Why Nicaragua? A note from Chelsea 5 years ago...

5 years ago in 2020, before I ran retreats, I went on a backpacking trip to Nicaragua. It absolutely blew my mind. There was one magical little place, Laguna de Apoyo, that I could never get out of my mind. I dreamed of doing a retreat there one day, or attending one maybe. I don't know why, but this place keeps calling me back. This year is finally the year will I will make my long time dream come true- I'm hosting a nature retreat at this particular lagoon- this slice of heaving- at the same nature reserve that I stayed at 5 years ago.

I was trying to find the words to express how magical this place is, when I came across an old blog post that I shared years ago about my time there. It feels more than fitting to re-share it now, as I'm inviting you to join me there on a life-changing Radiate Retreat.

Jan 26, 2020

Nicaragua- The most underrated country ever!

I’ve been avoiding writing this post because I truly felt that Nicaragua is too grand a place to explain in words. It is the most underrated, unexpectedly spectacular place that I have ever visited. So many people told me not to go to Nicaragua. They told me that it wasn’t worth it, that it was unsafe, politically unstable, and no place for a woman to be traveling alone. Well, I sure am glad that I went with my gut instead of listening to those people! To be honest, I wasn’t excited to go to Nicaragua at all. In my mind, it was just a pit stop on the way to my ultimate destination, Costa Rica. And I was really only going because my travel buddy Lynn was really pushing for us to go there. But boy was I wrong!

Nicaragua was warm, pleasant, and filled with light. Kind strangers helped me along the way everywhere I went with my Spanish, with directions, and with introducing me to the tastiest food spots! It was filled with vibrant colors and booming with light. You can find delicious fresh food, country roads, tons of nature, lively cities, cobblestone streets, volcanos, waterfalls, jungle, lagoons, and the sweetest smiles in Nicaragua. A little P.S.A, I felt extremely safe the entire time I was in this country.

GRENADA 

Granada is a city in western Nicaragua and the capital of the Granada Department and Nicaragua’s sixth most populous city. It has a rich colonial heritage, which is seen in its architecture and structure. That’s what I loved the most about Grenada! Every street you walk down is a beautiful cobblestone street lined with beautiful historic buildings. You’ll also find countless cute little hole in the wall cafes everywhere. At night, the streets come alive with vendors, live music, and street performers. We stayed in a sweet little Airbnb which I’ve linked here, run by an awesome guy named Paul. Paul runs a school in the city, teaches English classes, and loves helping travelers find their way around the city! We got to Grenada by just taking a taxi ride from the airport (I think it was about an hour and a half ride) or you can have your Airbnb send a driver to pick you up.

THE TREEHOUSE

One weekend during our trip, we ventured out to stay in a treehouse! It’s called The Treehouse Nicaragua. This place was very picturesque, and a perfect spot to get away in nature. You actually get to sleep up in a treehouse! And you have to cross multiple hanging bridges in order to get to your room! We woke up to a sunrise over the mountains and the sounds of the jungle.

It’s very easy to get to the treehouse because they have a sister hostel in Grenada that runs free shuttles to the treehouse every night! I forget the name of that hostel, but you can find it on the treehouse’s website.

WARNING: This is a backpacker hostel. We did not realize what exactly we were getting into when we decided that we wanted to sleep in a treehouse that night. After a 45-minute hike through the woods to actually reach the treehouse, we arrived at a full-on backpacker rager. I’m talking about 100 college-aged backpackers decked out in neon, glow in the dark clothing, bright lights, a DJ and loud music, and a bar with awesome drinks! Don’t get me wrong, we had a blast. However, if you head to this spot over a weekend, don’t plan on sleeping!

THE LAGOON

Oh, man. I have no words for this place. This place was my very favorite place on my entire trip. It’s actually one of my favorite places on the entire planet. This is my happy place. To me, this spot represents pure bliss, and heaven on earth.

Laguna de Apoyo was formed by the Apoyo crater approximately 23,000 years ago, after a strong volcanic explosion which left a hole measuring six kilometers in diameter. As time went by, subterranean waters and rain filled the crater and the slopes became covered by vegetation. Today, this crater is considered to be a sleeping volcano, with certain volcanic activity still present through a few hot springs in its interior. What does that mean? It means naturally heated water! Think of a lake with very warm water, that’s crystal clear and surrounded by volcanos and jungle with black volcanic sand on the floor. Although it’s freshwater, the volcanic minerals give it a subtle saltiness.

Aside from the magic water, the property we stayed at is also part of the reason this spot is so magical. You can get there by taxi, or contact the Airbnb to send a driver for you, which is what we did and he picked us up in Grenada. This Airbnb is tucked away in the jungle and opens up to the lagoon. We were surrounded by green and beautiful birds, and our bedroom window opened up to the lagoon. We also had steps that led directly down to a little beach spot on the water. We had hammocks all over the property to lay on, fresh fruit smoothies, and a phenomenal breakfast. The ladies that work at the Airbnb are really amazing women, and getting to know them was one of the best parts of my stay.

Our first night there, we went for a sunset swim and we were the only two people in the entire lagoon. As the sun set on Laguna de Apoyo, the reflection turned the entire body of water to cotton candy pink. As the sun sank away, the cotton candy sky was replaced with a sky full of stars. This place is so special. My heart feels happy and at peace just thinking about this special space as I’m typing this to you. I wish that everyone on earth could get a chance to experience magic like this!

Funny that I wrote "I wish that everyone on earth could get a chance to experience magic like this" and now i'm bringing a group of women here on a life-changing wellness retreat. I'm honored and grateful that my journey lead me here, and I cannot wait for the group of women joining me.

I still have space left if you want to join us in the magic: https://www.radiateretreat.com/nicaretreat