Rio San Juan Nicaragua
San Juan River Nicaragua
The San Juan River is the river-drain the great lakes to the Atlantic. Runs nearly 200km from its mouth in the lake to the ocean, passing through a region of virgin forests and swamps. This mythical river had plenty of time international strategic importance. A fort was built by the Spaniards at a point overlooking the rapids, closing last pirates and English to Granada. On several occasions he was besieged, destroyed, rebuilt. Later, in the time of the gold rushes to California, vapors Vanderbilt Company plied the river San Juan and Lake Nicaragua, linking the east and west coasts of the United States. Several studies were made for the construction of an inter-oceanic canal and began to dig and dredge one from San Juan del Norte.
Today only vestiges of the golden age, in the jungle or in the towns of San Carlos, San Juan del Norte and El Castillo: fireplaces or steam boilers stranded, defense walls, canyons, remnants of a giant dredge start canal, Old English Cemetery and of course the same strength of El Castillo, well preserved and restored.
The San Juan River deserves at least a walk a few hours aboard the boats linking San Carlos El Castillo where you can visit the fortress, its small museum and its people. Hence, if you have time, you can venture down river to the Atlantic, crossing all the Indio Maiz Biological Reserve to the port of San Juan del Norte.
