El Castillo

El Castillo is a town in Rio San Juan department of Nicaragua. Since 1995, the fortress has been on a "tentative list" of important Nicaraguan cultural sites with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a preliminary to nomination for consideration as a World Heritage Site.

Understand
El Castillo de la Imaculada Concepcion, located on the San Juan river of Nicaragua, was built in the 1670s to protect Lake Nicaragua and its ports, mainly Granada. Construction began shortly after the pirate Gallardino attacked the port of Granada. The local heroine is Rafaela Herrera, the recently deceased fortress commandant's daughter, that directed the defence that repelled an English invading fleet in 1762. In 1780, a young Horatio Nelson (yes, that Nelson) tried to conquer the fort and initially succeeded but had to leave after 7 months due to almost all of his soldiers (probably including himself) getting yellow fever (not a concern in this area any more). Shortly thereafter the Spanish took the empty fort back.

By boat
You can get in from San Carlos at the south-east corner of the Lago Nicaragua (also known as Cocibolca) by boat (C$75 pp = US$4).

Boats leave San Carlos at 06:30, 08:00, 10:30 (high season), 12:30, 14:30 and 16:30. For the first boat, book the day before, as it might be full already if you are too late. You can buy tickets at the muelle municipal half a block from the market, which also serves as San Carlos' bus terminal.

From San Juan del Norte the boat to San Carlos (once weekly 6 or 12 hours, depending on type of service and season) also passes El Castillo and stops upon request.

Get around
El Castillo is walkable and doesn't have any cars. The locals aren't used to cycling (though it is not explicitly prohibited) and there are none for rent.

See

 * Rapids of the Rio San Juan (called raudales) that made El Castillo a strategic place to build a fortress. Raudal del Toro (across from Boca de Sábalo), Raudal del Castillo (across from the fortress) and Raudal del Diablo are the most popular.
 * Just a few kilometers downriver from El Castillo you can see Costa Rica on the Rio San Juan's right or southern bank; (the river itself in a political oddity belongs to Nicaragua entirely). They are constructing a new road right next to the river which has been controversial because of its (very visible) impact on the environment.
 * Just a few kilometers downriver from El Castillo you can see Costa Rica on the Rio San Juan's right or southern bank; (the river itself in a political oddity belongs to Nicaragua entirely). They are constructing a new road right next to the river which has been controversial because of its (very visible) impact on the environment.

Do
Reading a book in the library which is right inside the castillo. Listen to the sounds of the village and the water running down the river while reading a good book.

You can rent kayaks for various lengths of time or also do a guided tour on kayak. Some adventurous travellers have done the whole trip from here to the Caribbean at San Juan de Nicaragua (San Juan del Norte) in just over a week. Ask whether you can return your kayaks there or not.

Buy
There is not that much to buy in town and nothing that you couldn't get in San Carlos. As of 2012 there was no ATM in town.

Eat
River shrimp (Camarones del Rio) are very popular and quite cheap. However, they are not available year-round, as the government protects them (usually from February to April).

Drink
Drink the natural fruit drinks at Border's Coffee. The owner (a Nicaraguan) is very proud to say that they are made without water or sugar, and they are very delicious.

Sleep
Several hotels in the area are somewhere along the river or in the town of Sabalos close by. Some have their own pier. If you know where you are going to stay in advance just tell the captain of the boat and they will drop you off right at the doorstep.

Go next

 * San Juan Del Norte
 * There are various small villages along the river some of them having hotels and some hotels just between villages. The biggest of those villages is Boca de Sabalos named for a fish that is common around that place.
 * El Castillo is a convenient starting point for all your jungle adventures in the Indio Maiz Biological Reserve and downriver