Ticuantepe
Next, we moved south of Managua to the small rural village of Ticuantepe and stayed at an old coffee plantation owned by the Montibelli family. The plantation is now operated as an eco-resort. Our picturesque cabin looked out on the dry tropical forest. While our bed had mosquito netting that did not stop other critters from invading the room during the night. Alex, our local guide, accompanied us on beautiful hikes around the area. He knew the name of every bird by its song, even before we saw it. A highlight was hiking into Chocoyero Canyon and seeing and hearing the thousands of parakeets nesting in the box canyon. It was interesting to see technology invading even remote areas like this. Our guide had a smart phone with a bird sound app. He used the phone to entice birds to come closer so we could see them. It worked!