On Travel: Selva Negra

Oh - I've been so anxious to tell you about a very special few hours I had in Nicaragua and I've finally pulled my act together to upload the pictures. One of my longest days in Nicaragua found me traveling for hours up to the north of the country close to the Honduran border. There were many work related highlights and a few surprises as well. For example, late in the evening we made a quick stop in the town of Estelí to visit at this random little place owned by a Swiss family that makes all kinds of cheeses (think: Manchego made from Nicaraguan sheep), homemade yogurts, breads and more all from locally grown and produced food. It was a lovely surprise in the middle of nowhere! This was also followed by dinner at a side street restaurant with boa constrictor as a menu option (ehh, nothing to really write home about in terms of flavor)! By the time we reached the city of Matagalpa, it was very late, we'd been traveling forever and my only desire included a bed and a hot shower. In this neck of the Nicaraguan woods few places fit that bill (especially the hot -clean water - shower part). We climbed high in the hills of Matagalpa and ended up in what appeared (in the darkness of the night) to be a cute but random little spot. I didn't really care because it had the two ingredients I was looking for and before I could think straight, I was already passed out!

The next morning I woke up to the sound of monkeys yapping to each other and stepped outside my little room to find the sun beaming down on an amazing little eco-friendly resort called Selva Negra (Black Forest in English). Every single building feels like it just grew out of the earth falling perfectly in line with the entire jungle that surrounds it.

As the name implies, this place was originally owned by a German fellow who had come to Nicaraguan during a period (19th century) when the Nicaraguan government was encouraging migrants to come and work the lands. Many from Germany and other parts of Europe came and were given mega chunks of land and high-class Nicaraguan ladies and left to their own devices to grow and prosper. Today Selva Negra grows it's own coffee, also makes it's own cheeses and yogurts, rents out rooms and entire cabins, offers horseback riding, bird watching tours, tours of the coffee plantation, guides through an orchid garden and so much more!

While I didn't get to partake in any of that (minus to coffee over a breakfast meeting), I was at least luckily enough to grab a few shots of the place and add it to my very long list of places to revisit with more leisurely time on my hand!

{Photos: Brandie for Out & About Africa}