Why this ride
A 256 km round trip from Managua - roughly 4 h 41 in the saddle. The stops in between: Ruins of León Viejo, León Cathedral, back through León Cathedral and back through Ruins of León Viejo.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Managua day out · León Cathedral
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 256 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 41
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Ruins of León Viejo → León Cathedral
Speed drops and stays down. Park rather than crawl through. 38 km through ground somebody thought worth listing. The road passes it rather than bypassing it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 38 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Managua
Managua is not an obvious beauty, and Nicaraguans will tell you so before you do. It lies on the southern shore of Lake Xolotlán, with the cone of the Momotombo volcano rising across the water, and its centre was destroyed by an earthquake in December 1972 that killed thousands. The old downtown was never rebuilt, and today the city sprawls in low neighbourhoods, with open lots, new roundabouts and the old cathedral standing cracked and empty as a reminder.
Read the complete Managua write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Managua is where the day begins. Next is Ruins of León Viejo.
2. Ruins of León Viejo
Hernandez de Cordoba founded the first city of Leon in 1524 on the shore of Lake Managua, and what remains of it are the foundations of a Spanish colonial town sunk in a dry, hot plain under the cone of Momotombo. The volcano is the great feature of the landscape, a near-perfect cone that rises across the water and sometimes sends up a plume of steam. Its eruptions and a series of earthquakes made the site dangerous, and in 1610 the inhabitants abandoned it and rebuilt the city further west, where Leon stands now. Archaeologists excavated the old town from the 1960s, and the ruins of the plaza, the cathedral, the convents and the governor's house now lie in neat rows of low stone walls.
Read the complete Ruins of León Viejo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Ruins of León Viejo comes up 27 km in. Next is Ruins of León Viejo.
3. Ruins of León Viejo
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Ruins of León Viejo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
55 km in you reach Ruins of León Viejo. Next is León Cathedral.
4. León Cathedral
León is a hot, lively university town in the north-west of Nicaragua, and its cathedral is the most sensible reason to stop. The Basilica Cathedral of the Assumption, as it is formally known, is the largest cathedral in Central America, a vast white block that dominates the central square. Construction ran from the middle of the eighteenth century into the early nineteenth, a long project in a region where earthquakes and wars kept interfering, and the result mixes Baroque and neoclassical touches under a roof that glares in the sun.
Read the complete León Cathedral write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
León Cathedral, about halfway.
5. León Cathedral
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete León Cathedral write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
León Cathedral sits at 109 km, about halfway. Next is back through León Cathedral.
6. back through León Cathedral
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete León Cathedral write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through León Cathedral comes up 136 km in. Next is back through Ruins of León Viejo.
7. back through Ruins of León Viejo
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Ruins of León Viejo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
164 km in you reach back through Ruins of León Viejo. Next is back through Ruins of León Viejo.
8. back through Ruins of León Viejo
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Ruins of León Viejo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Ruins of León Viejo, late in the day. Next is Managua.
9. Managua
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Managua write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 256 km.
Leg by leg
Managua to Ruins of León Viejo
Managua → Ruins of León Viejo is 70 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Ruins of León Viejo to León Cathedral
Ruins of León Viejo → León Cathedral is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through León Cathedral to back through Ruins of León Viejo
back through León Cathedral → back through Ruins of León Viejo is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Ruins of León Viejo to Managua
back through Ruins of León Viejo → Managua is 70 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.