El Castillo

The Fortaleza de la Inmaculada Concepción was completed in 1675 on a hill above the Raudal del Diablo rapids, placed there because boats coming upstream had to slow at the shallows and could be fired on from above; it was built after repeated pirate raids reached Granada by this river. In 1762 a defence of the fort was led, according to the account that has become national legend, by Rafaela Herrera, the teenage daughter of the commander who had just died. Below the fortress the village runs along the bank with wooden houses on stilts, a single concrete path and no cars. The fort has a small museum and a view along the river. It is the natural stopping point on any Río San Juan journey.

What you actually see

• The hilltop fortress - seventeenth-century walls above the rapids.
• The Raudal del Diablo - the shallows the fort was built to command.
• The stilted village - wooden houses along a single car-free path.
• The river view - the San Juan running east from the ramparts.

When to go

December to April for drier travel and reliable boats. The village is small and quiet year round. Boats from San Carlos run a few times daily and the schedule governs any visit.

Honest expectations

Access is only by boat, three hours from San Carlos on a limited schedule. The village has basic accommodation and limited food. The fort is modest and the museum small. Rain and insects are constant; this is a wet corner of the country.

Nearby

Indio Maíz lies across the river; San Carlos is upstream.