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Salto El Rosario

Nueva Segovia

Throughout its mountainous territory, Nueva Segovia has many natural attractions. Tourists can find many hills that still preserve their pine and oak forests, in addition to waterfalls and hot springs. This department is located in one of the Northern edges of the country, and has a pleasant cool weather. Its towns and villages are known for its relaxing atmosphere and houses made of mod with tiled roofs. Some of them were turned into craft workshops that produce interesting decorative pieces.

The city of Ocotal is the administrative center of the region, which is very active during the day and rather quiet at night. Ocotal has a pretty wooded park with kiosks and benches in its center, surrounded by colonial houses where a library and cultural center are located. The sidewalks of this park also have an interesting element: a small barrel with old gunpowder. Also, the area includes hotels, restaurants, bars and small clubs with a good ambiance.

In addition to Ocotal, there are other regions of interest in the Western sector of the department. Macuelizo (West) has a hot springs area called 'Aguas Calientes'. Then, there is the mountainous region of ​​Santa Maria and its pretty village, pine forests, lime mines and a colorful cave named 'Cueva del Duende - en Las Trojas, which features pre-Columbian rock art drawings. Other attractions are situated in Dipilto, such as craft workshops that produce peaces made of pine leaves, a religious sanctuary, coffee farms and the border of Las Manos.

An important destination of the region is the small town of Mozonte, which is where one can find many art workshops. There are a great variety of craft pieces with different shapes and colors, that are sold in small, improvised shops or in the urban area of the town. Furthermore, one can have a nice view of the city, surrounded by a valley and several mountains, at the viewpoint of Loma Panda. Mozonte has a strong indigenous community; they have an office that exhibits a royal tittle from colonial times on its wall.

The small neighboring cities of San Fernando and Ciudad Antigua are situated in the center of Nueva Segovia. There are many hills in the 'Cordillera de Dipilto y Jalapa', which is where the 'Mogotón' (2,016 meters, the highest mountains in the country) is located. Ciudad Antigua, on the other hand, has an urban center with an attractive church that preserves part of its old infrastructure. The small, yet interesting museum of the city is located right next to the church. This place is home to many religious objects, clothing, books and antique images from colonial times.

Jalapa is situated in the Northern edge of the department and features multiple attractions. The city has a single center with many artistic murals, in addition to hotels, restaurants, bars and clubs. Furthermore, many crafts made of pine leaves are made in the community of Champiñí. In addition to coffee and tobacco plantations, the rural area also includes interesting destinations: 'Cerro de Jesús', which preserves pine and oak forests, and a waterfall; the 'Salto del Escambray' and a hot springs site amusingly named 'La vuelta del pedo' (perhaps translated as 'the course of the fart').

Tourism is underdeveloped in the area, but it has started to grow in the department of Nueva Segovia, which comprises 12 municipalities with little known or yet to be discovered destinations. Also, we must mention El Jícaro (hot springs), the remote Wiwilí and Quilalí (superb natural views and mountainous landscapes), the area of Murra (pine forests) and the community of El Rosario, which has an impressive waterfall called 'Salto de la Selva Morena', one of the widest in the country.