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Nicaragua Travel |
Lake NicaraguaLake Nicaragua is Nicaragua’s largest sweet water lake and is situated to the south of the country. It covers 8264 km², is the 21st largest lake in the entire world and also the only home to the Lake Nicaragua Shark. The lake is not only important for the Nicaraguan infrastructure but also for its tourism since a lot of the best tourist locations is situated in and around the lake. In many ways Lake Nicaragua is just like the oceans on the east and west coasts of the country although not salty. A lot of ocean living animals finds their way into the lake and seem to adapt quite quickly to the new surroundings. Keep on reading to learn more about what can be found in and around Lake Nicaragua. Lake Nicaragua – GranadaGranada is one of the finest examples of a colonial city in all of Nicaragua and lies on the north-western shores of Lake Nicaragua. The city is not only beautiful but has a wide variety of hotels, hostels, restaurants and tourist attractions available all year around. The city has begun major tourist developments along the shores but as of yet there have been little international interest in investing money into the area. Granada is known as the artistic centre of Nicaragua and is presumed to become the next San Miguel, a place to where artists from all over the world will come and get inspiration. Lake Nicaragua – Ometepe IslandOmetepe Island is a rather large island in the southwest corner of Lake Nicaragua. The island is actually formed by two volcanoes which have emerged from the lake, giving the island its unique looks. The highest of the volcanoes is 1.610 m tall, making Ometepe Island the highest lake island in the world. The same volcano is also still active while the other one is dormant and houses a beautiful crater lake. The larger part of the islands nature is protected against abuse and for tourist it is possible to come in contact with both howler monkeys and parrots during just a short visit. The Ometepe Island is known to have kept a lot of the old traditions and holidays while taking in new ones rendering it the place for the most frequent celebrations in Nicaragua. Lake Nicaragua – Solentiname IslandsSolentiname Islands is the name of a group of islands right outside San Carlos in the southeast of the lake. The islands consist of four major islands and 34 smaller ones, all of which with a volcanic origin. The island houses some of the most varied animal and plant life in the entire lake area and is well worth a visit. Solentiname Islands is also a common place for artists to visit so those finding their way to the island might leave with not only a nice memory but also a piece of art. Lake Nicaragua – Under the surfaceThe aquatic life of Lake Nicaragua is both very interesting and quite special. It is believed that the lake once was a large bay towards the Pacific Ocean and when the bay closed up to become a lake a lot of otherwise oceanic animals got left behind. These animals, including the Lake Nicaragua shark, are today totally adapted for sweet water and would probably die if they did. Some animals are known to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Nicaragua by swimming upstream the San Juan River and therefore a lot of odd fish can be caught in that area.
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