Delta 2014 - (Page 62)
PANAMA
NICARAGUA
Managua
The cone of the Momotombo Volcano serves as a backdrop to Managua, located on the southern shore of Lake Managua. Things to see and do include a visit to the National Museum with a
pre-Columbian collection, and the New Cathedral, a mosque-like Catholic church with 63 domes
to let in the light that illuminates its stark interior.
BEST PLACE TO STAY
Among Managua's international hotels, Real InterContinental Metrocentro is a good choice and
well located, although on a more boutique scale, you'll find the Hotel Los Robles or the Estancia
La Casona.
BEST NATURE EXPERIENCE
The Masaya Volcano, an easy 15-mile drive from the capital, is one of the most accessible volcanoes in the country. You'll be enchanted by its multiple, smoldering craters that overlook Lake
Masaya. All within Masaya National Park are numerous hiking trails and an excellent volcanology
museum. If you're staying in Granada, head for the Mombacho Volcano National Reserve,
whose cloud forests are buried in orchids, and whose 16- to 17-platform canopy tours put you
right up-close and personal with the birds.
BEST CULTURAL EXPERIENCE
Granada, less than an hour from the capital and a colonial gem of a town on the shores of Lake
Nicaragua, boasts a main square framed by Moorish arcades. Don't miss city views from the
towers of La Merced church, the pre-Columbian treasures at Convento de San Francisco and
Mio Museo, or a horse and carriage ride at sunset. North of the capital is Leon, a university town
whose grandest architectural monument is the Catedral de la Asuncion, the largest religious
colonial building-it took 100 years to build-in Central America.
BEST SPORTING LIFE
Attention golfers: There's a beautiful new 18-hole course, designed by David McLay Kidd, that
meanders over forested and flowering hills to the sea at the new Mukul Resort & Spa, spread
along the Emerald Coast.
BEST KEPT SECRET
Nicaragua has fine handicraft traditions, but the paintings produced by the artists living in the
Solentiname Islands have made it into international art collections.
FACTS
BEST TIME TO GO:
November to April; December, just
after the rainy season
FUN FACT:
Nicaragua was the stage setting for
both the 21st and 22nd seasons of
the TV reality show, "Survivor," based
in the beach town of San Juan del Sur
GETTING THERE:
Delta flies from Atlanta to Managua
ENTRY DOCUMENTS:
Valid passport
CURRENCY:
Cordoba
MUST-TRY NATIVE FOOD:
Steaks, the best in Central America
BEST BUYS:
Many fine handicrafts including
leatherwork, ceramics, hammocks
and local paintings. The Masaya
Market is rightly called Nicaragua's
capital of shopping
INFORMATION PLEASE:
Nicaragua Tourism Board-
visit-nicaragua.com
Panama City
FACTS
BEST TIME TO GO:
Peak season (aka dry season) runs midDecember to mid-April; driest months on
the Caribbean coast are February, March,
September and October
FUN FACT:
In 1928, adventurer Richard Halliburton
swam the Panama Canal in 10 days
GETTING THERE:
Delta flies from Atlanta to Panama City
ENTRY DOCUMENTS:
Valid passport
CURRENCY:
U.S. Dollar
MUST-TRY NATIVE FOOD:
Ceviche, made with sea bass or shell fish,
chopped onion and chili peppers marinated
in lemon juice
BEST BUYS:
Wonderful baskets and other straw items,
balsa wood crafts, and the famous appliques
called molas
INFORMATION PLEASE:
Panama Tourism Authority-
visitpanama.com
For Central America's most enjoyable capital the pick will certainly be Panama City, not only
a fun place to be but one full of good hotels and casino action. Left over from earlier days is
the colonial center called Casco Viejo, a UNESCO World Heritage site, while the Miraflores
Locks offer a perfect perch from which to watch ships railed and lowered from lock to lock
as they make the 50-mile transit between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
BEST PLACE TO STAY
Along the harbor promenade, and overlooking the old and new quarters of the city, is Le
Meridien Panama. The InterContinental Miramar Panama is also a top pick.
BEST NATURE EXPERIENCE
Soberania National Park, formed by the Panama Canal watershed, is the place to listen
to howler monkeys, meet a sloth or two, and update your bird list. On Bocas del Toro, a
booming-in an off-the-beaten-path way-destination, you'll find four turtle-nesting species:
hawksbill, green, loggerhead and leatherback, coming ashore between March and October.
Go whale watching: in the Pearl Islands and the Gulf of Panama in June; around Playa
Venao in the Azuero Peninsula from August to October; off Coiba Island and the Gulf of
Chiriqui in September and October.
BEST CULTURAL EXPERIENCE
Chagres National Park near Panama City is the place to explore the 16th century Fort San
Lorenzo, also an excellent birding area. On excursions in the park, you meet the indigenous
people, the Embera and the Wounaan, in their villages on the banks of the Chagres River.
You meet these communities and their rich traditions also in Darien Province, the nation's
least developed region, when following a community-based ecotourism circuit called The
Paradise Trail.
BEST KEPT SECRET
The finest polleras, the elaborate national costume of Panama, are fashioned in the town
of Las Tablas in the Azuero Peninsula. In the most colorful of festivals, come November,
hundreds of Panamanian ladies parade in a Fiesta de Polleras.
62
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12/20/13 9:26 AM
http://www.visit-nicaragua.com
http://www.visitpanama.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Delta 2014
Editor's Notes
Hotel Desk: Aloft Hotels
Tour Talk: Swain Destinations
Uniworld's Queen Isabel
Disney Magic
Delta Air Lines Travel Guide 2014
Macau
Egypt Update
Scandinavia Exposed
B Hotels & Resorts
What's New in Las Vegas
Delta 2014
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