Notes

Hello friends, and that rumbling you hear is not my tummy. Nicaragua has two active volcanoes. We boast the second largest rainforest in the Americas. Close to 20% of my country is protected as national parks or biological reserves, so we have many places to vacation. And, unlike New York, you can experience versatile climates according to your mood. The Pacific lowlands are always extremely hot, but the air is light and fresh. It is best to visit when the countryside is green during the rainy season between May and November, otherwise the winds blow the dust across the plains in brown, billowy clouds. The Caribbean coast is wet but very hot. It rains heavily even during the dry seasons between March and May so it's horribly humid. English is spoken here along with our official Spanish. The people on the coast more closely resemble Caribbean island natives than the rest of us in Nicaragua.  The mountains to the north are cool and about a quarter of the country's agriculture is in this region, with coffee for our cafe con leche, or coffee with heated milk, grown on the higher slopes. Oaks, pines, moss, ferns and orchids fill the clouded forests. The Volcan Masaya National Park is home to the most easily accessible active volcanoes in Nicaragua, with two volcanoes that have five craters. The Santiago crater is often steaming and smoking away and hiking trails lead to great vantage points to this national treasure.