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Matagalpa is a fairly large city in Nicaragua, situated in the hilly terrains, 700 meters above the sea level. The city is located just north from the center of Nicaragua. It is famous for its coffee production and offers scenic beauty with forested slopes, and stretch of green valleys. The population is approximately 485,000 people. The friendly mountain city of Matagalpa, Nicaragua is fairly cooler than the rest of the cities in Nicaragua. This area is also whipped occasionally by heavy rains.
Transport facilities in Matagalpa include various roadways connecting it to the other big cities. Rural attractions however, lack good infrastructure. The Pan American Highway passes through Sebaco 100 kms from Managua. Frequent bus services are available to this place. Taxis play a predominant part in the local transport.
The Coffee Route, Matagalpa, has been promoted by the tourism department to lend an insight into the detailed processes of coffee production. These processes can be observed first hand in these farms. These coffee estates mostly are located between 10 to 40 kms from the city. Finca Esperanza Verde and Selva Negra are the well known farms in this route. More and more coffee farm owners in this region are adapting organic methods to produce organic coffee. Travelers enjoy the wonderful natural settings in this coffee route as they travel through the dense mountain forests rich in flora and fauna.
El Arenal Natural Reserve, Matagalpa is a government declared natural reserve. 575 hectares of this beautiful natural reserve having diverse wildlife is located north of Matagalpa. Numerous hotels and lodges along the Jinotega road provide access to this natural reserve.
San Ramon a small rural municipality, located east of Matagalpa offers an array of handicrafts, representing the art and culture of this area. There are gold mines in this area and the award winning organic coffee producing estate, Finca Esparanza Verde is just 18 kms from this municipality. El Chile is an indigenous community in this region. Producing tapestry a form of textile art. Nautral beauty abounds in this area, the dense forests in the rolling hills are an ideal habitat for a variety of animals. Tourists undertake recreational activities like hiking, bird watching and horseback riding. The Wabule waterfall is a great attraction in this area.
Small towns like Sebaco and Chagutillo provides a mix of agriculture, archeology and history. Sebaco is a small city located in the valley is 30 kms west of Matagalpa. It is located along the Pan American Highway. A beautiful Central Park and a colorful market selling carrots, onions, yucca and cabbage are the main attractions in this city. Chagutillo is 4 kms from Sebaco located along the road to Matagalpa. The Pre Columbian Museum located here, contains exhibits of archaeological traces left by the indigenous groups.
The small village of Ciudad Dario is significantly famous as it is the birthplace of the famous Nicaraguan poet Ruben Dario.
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