Welcome to Miraflor
Miraflor is a luscious green cloud forest complemented by farmland and ranches in the northwest region of Nicaragua. While it is somewhat hard to get to Miraflor, we definitely think it was worth it! It’s extremely peaceful, relaxing, and has a good amount of nature activities to keep you busy. If you enjoy horseback riding to stunning vistas, birdwatching, nature walks, or agritourism, this is the place for you! While we stayed at Finca Lindos Ojos, each farmstay will offer a slight variation in activities, so pick the one that best suites your desires!
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How To Spend the Perfect Day in Miraflor Cloud Forest
8 AM: Breakfast at Finca Fuente de Vida
Start your day off right with a delicious breakfast from Finca Fuente de Vida. They have a delicious homemade coffee and hibiscus juice. While you’re here, take a 20 minute walk around their coffee plantation and jungle (this costs 20 Cordobas / 0.50 USD).
10 AM-12 PM: Go on a Walking Tour
There are a number of different kinds of tours you can do in Miraflor, so just pick whichever you’re interested in! We did a guided forest walk organized through our accommodations which was absolutely lovely. We trekked through the lush, green jungle with our extremely knowledgeable guide and learned about the various plants, conservation efforts, birds, and more. Towards the end of our tour, we saw a family of howler monkeys! Other tour options include coffee tours, birdwatching tours, or orchid tours; you can head to Finca Fuente de Vida to organize any of these.
12 PM: Sample some Organic Food for Lunch
Many fincas (farms) will sell you some of their organic crops, including potatoes, carrots, cabbage, bananas, coffee, and cheese! If you’re not the cooking type, many of these places will also provide you a meal!
1 PM-3 PM: Go Horseback Riding
When the fog has lifted for the afternoon, ride through the various farms on horseback, learning about the different crops and farms. We paid 45 USD total for two people and a guide for two hours, which is one of the best deals we’ve seen for horseback riding.
Our trip destination was a beautiful overlook of the valley where our guide showed us the crops being farmed at each altitude. We did our tour through are accommodations (Finca Lindos Ojos); the horses at this farm are treated incredibly well, which unfortunately isn’t the norm in Central America.
3:30 PM-6 PM: Relax!
Miraflor is the perfect place to just relax, read a book, and enjoy a cup of coffee or a few Toñas. If you still have a bunch of energy, you can go to the waterfall or lake – just ask your accommodations for directions!
6 PM: Dinner at Finca Neblina del Bosque
We unfortunately didn’t get to eat here, but we walked by it and the property was beautiful. We also saw reviews raving about the food, so be sure to check it out!
Best Time to Visit Miraflor
The best time of year to visit Miraflor is between November and May. Though this is the dry season, you should always be prepared for rain in Miraflor! Also, note that the weather in Miraflor is cooler than the rest of Nicaragua, so you’ll definitely want to make sure you have pants and a sweater/jacket.
How to Get to Miraflor
Renting a Car
The easiest way to get to Miraflor is to rent a car. However, you will need to rent a bigger car with 4 wheel drive to maneuver the dirt road that passes through Miraflor. One more thing to keep in mind is that Nicaraguan police may pull you over to pay a fine (bribe), even if you’re not doing anything wrong.
Direct Public Bus
We got here through public bus, and to do this smoothly, you need to arrive at the Cotran North Station in Estelí before the 2:15 bus which passes the farm stays leaves. This is called the Camino Real Bus and costs 45c or ~$1.
Public Bus to La Rampla
Most of, but not all, of the buses heading from Estelí to Yali pass through La Rampla, which is where you’ll get off and have your host pick you up, hitchhike, or walk around 30 minutes to your accommodations. These buses leave Cotran North in Estelí at 6:15 AM, 12 PM, and 3:45 PM. The name of these buses is “Centeno” and it costs 45 Cordobas (about 1 USD). Make sure to confirm with the bus driver that the bus passes through Miraflor on its way to Yali, because some of them don’t.
Returning to Estelí
When leaving Miraflor and heading back to Estelí, you can take the 7:15 AM, 11:30 AM, or 4:15 PM bus from La Rampla. We recommend being at the bus station at least 20 minutes in advance in case the bus is early.
Tour from Estelí
If you don’t feel like dealing with the transportation yourself, there are many tour options from Estelí. Just ask whatever hostel/accommodations you’re staying at where you can book a tour – they have day trip options or overnight options!
Read our Guide to the Best Things to Do in Estelí
Where to Stay in Miraflor
We stayed at Finca Lindos Ojos and highly recommend staying there. The cabins were lovely, and it was so easy to book horseback riding and walking tours through them since they organize both on the property. The owner was very knowledgeable and showed us around the forest herself and taught us about the different plants and animals. This finca doesn’t have a restaurant, but there is a basic kitchen and you can buy some vegetables and cheese from them. But if you’re not into cooking, you can visit the nearby fincas that both have restaurants!
If you don’t have an interest in horseback riding, Finca Fuente de Vida and Finca Neblina del Bosque are other great options. We ate at Finca Fuente de Vida twice – the family that runs it is super nice, they have amazing food, and they have a number of tours available. We unfortunately didn’t make it to Finca Neblina del Bosque, but we walked past it and it looked like a stunning property.
Miraflor Accommodations
Packing List
- Bug Spray!!: We cannot stress this enough – wear it on any area that’s not covered by clothes. My ankles got absolutely destroyed here.
- Hiking Shoes: We only had sneakers and were able to rent rubber boots from our farmstay; most of the others offer that as well
- Snacks and Food: Bring what you need for any meals you want to cook
- Raincoat: It will likely rain at least a bit when you’re here
- Clothes for Cold Weather: It’s much cooler here than in the rest of Nicaragua!
Keep Exploring Nicaragua….
- The Best Things to do in Nicaragua
- The Absolute Best Places to go in Nicaragua
- Your Amazing Nicaragua Travel Itinerary: 1,2,3, or 4 weeks
- Wonderful Things to do in Ometepe
- Amazing Things to do in Granada
- Best Things to do on the Corn Islands: A Complete Travel Guide
- Somoto Canyon Day Trip: Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting
- The Best Things to do in Estelí, Nicaragua
- The Best Things to do in Stunning León
- El Salvador to Nicaragua by Boat: Your Ultimate Guide
- How to Get to the Corn Islands
- How to Get From Nicaragua to Costa Rica by Bus
Our Favorite Travel Resources
Accommodations: We use Booking.com for hotels and HostelWorld for hostels. We also use VRBO or TrustedHousesitters for longer stays.
Flights: We recommend using Skyscanner to find the cheapest and best flights.
Ground Transport: We use 12Go and Omio for buses and private transfers, and rentalcars.com and Discover Cars for rental cars.
Activities: GetYourGuide and Viator are the best websites for booking organized tours.
International Medical Insurance: We highly recommend SafetyWing for Digital Nomads and HeyMondo for those not traveling full-time, or who frequently engage in higher-risk adventure activities.
eSIM: We recommend Airalo or Holafly for getting data internationally.
Check out our Travel Resources Page for more of our favorite travel-related products and services!
