San Juan River… A Treasure to Discover!
It is a combination of history, scenic beauty, birthplace of artists and painters, exuberant flora and fauna, immense terrestrial and aquatic geography, indescribable paradisiacal places that combine with the idiosyncrasy, generosity and hospitality of the locals, making Río San Juan a unique tourist destination in Central America.
With 200 kilometers of length bordering the border with Costa Rica, it carries in its rough or calm waters, the waters of Lake Nicaragua and other nearby rivers, flowing into the Caribbean Sea, creating rapids, deltas, swamps and lagoons.
In El Castillo, the river is wide, surrounded by islets and covered with vegetation; in the Indio-Maíz Reserve, it is full of rapids and jungle areas rich in flora and fauna.
The San Juan River was originally known as "Itl Drain" when Spanish conquistadors and colonizers discovered it in 1525.
Given its importance as a river that connected through Lake Nicaragua and other rivers to the Caribbean Sea, the Spanish conquistadors founded San Carlos, initiating trade with the provinces of Havana, Cartagena de Indias and other island regions.
Pirates and filibusters attacked and sacked San Carlos, and in addition to the rivalry with the English, the Spanish fortified San Carlos and continued with the construction of an impregnable fortress known to this day as El Castillo de la Inmaculada Concepción, which withstood many battles against American filibusters, Miskitu Indians, and the English monarchy.
Fortress of the Immaculate Conception Conception Mary
It is located 60 km from San Carlos, during the boat trip on the San Juan River you will find the raudales machuca, the devil and the bull, the latter located in the town of Boca de Sábalos.
The historical monument Fortaleza de la Inmaculada Concepción de María, located on 375 hectares, is an infrastructure with an exhibition of historical facts, today restored and with its scenic beauty it is an important tourist attraction.
Tourists visiting the fortress can explore its interior and tour its interesting museum, which helps to understand the importance of the fortification. You can choose to stay in different accommodations, go fishing, or take a canoe ride to enjoy the true magic of the tropical rainforest.
Solentiname Archipelago
It is located in the great Lake of Nicaragua, made up of 36 islands, of which Mancarrón Island is the most accessible and best known, being the largest of the archipelago. On Mancarrón Island, with its history of the creation of the peasant church led by Father Ernesto Cardenal, you will find the library with its archaeological pieces, a large number of artisans and painters.
Indio Maíz Reserve
It is a natural reserve of 361,875 hectares of well-drained evergreen forest, moderately drained alluvial evergreen forest, swampy evergreen forest (Campnosperma sp and Prioria sp), swampy evergreen forest dominated by palms (yolillales). Freshwater lagoons (with floating and submerged aquatic vegetation), estuaries, a bar with vegetation influenced by brackish water (with Manicaria sp palm), different riparian ecosystems.
It is rightly considered one of the most important areas in Central America due to the scientific value of the high diversity of plant and fauna species (tapir, manatee, jaguar, wild boar, peccaries, etc.) and the presence of archaeological remains.
The Guatuzos
It is a wildlife refuge with an area of 437 square kilometers and with 47,000 hectares it is part of the Indio Maíz biological reserve made up of flooded savannahs of trees and palms, broadleaf and swamp forests. Its lush vegetation forms different types of ecosystems that include lagoons, wetlands, dry and humid forests.
There is a high value of species diversity and adaptation to the environment that are of great interest. Within the fauna, its 385 species of aquatic birds stand out, forming the largest concentration in Nicaragua and Central America, the refuge being a valuable point for the migration of birds from north to south of America. It also has a large quantity and variety of other animal species, many of them in danger of extinction.
Bartola Nature Reserve
Biological Station on the San Juan River, half an hour from El Castillo de la Inmaculada Concepción. At the confluence of the Bartola and San Juan rivers. Low-altitude humid forest vegetation.
Zapote Island
Also known as the bird island, due to the presence of a huge colony of aquatic birds. It covers almost thirty hectares and is completely uninhabited. The cries and noises are continuous, due to the enormous number of birds of different species that breed there.
Look at the trees laden with nests, the mallards swimming, the white, pink and black colours of the herons, the spoonbills, the ducks… crossing in the sky and suddenly coming down to the water to fish.
San Fernando Island
Bordering San Fernando Island, you can enjoy the view of the colorful houses, the docks, the boats on the shore of the lake.
A path runs through the village, passing from house to house and across part of the island, until reaching the Solentiname Archipelago Museum, passing in front of the Artists' Workshop House. The Solentiname Archipelago Museum, MUSAS, was founded by ACRA – Association for Cooperation in Africa and Latin America – in 2000, with the collaboration of several institutions and with the participation of the local community of the Archipelago and its artists. Visiting MUSAS means travelling through space and time on the islands. The tour is based on paintings and objects made on rafts by the painters and craftsmen of Solentiname, which in this way provide a very unique and characteristic image of the Archipelago.
Mancarrón Island
Mancarrón is the largest and most inhabited island in the Archipelago. It is also the island of the Community of Father Ernesto Cardenal. Arriving from afar, you can see the house of Father Cardenal, who does not live here permanently today but often returns to Solentiname.
From the quay you can enjoy the view of the church where the peasant mass was celebrated and the children's playground. The interior of the church is simple, but at the same time welcoming: the walls and the back, behind the altar, were painted in a primitivist style with the participation of children, with bright colours and simple, direct figures.
The Deer Island
La Venada is the first island we find when arriving from San Carlos. It is elongated and has gentle reliefs, and is inhabited on its southern and northern shores. One of the most important archaeological sites in the Archipelago is located here: the Cueva del Duende, or Cave of the White Bat. Located at the level of the lake, we find 161 images engraved in stone, which mainly represent faces, human figures and animals. The cave has two walls.
According to research carried out in the area, the petroglyphs on the west wall are linked to the cult of the dead, due to the fact that the figures look towards the East where, according to the culture of Gran Nicoya, the Gods reside and the main paradise is located. In addition, one of the figures represents a four-legged animal, perhaps a dog.
According to the ancient cultures of Solentiname, the deceased were accompanied and guided to the other world by a dog. On the east wall there is a large figure symbolizing fertility: it is supposed to be related to the paradise of fertility/water, which was located to the West, where the figure faces.
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