Tiscapa Historical National Park

The rim of the Tiscapa Lagoon, formed when a volcano blew its top more than 10,000 years ago, is a great spot to get a view overlooking Managua. Perhaps the city’s most iconic symbol, a statue of Sandinista founder Sandino, is perched atop the Parque Histórico Nacional Loma de Tiscapa, surveying the city right along with you. This is the highest point in the city, so it’s a good place to be when you’re getting the lay of the land in Managua.

Managua’s Tiscapa Lagoon was declared a nature reserve in 1991, and more concerted efforts to clean up the water began in 2005. Even if you can’t dive in, you can soar over the water on a zip line (open Tuesday-Sunday). The easiest way to get to the park around the Tiscapa Lagoon is to catch one of Managua’s many cheap taxis. On the way to the top, you’ll pass another monument to a respected leader - the Monumento Roosevelt, built in 1939, and today a memorial to those who died in the revolution.