2019-10-01 Wanderlust

NICARAGUA

140 wanderlust.co.uk October 2019

menswingingintheirfront-

porchhammocksgreetedmein

liltingCreoleandwomentriedtosell

mepati–aspicymeat-filledpastry,

asgigglingschoolchildrenwhizzed

byonrustybikes.AsIwalkedback

alongovergrownpathsflankedwith

breadfruittreesandcoconutpalms,

Ipulledamangofromatreetoeat

andmusedhowpeacefulitseemed,

incontrasttoitspiraticalpast.

Igneousisbliss

LakeNicaragua–CentralAmerica’s

largestfreshwaterlake–isthelifeforce

formanyofthecountry’sislands.Its

360 orsodiminutiveIsletas,scattereda

stone’sthrowfromthecolonialcityof

Granada,werecreatedaround20,000

yearsago,whenVolcánMombacho

erupted,spewingboulders,ashand

moltenlavaintothelake.

LasIsletascomeinallshapesand

sizes.Somearehometocenturies-

oldfishingcommunitiesandtheir

ramshacklewoodenhouses,while

othersarethesummerescapesof

wealthycity-dwellingNicaraguans.

Morerecently,they’vebeensnapped

upbyforeigninvestorsforprivate

homesorsustainablelodges.After

transferringfromtheCaribbean,I’d

bestayinginoneofthelatter.

JicaroIslandEcolodgeisapocket-

sizedparadiseandenvironmentally

friendlyprojectwithjustnine,

two-storey casitas fashioned from

recycled wood and enveloped in

tropical foliage. They’re solar-

powered, use fans instead of air

conditioning and turn waste water

into drinking water. Utterly tranquil,

my only dilemmas were whether to

dine on shrimp tacos or steak, and

where to watch the sun set behind

Volcán Mombacho – from the pool

hewn from natural stone perhaps, or

the floating deck-for-two.

The lake hasn’t always been so

peaceful, however. Founded by the

Island in the sun
(clockwide from top)
Lake Nicaragua has around
360 Isletas; Little Corn
Island; a miskito isherman,
a panga, Little Corn Island

‘I peered into Volcán Masaya’s

crater, watching orange molten

lava bubbling away below me’