National Parks

Nicaragua boasts around 78 nature reserves, parks, and wildlife sanctuaries, which are home to a diverse range of flora and fauna. To reduce damage to the environment, most of Nicaragua’s National Parks have nearby lodging facilities instead of allowing wilderness camping. Below are some of the protected areas:

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• Indio-Maíz Biological Reserve: It is the largest expanse of lowland rainforest in Central America and is home to endangered species like jaguars and giant anteaters. The reserve also boasts over 400 bird species, four species of wild cats, and more than 200 species of reptiles.

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• Los Guatuzos Wildlife Refuge: Situated on the southern side of Lake Nicaragua and on the western shores of the San Juan River, this reserve features a wetland, a gallery forest, and a tropical forest wildlife park. It is a popular spot for bird watchers and features monkeys, sloths, caiman, iguanas, and agouti. Visitors can explore the reserve by boat.

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• Mombacho Cloud Forest Reserve: Located on the Mombacho Volcano, this reserve is a botanist’s dream. It has beautiful cloud forest flora, including more than 800 species of plant life, like bromeliads and orchids. Visitors can enjoy hiking on brilliant trails and on a clear day, they can see Granada, Lake Nicaragua, and the Las Isletas Archipelago.

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• Chocoyero Nature Reserve: This tropical dry forest reserve is rich in wildlife, with the chocoyo being its most notable creature. Besides the more than 800 chocoyo birds nesting here, toucans, deer, agouti, hummingbirds, and howler monkeys are seen here often. 

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• La Flor Wildlife Refuge: This coastal sea turtle nesting site protects over 30,000 olive ridley turtles that come here to nest between August and December each year. The refuge features a beautiful beach, tropical dry forest, and mangrove swamps. It is located on the southern pacific seaboard, just south of San Juan del Sur.

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• Isla Juan Venado Nature Reserve: This reserve is an important coastal wetlands reserve and features a nesting site for sea turtles as well as an estuary for waterfowl, iguana, crocodile, and caiman. It also has some ecologically important mangroves. Visitors can explore the island by motorboat or kayak.

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