Recommend January 2014 - (Page 84)

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 D60-D63.indd 62 12/20/13 9:26 AM http://www.visit-nicaragua.com http://www.visitpanama.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend January 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

Recommend January 2014