Matagalpa
Matagalpa is the must visit city if you are interested in seeing Nicaraguan mountain region. It is a good jumping off point for visiting the coffee and cattle farms in the area, hiking and witnessing what remains of the impact of Germans immigrants in Nicaragua.
If you like mountain hiking, bird watching, horseback riding, ecotourism, agritourism, Indian Villages, Coffee Farms tours, mountain scenery for photographs, temperate climate, polkas and Mazurcas music, and history, Matagalpa may be the place to visit.
Matagalpa is located in the highlands that make the water shed division of the Caribbean and Pacific rivers, it was called "The Frontier of the Jungle" by the Spanish Conquistadores because it divided the historical Mosquito Kingdom and the Colonial Spanish towns. It has mountain resorts with bungalows, youth hostell, and regular hotel rooms, bar and restaurants, many residents speak English.
Matagalpa, along with nearby Jinotega, enjoy "eternal spring" or all year, spring like weather. Matagalpa lies more than 700 meters above sea level with average temperature ranging from 26 °C to 28 °C., and relative humidity between 75% y 85%. Average rainfall is 1200 a 1900 mm. and 28 °C, relative humidity is between 75 and 85%, the average annual rainfall is 1200 to 1900 mm. The rainy season runs from May to November.
Matagalpa may be a nice town to walk all over and take photos. You may visit and take pictures inside historical churches llike the Cathedral (Built in 1874, San Jose (started in 1750, formely called San Felipe), Molaguina (1800s, formely Dolores Church).
The colonial Santa Ana church disappeared in 1850s, but you can see its old foundations just across the "Escuela de Parvulos", also the old brick and adobe walls of the Jesuit Fathers Convent(now Cancha del Bridadista),Museo del Cafe, Casa Cuna de Carlos Fonseca Amador (1936-1975), the old house of fomer President Bartolome Martinez (1870-1936), also the house of the Comunidad Indigena.
Selva Negra
One of the most picturesque, idyllic and visitor-friendly of the sustainable farms is Selva Negra, a coffee plantation in the mountains above Matagalpa. The owners are of German extraction, have resided in Nicaragua for decades, and travel around the world in search of ever-greener methods. In addition to coffee (which is the main cash crop), the farm grows vegetables and flowers, raises livestock, and makes its own cheese and meat.
Most of the products are used to feed the workers that live onsite or the people staying in the “eco-resort” guest accommodations. Selva Negra generates its own power, makes its own fertilizer, and provides bicycles for employee use -- as well as free education for the employees’ children. Tours provide a closer glimpse into any of these systems, of which the owners are justifiably proud.
Jinotega
Jinotega is located in the north central mountains of Nicaragua, 160 kilometers from the capital, Managua. The city is situated in a valley encircled by high mountains, some covered with pine trees and some covered with cloud-covered rain forests. The department of Jinotega is made up of approximately 177,600 inhabitants over an extension of 9,576 square kilometers.
The urban zone accounts for some 65,000 of the total population. This department is the second largest in Nicaragua, bordering on the north with Honduras, on the south with Matagalpa, with Zelaya department on the east, and on the west with the departments of Esteli, Madriz, and Nueva Segovia.
The topography is varied, making a variety of zones whose climates range from intense heat to substantial cold. The department of Jinotega contains seven municipalities: San Rafael del Norte, La Concordia, Yali, Cua-Bocay, Wiwili, Pantasman and Jinotega itself, the department capital.
Jinotega is the city center of Nicaragua's northern region by the same name which produces 80% of the nation's coffee. Not often visited by foreigners, it has a population of about 20,000 living inside a vast bowl formed by the surrounding mountains – perhaps the width of 200X100 soccer fields. It is known as "La Ciudad de las Brumas" or "City of the Mists" for the magnificent whisks of clouds continuously feathering through the top of the bowl.
Certainly the most adventurous time to visit is during the coffee season - December through February. You'll see trucks barelling in and out of the city on the north side, men hauling coffee in on their backs in a frantic scurry. Compared to cities such as Managua and Chinandega, which can be exceedingly hot all year round, Jinotega's climate is relatively pleasant due to its higher elevation.
From within Jinotega you can see Peña de La Cruz, a hill with a cross at the top. The location provides splendid views of the Jinotega valley and surrounding mountains. At the base of Peña de La Cruz within Jinotega there is a cemetery. Cross through the cemetery, stopping to ask where the "sendero" or trail to the cross is located. The journey to the top is steep at times, taking about 30-60 minutes. At the top there is a cool, refreshing breeze.