Nicaragua's impressive set of national parks and its progressive management model are the basis of some spectacular experiences whose only shortcoming is that they are poorly advertised. Moon Handbook Nicaragua gives you the lowdown on dozens of these jewels, some of which sport great hiking or the opportunity to peer down into the maw of an active volcano, others of which boast wild, untamed coastline. Nicaragua is a natural destination for lovers of the outdoors or off-the-beaten-path adventure travel.

Nicaragua's complex system of parks and reserves encompass more than two million hectares. The Sistema Nacional de Areas Protegidas (SINAP) is made up of 76 parks, reserves, and refuges classified as "protected" by the Ministerio del Ambiente y los Recursos Naturales (Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources, or MARENA). Of these, many are composed of privately owned land, making enforcement of their protected status difficult. That, combined with MARENA's paltry resource base and budget, has led to the de-centralization of park management.

The crater of Volcan Masaya

Since 2001, MARENA has been experimenting with the "co-management" model in six natural reserves, handing natural resource management responsibilities over to local NGOs who work with the communities within the areas to create sustainable alternatives to natural resource use and eco-tourism infrastructure. Co-management is a novel, ongoing experiment, and while it has been surprisingly successful in some areas, the great majority of protected lands in Nicaragua remain unmanaged, unguarded, and completely undeveloped for tourism. They are sometimes referred to as "paper parks," existing only in legislation and studies, not in reality. The Río Estero Real, a wetlands preserve in the northwest corner of the country, is one of those, where half of the "protected" territory has been granted to private shrimp farmers who have eliminated most of the mangrove swamps and lagoons where shrimp once bred naturally, replacing them with artificial breeding pools.

Occasionally, being left alone results in untouched, virgin forests and wetlands protected by their own remoteness and natural tropical hostility. More commonly however, it means that some of Nicaragua's richest treasures continue to be plundered by foreign and national cattle, logging, and mining interests, as well as destructively managed by campesino populations that are given little incentive or education to do otherwise. In the latter case, a typical example is the government's declaring "protected" an area where people have been living traditionally for generations, and who are suddenly expected to drastically alter their fishing, hunting, and planting patterns to protect a "park" that is and always has been their homeland. That has been the experience in the Bosawás Biosphere Reserve, where Mayangna and Miskito people were not consulted during the planning of the reserve and have consequently fought against the new regulations which interfere with their traditional lifestyle.

Conversely, Fundación Cocibolca, in management of La Flor, has relied heavily on local residents, both for staffing the reserve and for ideas on how to run it. Tourism can go a long way toward bolstering local incentive to protect–rather than consume–the natural world.

Have a look at Moon Handbook Nicaragua for a more detailed selection of some of the more accessible (or just spectacular) of Nicaragua's protected areas. But don't plan your trip without taking into consideration at a minimum: Volcan Masaya, the Isletas, and Chocoyero. The more adventurous, or those with more time, can explore farther afield for a wealth of more exotic opportunities. Happy hiking!