Nicaragua: Los Manos > Esteli > Granada

Dec 2025 |

My first 2 rides in Nicaragua.

Los Manos to Esteli

After a 3-hour ride to the border from Tegucigalpa, and a 2-hour border crossing at Los Manos (here's a post about it), I finished the day with a 2-hour ride to Esteli and called it a day. The first thing that I noticed crossing into Nicaragua was that it seemed neat and tidy, no garbage tossed along the road, and the road quality was good. I stayed one night in Esteli, had a walk around, got a SIM, ate some ok Mexican food, and stayed at Wally's Place. It's owned by Alex, a friendly local who lived in the US for many years; the place is named after his dog! Wally's has safe parking, and the room was good. I don't think Esteli gets too many gringos riding through, but it seemed like a decent town.

 Ride: 100 km / 2 hours

Stay: Wally's Place / $35 / ***

Esteli to Granada

Alex gave me a route suggestion, taking a road along Lake Cochibolca (as named per Google Maps; I have always thought of it as Lake Nicaragua) to Granada. It was a decent ride, a bit dull, low hills and straight routes, but good road quality and few vehicles. Closer to the lake, there were some good views from higher up, and more along the shore. It's impressive how huge it is.

I knew nothing of Granada the day before I arrived there. Surprisingly, it is a major Central America colonial administrative center, a sister city to the more famous Antigua Guatemala. You can see the similarities in the size and architecture of the towns, though Granada lacks hordes of tourists. Interestingly, I stayed at the Indian-owned and themed Hotel Maharaja, which featured a showcase of Kama Sutra-themed prints on the wall of my room. Unfortunately, was no Indian restaurant, though one was opening soon. I ate dinner at a good Mediterranean restaurant. It was surprising to find such things in Central America; I'd only seen Chinese restaurants up to this point.

I guess a question could be why I didn't go to Managua. In general, I do like to visit major cities/capitals. But, because I had limited time (to catch a flight in Costa Rica), I had to race through Nicaragua and gave Managua a miss, though I did fly over it on the way to Houston from San Jose, Costa Rica.

Ride: 230 km / 4.5 hours

Stay: Hotel Maharaja / $35 / **

Video: I aslso made a short video showcasingHotel Maharaja

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