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Estancia del Congo Private Natural Reserve

Department: Rivas

Municipality: Potosí (view on map)

Type: Natural Reserves

Predominant Forest
Tropical dry forest
Type of Reserve
Private Natural Reserve
Year
2002
Camping
*****

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Description

The Estancia del Congo Private Natural Reserve is a protected area which tourism offer is oriented in an experiential encounter with nature. Its strategic location between the beaches of the Lake of Nicaragua, the Pacific Ocean and the departments of Granada and Rivas makes facilitates the connection to major tourist destinations in the country: colonial, nature, sun and beach and the Ometepe island, besides being bordered by Costa Rica.

What to Expect
The Estancia del Congo Reserve was accredited in 2002 by the “Ministerio del Ambiente y los Recursos Naturales -MARENA-” (Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources) of the Republic of Nicaragua. This green area offers the visitor the opportunity to perform various ecotourism activities.

Ecotourism
In the Estancia del Congo Reserve, visitors can experience the conservation of biodiversity in a coastal lacustrine ecosystem which measures about 60 hectares. This resource is available through designed trails, in which all natural wealth is seen as the breeding colony of howler monkeys or the more than 150 bicentennial “Papaturro” trees.

It also provides an interpretation of the best quality in areas such as species identification, uses and properties of plants as well as the history of the reserve and its task in the recovery and environmental protection as a protected area. The tourist can interact and contribute to the conservation of the reserve through several activities such as: reforestation, scientific studies, sponsoring some of the species in the area or help maintaining and enhancing biodiversity, with the cost of the entrance to the place.

Silvopastoral Internships
In the Reserve visitors are involved in the productive activities conducted for the purpose of obtaining a technical vision of the silvopastoral model that blends production and the environment. In addition to this vision, it offers the opportunity to see the different stages of the peasant life in an animal production farm: horseback riding, herding cattle, milking cows and produce curds and tortillas.

The experience of living as a farmer is able to be completed by been involved in the work of self-sufficiency in vegetables, fruits, medicinal and aromatic plants in the orchard, and then learn to prepare traditional meals in the rural life.

Events in nature
The Estancia del Congo Reserve has the "Papaturro Ranch" with capacity for 80 people, which is used for institutional or family events, meetings, workshops or other similar activities. Its location in a nature area makes possible to enjoy a calm environment and concentration for any type of activity. It also has the technological means of support required for an event.

Green classroom
The Reserve has a playful and experiential education program called "Green Classroom", which uses the forest as a classroom where environment interactions are done with visitors and students from local schools that help to encourage a change of attitude with nature. It also has facilities for conducting camps and performing environmental school hours.

FENACO Mission: Religious Tourism
The Reserve supports the FENACO Mission (Mission of Faith in Nature and the Community) to facilitate contact and cooperation between religious of different countries. The Reserve promotes the interaction between religious groups to which effect it provides the facilities for a reunion of these groups in a nature environment directly from the communities, days of pilgrimage, camping and use of facilities for religious services.

Camping
The Natural Reserve offers a camping area for families wishing to spend a nice afternoon, where they can enjoy the shade of the trees, a quiet natural environment and facilities to prepare roasts and picnics, as well as the enjoyment of complementary products of the reserve.

Biological Station
The Reserve is recognized as a biological station given the wealth of its natural capital, the studies of the same and the environmental interpretation capabilities that it has developed. This can give valuable support to scientific work, thesis studies and specialized internships. The Reserve participates in the development of the biological corridor Ñocarime belonging to the lacustrine wetland ecosystem of the Great Lake of Nicaragua.

Getting There

The Estancia del Congo Private Natural Reserve is located in the south tourist corridor of the country, from the 84.8 km highway Managua-Rivas, 6 km to the east in all-weather road to the beaches of the “Menco”, town of Potosí, Rivas.

To get to the Reserve you should go to the bus station in the Huembes Market and get a bus headed to Rivas. It is important to look at the mileage as you should request to stop at the entrance to “El Menco”, in the 84.8 km Managua-Rivas road. From there, you must take one of the transports that go to The “Menco”, which has a cost of C$10 and ask to be left in the Estancia del Congo Reserve.

If necessary, the reserve can facilitate transportation from the road to the reserve. Note that if you want transportation it is preferable to contact them with time.

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