City of Matagalpa, Celebrates 150!

February 14 of 1862 Matagalpa was recognized as a city and February 14, 2012,
it’s celebrating 150!

For the entire week, the city will host a number of festival featuring, music, food, art exhibits free of charge.

The following video is a quick preview of the City of Matagalpa. 

http://youtu.be/7vEt_rznQ6s 

Photos Courtesy of TripAdvisor

Matagalpa is in the mountainous region of Nicaragua, it lies more than 700 meters above sea level with average temperature ranging from 26°C to 28°C, known as the "Pearl of the Septentrion (North)" and "Land of Eternal Spring."

It is also the capital of the departamento (equivalent to a province for Canada or state in USA) of Matagalpa.

Due to its climate, the region produces excellent coffee, cacao, vegetables, flowers, and it is also
known forcattle and milk products.  There are lots of festival celebrating the harvest of each product.

Eco-tourism is one of its main tourist attractions, the reserves of Cerro Musún, El Arenal or the private reserve Selva Negra and mountain tourist resorts like: Aranjuez, Santa Maria de Ostuma, and Selva Negra Mountain Resort, provide an experience like no other.

Selva Negra Mountain Resort is a fully sustainable Eco-lodge, there you’ll find Howler Monkeys, Hummingbirds, butterflies, agouti and sloths and its revenue from tourism and coffee goes back into the community and it's simply breath-taking.

The area has a unique type of rainforest, named: Cloud forest or fog forest.

As described by Wikipedia, a cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. There are plenty of hikes to explore and an abundant species of animals and plants to see and touch. 

The following is a short video showing the beauty of Selva Negra. 
http://youtu.be/VXnlf2AWtXE 

St. Ramon is the Patron Saint of Matagalpa city in Matagalpa and he is celebrated August 31.