MANAGUA

Sun-baked and sweltering, Managua is a place of contradictions and challenges. Less a city that is than a city that was, it has a history that lurks around every corner; less an urban center than an enormous conglomerate of nondescript neighborhoods, modern-day Managua is what a city looks like when everything has gone wrong. Managua is not an easy place to get to know, but you will be rewarded for your efforts, for there is much to experience in this intense, clamorous capital, and spending time among its 1.5 million inhabitants is essential for anyone who hopes to understand the country. The sweating taxi driver negotiating his Russian-made cab down unnamed streets; the university student clamoring for a bigger education budget; the slick, young entrepreneur touting his new theme-bar in the zona rosa; the seamstress in the free-trade zone demanding fair treatment—these are the people struggling to shape the new Managua into a more livable city.

  Managua is the economic, political, academic, and transportation heart of Nicaragua and, financed by the wave of nouveau riche Nicaraguans (a.k.a. Nicas Ricas) returning from self-imposed exile in Miami, its reconstruction has accelerated. Since the mid-1990s, tens of kilometers of roads have been repaved, several luxury hotels completed, and a new cross-city bypass built.

  Today, as Managua stretches inexorably southward, its layout reflects its violent history: The ruins of old Managua remain at the water’s edge—from there, in all directions, spread hundreds of shapeless, characterless barrios (neighborhoods) that rose from the rubble after each new natural or manmade disaster. Along Carretera Masaya, pricey shops, clubs, and restaurants continue sprouting up to service the new neighborhood developments of the wealthy.

Plaza de la Revolución: Still the cultural heart of Nicaragua’s capital, Nicaragua’s old downtown also features the lakefront Malecón and old Cathedral ruins. (read more)

La Laguna de Tiscapa: Just one of the area’s many volcanic lakes but the only one you can zip over while tethered to a steel cable; or just enjoy the view. (read more)

Las Huellas de Acahualinca:This glimpse of Managua’s mysterious past is haunting for the questions it raises, not the ones it answers. (read more)

Rotonda Bello Horizonte: A brightly lit, noisy cluster of open-air restaurants where barrel-chested mariachi crooners will sing you love songs for tips. (read more)

Denis Martínez National Baseball Stadium: If in town during baseball season, order some peanuts and beer and root for the home team, El Boer. (read more)

Chocoyero–El Brujo Nature Reserve: Located just south of Managua, in a gorgeous patch of protected hillsides and ravines, this community-based tourism venture offers some wonderful day hikes. (read more)