guía turismo rural comunitario

[merinmel]

Hello, fellow travelers!

First, I'd like to thank Berman & Wood for putting together such an excellent guide to Nicaragua.  I used their Nicaragua guide extensively both in planning my travels and while I was actually in Nicaragua.  For those looking to travel off the beaten path, I would like to recommend a companion guide that can be found sometimes in Nicaragua.  The title is guía turismo rural comunitario by Ernest Cañada, Leonor Delgado and Helena Gil.  Honestly, most of the sites you will find in this guidebook are included in the Moon Handbook.  However, this guide includes far more extensive information for the rural traveler, some great photos, an easy chart reference guide (which locations offer boarding, potable water, artisans, etc), and is just all around handy. Also, I found that locals got a lot more excited about recommending places for me to visit, when I could show them this rural community tourism guidebook.  They loved that the money was often split up amongst cooperatives and several people I talked with could personally recommend locations listed in this guidebook. 

The guide is written entirely in Spanish, and I found it at Tres Mundos (the community art center just off from Central Park) in Granada and at the tourist info desk in Leon.  Call ahead before visiting the places listed in this guide to make sure they are open and expecting you.

(To the mods--If it is inappropriate to be touting another guide on this site, I apologize.  I won't be offended if the post gets cut.  I just found this guide to be very helpful in planning my more rural excursions, as a supplement to the Moon Nicaragua handbook!)

[Randall Wood]

Ha ha!  We're big enough to handle recommendations for someone else's book, especially one that promotes off the beaten track tourism and local connections.  That's our bag, baby!

I'd love to know more about the book.  If it's published by Tres Mundos it must be a local Nicaraguan effort, fantastic!  Can you confirm who produced it?

[Joshua Berman]

Thanks for this tip -- I'll pick up the book today in Granada and check it out.

[merinmel]

I think the publisher is Enlace.  It looks like they worked with a slew of NGOs and different people to put it together.  You can find most of the info from the book at their website.  Also, if you buy the book, I'd suggest covering it with some contact paper or something, as the beautiful bright colors on the cover get all scratched up and faded pretty quick.

http://www.guiaturismocomunitario-nicaragua.com/