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León

ViaNica.com > Destinations > León

Interesting region with a colonial city, a variety of volcanoes, and beautiful stretches of Pacific coastline.

Population: approx. 390,000 people
Location: northweastern Pacific side of Nicaragua, bordering the Pacific Ocean
Attractions: architecture, churches, museums, culture, volcanoes, beaches, history

León is a department that has a lot to offer. In addition to the colonial city of León, you can also find many small, picturesque towns that border the Pacific Ocean, great for sun and beach activities, a range of volcanoes offering a variety of possible activities, ruins from the past, among other attractions. The city of León is located about 100 km from Managua and can be easily reached by the new highway.

Leon: Colonial city with a rich history

The city León was originally founded by the Spanish conqueror Francisco Hernández de Córdoba in 1524. This city, however, was threatened by the erupting Momotombo volcano in 1610 and its citizens decided to leave. The city was moved to another place, further away from the Momotombo volcano, to the location where it still is today.

León was already a well-established city when it was attacked by pirates in 1685. Led by the Frenchman William Dampier, the pirates looted the city on August 21, 1685. The cathedral, a school, a hospital, and several churches and colonial houses were burned to ashes. The pirates left a ruined city behind them.

The people from León did manage to capture one pirate called Dampier. This Frenchman turned out to be architect, so he was put in charge of redesigning the cathedral. This was already the fourth version of the building. Along with the cathedral other buildings were also reconstructed. However, bishop Benito de Baltodano considered the cathedral built by the Frenchman obscure and inadequate. He therefore started building the fifth and definite cathedral in 1747. Construction work finished in 1860, and from that moment Nicaragua possessed the biggest cathedral of Central America. This splendid structure holds the remains of many famous people. Among them is poet Rubén Darío, whose tomb is located in the center of the cathedral.

León has always been one of the most important cities of Nicaragua, both from economical as cultural perspective. The city functioned several times as the capital city after Nicaragua’s independence from Spain in 1821. León and Granada both struggled for the title as capital city, which is why Managua was chosen to be the only capital.

Before the Spanish conquerors decided to move the city of León to its current location, the indigenous Sutiava tribe was the most important group of this area. Even after the Spanish settled, they could not easily subject the Sutiava to their rule. Nowadays, the Sutiava neighborhood in León still preserves an indigenous character, and there are still several historical sites that remind of the past. One of them is an ancient tamarind tree. When this tree was 381 years old, it functioned as gallows to murder the important Indian chief Adiáct. With his death, the Spanish were able to subjugate the Sutiava tribe. This tree, locally called ‘El Tamarindón’, is more than 600 years old and it is a famous tree in the Sutiava neighborhood. There is also an indigenous Sutiava museum, located close to the Sutiava church.

León still has an architecturally interesting center with many old, colonial houses, streets, monuments, and churches. The churches La Merced, El Calvario, San Juan, San Francisco, Sutiava and La Recolección are among the most interesting. León also played a crucial role in the uprising against the regime of the Somoza dictatorship in the 1970's. There was a strong Sandinista-movement in the area, which emerged mostly from the students who studied at the University of León, one of the first universitites in Central America. There are still many related museums and monuments to be found in the city.

There is also a museum about Rubén Darío, who lived in León during the first 14 years of his life. Other museums include a museum about the legends of the area (the Museum of Legends and Traditions), one about the indigenous community (Indigenous Sutiava Museum), as well as several art museums.

During holy week (Semana Santa) there are beautiful, picturesque sawdust beds are placed on the streets in front of the churches, especially in the old neighborhood of Subtiaba.

Las Peñitas and Poneloya: Pacific beach towns

The beaches of Poneloya and Las Peñitas are excellent places for sun and beach activities. The little towns are located less than 25 kilometers from León (about 35 minutes in car). Both towns are characterized by a wide beach, great swimming possibilities, and a relaxed, tranquil atmosphere.

In addition to the regular beach activities (sunbathing, swimming, surfing), there is more to do at the beach towns. A narrow, long-stretched island is located in front of Las Peñitas. This island is called Isla Juan Venado (Juan Venado Island), and it is a protected reserve. The island is located only about a hundred meters offshore, making it easy to get there in kayak or boat. The island is flanked mangrove forest and offers a great habitat for many animals, including thousands of birds as well as large crocodiles.

To learn more about the possibilities of exploring the Juan Venado Island by boat or kayak, visit our Activity Guide.

Hot springs of San Jacinto

The hot springs of San Jacinto basically encompass a collection of boiling mud holes. This interesting phenomenon is probably connected to the Telica Volcano, located not far from the hot springs.

San Jacinto itself is a small town that also sometimes serves as the starting point for hikes to the Telica Volcano. For more information about the hot springs of San Jacinto, visit our Activity Guide.

León Viejo: a glimpse of the past

Although the inhabitants of León feared an eruption of the Momotombo Volcano in the seventeenth century, the old city of León was never destroyed by this large volcano. When the people abandoned the old León to build a new León in 1610 (in the neighborhood Sutiava) , they left behind what is now known as ‘León Viejo’. These ruins have been excavated in 1960 and were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in the year 2000.

This historical site is a great visit, with several interesting aspects. In addition to exploring the ruins you can also see some historical places like the cellar where Francisco Hernández de Córdoba’s remains were found, next to the remains of his murderer. There are guides that will walk you through the area. Furthermore, you can also enjoy some superb views of Lake Managua and the Momotombo Volcano.

Fore more information about visiting León Viejo, visit our Activity Guide.

La Paz Centro and Nagarote: Quesillos and more

Located along the highway between Managua and León you can find two tranquil but productive villages: Nagarote and La Paz Centro. These two friendly towns are involved in a culinary squabble, as they both claim to produce the best quesillos. In any way, both villages are great places to eat some of this typical Nicaraguan food. Quesillos are composed of a piece of cheese wrapped in a tortilla and flavored with onions, cream, and other ingredients. More information about traditional Nicaraguan food can be found in our Special Archive.

But this region has more to offer than a quick stop for a quesillo in one of the fine eateries along the highway. Both municipalities give access to Lake Managua. Although contaminated, there are some great views and the lake can also be used for transportation. In the municipality of La Paz Centro you can find the aforementioned ruins of León Viejo. Furthermore, you can find a handicraft museum, hot springs, and several lagoons in the area. The region is not frequently visited and still lacks tourism infrastructure, but there is surely a lot to do and because both towns border the highway between Managua and León, you should definitely consider at least a quick quesillo break.

León’s Volcanoes

One of the most fascinating attractions of the department of León is the volcanoes. The so-called Maribios Range cuts through the department, and this chain of volcanoes gives León a unique image. From far you can see the volcanoes, which include some of the most active of Nicaragua.

Among the volcanoes are the youngest of Central America: the Cerro Negro. This black hill offers great possibilities for hiking as well as for sand-skiing. Another climb can be realized at the Telica Volcano, which has a huge crater and fantastic views. One of Nicaragua’s most remarkable volcanoes is also located in León: the Momotombo. This active volcano is one of the most challenging volcanoes to climb, but your efforts will be rewarded with splendid views and spectacular surroundings. A volcano that is hard to reach but also great to climb is the El Hoyo volcano, which has an odd hole on one of its slopes. More information about these and other volcanoes can be found in our Volcano Special.

Puerto Sandino: strong waves and a lot of nature

South of the city of León, along the Pacific coastline, you can find Puerto Sandino. This towns is not frequently visited but it starts to get discovered because of the great swell for surfing as well as the splendid nature that is conserved in the wetlands.

A couple decades ago, Puerto Sandino was an important seconday port. Nowadays, the town only receives small boats that carry goods or gasoline. Most of the people that live in Puerto Sandino work in León, or they are fisherman or they work in the local salt industry.

Groups of national and international surfers are visiting the town because of the quality of the waves.

An interesting aspect within the character of this town - and something that is quite rare in this area of the country - is the intercultural mix. In Puerto Sandino you can find a mix of people from the Pacific coast and people of the Caribbean coast. The latter group of people settled here when there Puerto Sandino was an important port city. It is not uncommon to hear people speak Miskito on the street (an indigenous language from the Caribbean coast), or Creole-English. Moreover, the celebrations that take place at the Caribbean coast have also migrated to this town, and typical celebrations like the Palo de Mayo are also celebrated in Puerto Sandino.

Getting there and getting around

There is a good connection between Managua and León. A new highway has made it possible to reach León in about one hour and a half. Dozens of buses and microbuses leave daily to and from León, which makes it also a city easy to reach using public transportation. Most buses and microbuses in Managua leave from the Israel Market (Mercado Israel), but you can also catch a bus to León from the UCA terminal.

In your own car, you can get to León by heading for the so-called new highway to León (Carretera Nueva a León). The entry to this highway can be found at the beginning of the southern highway that starts in Managua. Once you are on this road, just go straight and you will pass Ciudad Sandino, Nagarote, La Paz Centro, and other villages. Within about one hour the road will end in a T-intersection. Here you take a right, and then you will head straight to León. Be sure not to take the old highway to León (Carretera Vieja a León). This highway is in terrible condition and it is definitely not the fastest way of getting to León.

In the city of León you can walk, bike, or take a taxi if you are not driving your own car. Please note that there are lots of one-way streets, so it might be a good idea to park your car and walk from one place to the other if the distances are short. There are also buses that drive throughout the city. In general, getting around in León is not hard. From León, you can also take a bus to the beach towns of Poneloya and Las Peñitas. In car, it will take about 35 minutes to Poneloya (Las Peñitas is about 5 kilometers from Poneloya). Except for the volcanoes, many of the other attractions described above can be relatively easy reached by public transportation. To access the volcanoes, you often need your own transportation.

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