produce rich, dark chocolate. The Dutch-Chilean owners have set up a nice showroom in a villa-style… - Religious Site
El Templo de San José de Laborio
One of the earliest church sites in the city, El Templo is historically significant as it was used as base by the indigenous tribes during an uprising in 1881. The current baroque-style church was built in 1917 but rests on the foundations of ruins that date from 1751. - Tour
Finca Esperanza Verde
This is one of the better-known coffee-farm lodges, and it's been lauded for its responsible tourism and sustainable practices. It is 30km (19 miles) from Matagalpa, close to the town of San Ramón on the edge of a cloud forest in a very beautiful setting. Here, you can see the… - Tour
Hacienda El Quetzal
Its location is an Edenic series of steep, lush hills dense with tall trees and bordered by the green and red berries of low-lying bushes. Those same bushes are where hundreds of workers in pink plastic aprons, tramping the muddy roads in their gumboots, harvest coffee beans for the… - Religious Site
La Cathedral de San Pedro
Undoubtedly Matagalpa's most imposing building, the city cathedral seems like many Nicaraguan churches -- completely out of proportion to the size and importance of the city. Built in 1874, this is the third-largest church in all of Nicaragua. It has a brilliant white exterior and a… - Tour
Selva Negra
One of Nicaragua's most famous coffee farms is also a well-known lodge . The 607-hectare (1,500-acre) estate offers day tours of the facilities, and you can also do some excellent forest treks through the sprawling property. The coffee factory itself is a large warehouse in front of…
Matagalpa Shopping
This area is famous for its black ceramics, and you'll find numerous outlets selling such pottery. Cerámica Negra, next to Parque Rubén Darío (tel. 505/2772-2464), specializes in this type of ceramics, as does La Casa de la Carámica Negra, 2 blocks east of Parque Morazán on the northern side (tel. 505/2772-3349). Centro Girasol, in the yellow corner building past the first bridge (tel. 505/2772-6030), has a crafts store and a food store with local organic produce.
Matagalpa Nightlife
Grupo Venancia, 1 1/2 blocks south of Iglesia de Guadalupe (tel. 505/2772-3562; www.grupovenancia.org), is an excellent cultural space that was started by a volunteer women's group with the idea of creating a venue for music, dance, and the arts in general. It has a low-key atmosphere with an open-air bar offering live performances and movie screenings. It attracts a good mix of Matagalpa's well-heeled culture vultures and a bohemian crowd, especially on Saturdays. If you have some time on your hands, they are always looking for volunteers to help out, as they also organize workshops, publish books, and have a radio show.
Parque Darío is the venue for festivals called Noches Matagalpinas every last weekend of the month -- expect live music, food stands, and a very festive atmosphere.
In general, locals here are fond of scuffing their cowboy boots to ranchero, merengue, and reggaeton. Saturdays nights are the liveliest, with roadhouse discos like Tequilas, 3km (1 3/4 miles) out on the Managua highway, coming alive with revelers. Madre Tierra goes all week (except Tues) with an open-air bar offering pub grub and hammocks. It is located 1 1/2 blocks west of Texaco Central.
Considering what else is on offer, Artesanos Café Bar (1/2 block east of Banpro, in front of the Social Club; tel. 505/2772-2444) is by far the nicest bar in town, with roomy ambience and a laid-back, hip feel. The building itself is a nicely restored town house, and there's an open-air deck out the back overlooking a small garden. In addition to beer and cocktails, you'll also find smoothies and fruit juices. There's also a short food menu with decent chicken bites and salads. It attracts a healthy mix of old and young, local and foreign. It's open Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to midnight.
