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Madriz

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Tranquil region with a famous canyon and laborous inhabitants producing coffee, arts and crafts, and traditional delicacies.

Population: approx. 133,000 people
Location: northern region of Nicaragua
Attractions: Somoto canyon, viewpoints, mountains, coffee farms, artisanal production, pine forests, rosquilla production

The small department of Madriz is situated in the mountainous northern region of Nicaragua, and together with the departments of Nueva Segovia and Estelí this area is known as Las Segovias. Madriz is characterized by a cool climate, its small towns – with simple but nice houses made of adobe and roofed with tiles – as well as coffee plantations and mountains covered with pine and oak forests.

The area has not been extensively explored by national or international tourists, but Madriz offers nevertheless a variety of interesting attractions including extraordinary geological formations, petroglyphs, ancient settlements, and high-quality handicrafts made from different materials.

Originally the area was inhabited by various indigenous tribes (mostly Chorotegas) who have mixed with the small Spanish settlements during colonial times. Madriz was also the setting for the patriotic war fought by Augusto C. Sandino and his army.

Somoto: interesting geological formations, archeology, and delicious rosquillas

The capital city of the department of Madriz is the small city of Somoto. Somoto has an active urban center set around the ancient parochial church (this church still possesses most of its colonial structure from 1661 as well as ancient objects from colonial times). The city has comfortable hotels, restaurants, bards, and a popular discotheque. Somoto can very well function as a departure place to explore other attractions in the area. Within the municipality’s limits, however, there are also various interesting attractions to be found.

One of these attractions is the small Piedra Pintada Museum, located in the central park of Somoto. An interesting collection of archeological pieces that were found in and around the city are put on display. Another interesting activity is to pay a visit to one of the rosquilla workshops in town where these tasty snacks that are famous throughout Nicaragua can be seen produced using artisanal methods.

Outside the urban center of Somoto there are two remarkable attractions. The Somoto Canyon (Cañón de Somoto) is an enormous geological formation that stretches for over one kilometer with steep walls that flank the Coco River and that reach at certain points over 200 meters in height. The other attraction is related to religious tourism. After a little boy reported to have seen an image of Virgin Mary in 1990 the Cacaulí area became a sanctuary that nowadays receives thousands of visitors every month, expressing their faith or asking for miracles.

There are also two important celebrations in Somoto. The Patron Saint festival takes place at the beginning of May, and the Carnival is celebrated at the end of November. This Carnival is visited by people from both other parts of the country as well as the neighboring country Honduras.

Somoto is located at 216 kilometers from Managua and only a few kilometers from the border checkpoint of El Espino, bordering with Honduras. The city can be easily reached via the Pan American Highway, which is in excellent conditions. By car, Somoto can be reached by following the Pan American Highway from Managua (taking a left at Sébaco). Buses leave to Somoto from the Mayoreo Market. For more information visit out transportation section.

Yalagüina and Totogalpa: handicrafts and more rosquillas

The small towns of Yalagüina and Totogalpa are the most accessible towns of the department. These settlements, just like the neighboring towns, are characterized by the tranquility of the daily routine and their beautiful centers of adobe houses roofed with tiles and surrounded by nice gardens. Two different artisanal activities make these villages stand out.

Yalagüina, set along the Pan American Highway, is another important center of rosquilla production. Although these rosquillas are less well-known than the ones from Somoto, the Yalagüina rosquillas are also high quality and posses an excellent taste. There are dozens of workshops in the area.

Totogalpa is becoming well-known as a result of the creativity of two artists. Within Nicaragua Totogalpa is mostly known for the tusa handicrafts. These small dolls are produced from the leaves of corn ears and created by the artist Sonia Vásquez in a wide variety of colors and shapes. The other local handicraft is the painted jícaro (a type of fruit), elaborated by the Gómez family.

Yalagüina can be reached by following the Pan American Highway, heading north from Estelí. To reach Totogalpa, take a right at Yalagüina, heading towards Ocotal. From Managua buses depart in this direction from the El Mayoreo market. Take the bus to Ocotal to reach Totogalpa or Yalagüina (for the latter buses to Somoto will also work).

San Lucas, La Sabana, and San José de Cusmapa: great views and handicrafts

The neighboring towns of San Lucas, La Sabana, and San José de Cusmapa are situated south of Somoto. All of these villages share a friendly ambiance and rural setting.

The first town to be reached from Somoto, San Lucas, is also the largest of the three. Although the urban center has no extraordinary activities to offer, there is an interesting attraction located in the rural outskirt of the town. At the tiny community of Loma Panda visitors can observe the production of clay handicrafts, designed and hand-made by the creative Muñoz family.

Although there is no easy access route, visitors will be compensated for their efforts when visiting the workshop of Loma Panda. In this rural, off-the-road location a small group of artists creates beautiful handicrafts, which can also be bought on-site.

Southward of San Lucas the smaller village of La Sabana can be found. The principal attraction of this village is the fact that it forms part of the Tepesomoto-La Pataste Natural Reserve, which is situated in several municipalities in the departments of Madriz and Estelí.

The road continues to ascend the mountainous region towards the small, tranquil, and interesting village of San José de Cusmapa, located further southward. Here, visitors can observe the creation of hand-crafted pine needle baskets and other objects, elaborated by a group of women from the local community. San José de Cusmapa furthermore provides several extraordinary viewpoints that offer unparalleled views of a significant part of the western Pacific lowlands of Nicaragua.

These towns can be reached by taking the road that leads south from Somoto (signage is not abundant so be sure to ask). The road is paved until San Lucas, and from there it transforms into a gravel road until San José de Cusmapa. An all-terrain vehicle is required for this part. Buses that head to these towns depart from the bus terminal in Somoto.

Palacagüina, Telpaneca, and San Juan de Río Coco

The three municipalities of Palacagüina, Telpaneca, and San Juan de Río Coco are located in the eastern part of Madriz, and all of them are headed by a town with the same name as the municipality. These three villages do not possess major tourist attractions, but the rural life and the beautiful and the forested mountains might awaken tourist interest in the future.

Palacagüina is the most populous city of the department after Somoto. The city center is composed of spacious adobe houses and a nice central park in front of the parish church. Palacagüina is located a little more than three kilometers from the Pan American Highway, and can be reached by heading eastward from Ducalualí.

Continuing traveling down this paved road one will encounter the town of Telpaneca, possibly the third largest town of the department and one of the oldest settlements of the region. The Coco River crosses the town of Telpaneca.

Ascending the mountains towards the east over a gravel road the small and more recent town of San Juan de Río Coco can be found. Although the area has no major attraction to offer, there is a high plunge waterfall called La Gruta de la Virgen de Lourdes situated nearby the western exit of the town.

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