Waterfall Adventures & Other Good, Clean Fun in Northern Nicaragua
Adventures in Nicaragua's coffee country: Matagalpa's waterfalls, Cascada Blanca, and a fairytale stay at Selva Negra. Share in our journey and find travel tips for planning your own adventure.
This update from our travels is packed with wholesome encounters, breathtaking waterfalls, and a fairytale stay in the heart of Northern Nicaragua.
When I visited Esteli back in February with friends, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we’d missed out by not spending more time in the north to explore Matagalpa.
Just 130 km from the capital city of Managua, Matagalpa is nestled among mountains that rise between 700 and 1500 meters above sea level. The region’s frequent rains keep the landscape lush and green, offering a cool climate that blends culture, nature, and history into an unforgettable experience.
A key part of the Coffee Route, Matagalpa boasts nature reserves, stunning waterfalls, coffee farms, and a rich cultural heritage. The area offers a range of quality tourist services including cozy hotels, guest houses, and delicious dining options. Reflecting on that earlier trip, I realized how much there is to see and do in Matagalpa, and so took an opportunity to plan a trip with Trevor while we’re here in Nicaragua finalizing the purchase of our property.
Here are a few of the highlights:
Disclosure: Midlife Nomads often refers and links to websites, apps, and products/services I actually use. Sometimes, I receive compensation if readers sign up or make a purchase. A girl’s gotta eat – and travel!
Getting to Matagalpa from Granada
We decided to rent a car and driver/tour guide from Nicaragua Trips. We know and trust them to make our travel through Northern Nicaragua more convenient and enjoyable.
Although it's possible to take buses up to Matagalpa, our tight schedule and desire to see multiple waterfalls north of the city, along with a visit to the Selva Negra Ecolodge, made private transportation the better option. Navigating all these destinations via public transit would have been challenging and time-consuming, but with our trusted guide, we were able to maximize our time.
After experiencing the roads to Esteli and all of the bone-shaking that entailed, I also knew we’d appreciate traveling in an SUV with good shocks! Thankfully, these roads weren’t nearly as bad.
It’s about three hours to drive, give or take, depending on traffic and weather. Give yourself plenty of time for construction, farmers herding cattle down the road, ox and cart slowing things down, etc.
Exploring Northern Nicaragua’s Waterfalls
Our trip north in Nicaragua led us to some of the region’s most stunning waterfalls. With Nicaragua Trips, we first visited Cascada de la Luna, or Waterfall Moon.
Cascada de la Luna
The beauty and power of this place blew me away.
Now, you can zipline down three stations to the bottom of the falls and go for a swim if you’re brave. I am not – and there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell I was making it back up walking if I got down there.
We opted for a cold Victoria Clasica on the second level of a rustic bar and restaurant overlooking the falls instead. The restaurant has washrooms, and parking is free.
On our way back to Matagalpa, we couldn’t resist stopping at Cascada Blanca.
Cascada Blanca
Located at kilometer 147 of the Tuma-La Dalia highway in Matagalpa, Eco Lodge Cascada Blanca is your entry point for visiting the falls. We paid 200 cordobas each for entry (a little over $5 USD) at the coffee shop and visitor’s centre at the top, 100 of which you can use for food and beverage.
Before reaching the impressive 17-meter-high waterfall, you’ll traverse the Las Lolitas trail and stairs, where guides and signage share the captivating love legend that is part of the area’s cultural heritage. It was beginning to rain by this point in the afternoon, but we figured we were about to get soaked walking behind the falls anyway. So off we went.
As you continue down toward the river, the sound of water cascading over rocks leads you to the enchanting scenery of the majestic waterfall and its magical pool.
Cascada Blanca is the only place in Nicaragua where you can walk under the river, experiencing the invigorating energy of the refreshing waters firsthand.
There are several viewing platforms around Cascada Blanca, each offering unique perspectives of the waterfall, accompanied by signs warning that swimming is prohibited due to the strong currents and numerous rocks.





Honestly, the spray from the waterfall provides enough of a respite from the oppressive Nicaraguan heat. If you plan to walk behind the falls, wear clothes you don't mind getting wet. A large cave nearby adds to the adventure, and I've heard people sometimes camp there.
We spent about 20 minutes exploring around the waterfall before heading to the restaurant at the base of the stairs for lunch. Pooling our 100 cordoba tickets with friends, we enjoyed a massive grilled meats platter featuring beef, pork, chorizo, salad, rice, beans, and plantain chips for around 1000 cordobas—about $28.
The ticket vouchers covered our drinks, so we ended up with a fantastic lunch and beer by the waterfall for roughly $7 USD each.
Wholesome Story Alert!
Trevor and I stopped in at El Balcon Restaurant for dinner in Matagalpa and were delighted by our lovely, friendly server. She wasn’t just making small talk; she genuinely wanted to know where we were from, what brought us to Matagalpa, and what we planned to do in the area.
As we were finishing our delicious meal, I mentioned that I’d read it was the best restaurant in Matagalpa. Curious, she asked where I had read that, so I showed her their Google Business Profile on Maps.
As we flipped through the reviews, we found a customer’s photo with her in it.
“That’s me!! I have to show my boss!” she exclaimed, ecstatic to see all the positive feedback.
I promised to share another photo of her and help spread the word about their awesome service. Here we are!
If you ever find yourself in Matagalpa, make sure to stop by El Balcon (Av. Jose Dolores Estrada y C. San Filipe) for dinner.
Enjoy the second-floor view, the delicious food, and the fantastic service—and don’t forget to leave them a nice review. Small business owners and their staff really appreciate it.
Remote Work Tip: If you need to get a few things done, as I did, head to Mokoli Cafe right next to Catedral San Pedro. It’s air conditioned with comfortable seating, and both the iced coffee and wifi were excellent.
A Fairytale Stay at Selva Negra
Our adventure didn’t stop there. We headed to Selva Negra, an ecolodge so named for the Black Forest in Germany in a nod to the owner’s heritage. Here, we stayed overnight in a fairytale cabin nestled in an enchanted forest… no, I mean it. Check this out:


The experience was nothing short of magical, complete with a mischievous goose named Lorenzo who chased us around the dining room and was eventually thrown out of the restaurant for bad behavior.
(We learned in the morning that Lorenzo is Lorenza, and she is not fond of other women!)
We were up early and went for a short walk in the woods in the morning, but weren’t up for a full-on hike. The trails here are challenging, and there are pumas in this part of the country. I was perfectly content to wander 15 minutes into the cloud forest and spot a few birds before heading in for a warm morning coffee.
After breakfast, we took a tour of the coffee farm with a group of 4 others, and I highly recommend spending the $15 to do this if you get a chance to visit Selva Negra. Our guide was super knowledgeable and a lot of fun.
There’s a village of 250 coffee workers living on-site that swells to over 400 during the harvest season, from November to February. Even in August, when we visited, the fields and roastery were buzzing with activity.





Selva Negra aims to be a completely self-sustaining ecosystem, and they’ve done an incredible job. From solar power for the cabins to their fertilizer lab for chemical-free growing and greenhouses producing food for the village and lodge, it was a sight to see.
Other Selva Negra highlights:
The FOOD - especially their selection of cheeses made in-house. It’s difficult to find good cheese in Nicaragua aside from the white Nica cheese, so our board of homemade brie, gouda, swiss, feta, and manchego was to die for.
The cloud forest and spectacular lake in front of the lodge made for great scenery throughout the trip. It’s easily 10 degrees cooler this high in the mountains, which is appreciated when you’ve been sweating it out during 32-34 degree days.
The digital detox experience with wifi only in the main lodge was refreshing, and I didn’t mind at all spending the hour before bedtime curled up in a blanket on the couch in our bungalow reading.
If you’re planning a trip to Nicaragua and limited on time, try to add at least 2 days in the north. It’s a completely different experience than the colonial city of Granada, the beaches of San Juan del Sur, the hustle and heat of Managua, or the laidback, spiritual island vibes on Ometepe.
We spent our first night at La Buena Onda, a small hostel with colonial style rooms and a variety of dorms and private rooms. It was clean and comfortable, and the $3 breakfast was a bonus.
Northern Nicaragua has been an incredible journey filled with beautiful sights and heartwarming encounters. If you’re looking for adventure and a bit of magic, this region won’t disappoint. Until next time, happy travels, and keep exploring!