El Castillo – Nicaragua

El Castillo, has a historic appeal to it. Built in the mid XVI century as a  Spanish defense fortification on the banks of the San Juan River, aimed at defending the Nicaraguan towns of Granada and León on the western shores of the Nicaraguan lake. It was subject to numerous pivotal military encounters. It suffered British assault on two occasions with Trafalgar Battle hero Horatio Nelson present in the 1780 taking of the castle.. It also saw its fair share of scuffles with pirates and played a critical role in stopping the American Filibusteros invading Nicaragua in the 1865 Costa Rican military campaign.  Thus seen through the lens of geopolitics and understanding our shared history, the San Juan River and El Castillo takes a more relevant note.

El Castillo not only boasts a rich and relevant history. The town has a unique charm. Isolated in nature, El Castillo has a culture of its own. This picturesque settlement dances to its own slower paced rhythm complemented by the warm affection of its inhabitants. Buildings are simple but tidy and pleasing. Walking around you´ll find people willing to welcome you to a conversation. A perfect place to enjoy some cold refreshments as you wave the day goodbye by the river bank.

So the plan is relatively simple. Travel to the Tablillas border crossing in Los Chiles San Carlos where we leave our vehicle parked for the weekend and cross over to Nicaragua where our friend and local guide Ernesto Gato Pineda will be waiting for us. He´ll drive us to the Santa Fe bridge where we´ll board our boat. Most of our time in Nicaragua will be spent on the boat so no other real physical activity is needed other than lifting your food and drink to your mouth.

On the way to El Castillo, we´ll have lunch at the small village of Sábalos so we don´t pass out from hunger and arrive at El Castillo mid afternoon to rest and check out the town. Next day is another boat day getting to know the Indio Maíz Reserve which is massive. It spans all the way to the Caribbean Coast harboring one of the biggest wetlands of the continent. We have our last afternoon to ourselves to enjoy the magic and mysticism of where we stand in company of should be good friends by now.

And Sunday we travel again, well rested and happy. We estimate to be back in San José early during the night. Hopefully around 7 pm if all is well on the road. We hope we have peaked your interest enough to make you want to join us on an adventure that few have done in the past but those who did proved to have made a decision they remembered forever.