Today is my only day in Managua. I did a lot of research and everything told me that traveling around the city on my own was not safe. I didn’t want to come to Managua without seeing any of it though, so tried a number of tour operators but no luck as a singleton. So, I came up with another plan and spent my one Saturday in Managua zip lining at Tiscapa Lagoon.
tiscapa lagoon
This morning, after check-in, breakfast and a short nap, I hired a taxi to take me to Tiscapa Lagoon. A volcanic lake on a mountain, this preserve offers views of the sprawling capitol city, and a canopy tour of the lake itself. So a visit to the lagoon offers views and adventure, which sounded good to me. The taxi driver waited for me while I enjoyed the activities at Tiscapa.
managua zip lining
I basically looked around, snapped a few photos and then went straight to the canopy tour, a set of 3 ziplines around the lake. The spot was very pretty and the weather was great: around 28 degrees, clear and not humid. Here’s video of one of the ziplines, the one I did “Superman style”:
Aside from the zip-line, which cost $17.75 USD and was a lot of fun, Tiscapa appeals for the views and the history lessons.
history at tiscapa
On top of the mountain is a giant monument to Sandino, the founder of the revolutionary movement in Nicaragua. There is also an exhibition about Sandino and the revolution. The monument is placed where it is because there used to be a prison on the mountain where Sandino was tortured and ultimately died. I also learned the origin of the term “Sandinista”. Yup. You got it.
Another exhibit at the park covered the destruction of historic buildings in Managua, not once, but twice in the past century due to earthquakes. The last earthquake was in 1972. So, there are not many historic buildings left in the city.
It was a nice day and I wanted to see some of Managua, so for a $10 cab ride (hotel and back), I got to see Tiscapa and some of Managua.
I am going out again to see more of the city this evening at Puerto Salvador Allende. It was a good day in Managua zip lining and learning more about Nicaragua’s culture and history.
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