Destinations >> Esteli

Esteli is located 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the capital. It is a cool and pleasant town situated in a valley between mountains that rise some 800 meters (2,625 feet) above sea level.

Its name is from the nahuatl word “ulúa” which means “Obsidian River”.

Due to its geographical location in the north of the country, this is a very active commercial center. It is an agricultural region based heavily on tobacco. The tobacco of the region is among the most prized in the world.

The city of Esteli is famous for its equestrian activities held in December. There are fabulous equestrian exhibits and the city’s atmosphere is very festive.

The archeological site “El Bosque” (the Forest) is located north of Esteli, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Pueblo Nuevo, on the road to San Juan de Limay. In 1974, fossilized bones dating back 30,000 years were found here. In Limay, craftspeople make beautiful stone sculptures. One can also see petroglyphs with sculpted prehistoric human, animal and bird figures.

Another tourist attraction is the waterfall at La Estanzuela, a lovely cascade of water located 5 kilometers (3 miles) to the south of the city of Esteli. It is 40 meters (131 feet) high, allowing for high dives into the swimming hole. The Reserve of the Moropotente Plateau is a high plain forested with pine and mayflower trees, accessible by four-wheel drive vehicle. Its highest point is 1,460 meters (4,790 feet).

Other towns in this department include: Condega, Pueblo Nuevo, San Juan de Limay and La Trinidad.

Tourist Attractions

Historical: The paleontological sites of “El Bosque”, near Pueblo Nuevo and the stone crafts of Limay.

Scenic: La Estanzuela Falls, Las Tablas and Moropotente Plateaus, Miraflores Lake; Mount Tomabu and its Duende (Dwarf) Cave; the series of plateaus such as Copalchizal, Quiabuc, Horno Grande, Majagual, La Trinidad and Oyanca.

Ecological: the cloud forest at Las Brisas Summit; Mount Tisey and the deposits of jasper, opal, onyx and puzolane.

The Jiñocuabo (Gumbolimbo) Forest

The gumbolimbo or jiñocuabo, a nahuatl name that means “mangy tree”, from the scales or flakes that fall from the bronzed bark, goes by the scientific name of Bursera simaruba. It flowers, dries up and loses its leaves as soon as the dry season begins.

La Trinidad and La Mocuana

La Trinidad is a town in the department of Esteli, located along the Northern Pan-American Highway. It is situated at the end of a narrow gorge surrounded by high plateaus. One of these is La Mocuana.

Mount Tomabu

Mount Tomabu is set between La Trinidad and Esteli and has an elevation of 1,445 meters (4,741 feet) above sea level, and is crowned with a forest of pines and mayflower trees.

La Mocuana

This is a plateau with a rocky top, hiding the mouth of a cave at its center. According to ancient legend, it is inhabited by Mocuana, daughter of the unbridled love between a snake and a great toad.

Esteli Pools

On the high mesas of the Esteli valley and situated in shallow depressions, rainwater is collects to form small pools that serve as watering holes for the cattle of the area.

The Cathedral in Esteli

Following a flood, the city was moved to its current site in 1823. The old adobe church, built in the nineteenth century, was demolished to begin the new church. This new church was built in the 1930s and 1940s in a style somewhere between neoclassical and modern.