Cascada Blanca

Cascada Blanca drops around twenty metres over a rock lip into a broad pool in a wooded gorge near the village of Santa Emilia, and the pool is deep and clear enough that swimming is the main activity; a rope and a platform have been added by the small hotel that manages access. The gorge is green with the humidity of the northern highlands and birds are plentiful along the river. A short path leads down from the road and the visit takes a couple of hours. Flow varies a great deal between seasons, strong at the end of the rains and much reduced by April. The site sits on the road between Matagalpa and the Jinotega highlands and is easy to combine with other stops.

What you actually see

• The falls and pool - a twenty-metre drop into deep clear water.
• The wooded gorge - green humid forest along the river.
• Swimming access - platform and rope at the pool.
• Highland birdlife - kingfishers and forest birds along the water.

When to go

December to April for the roads, though flow is strongest right at the end of the rains in November and December and thins by late dry season. Weekends bring local families.

Honest expectations

Flow drops a lot by March and April, when the fall is much smaller than photographs suggest. The path down is short but slippery. Facilities are basic and tied to the hotel that controls access. It gets busy at weekends.

Nearby

Matagalpa lies southwest; Selva Negra is north.