The dark walls
A fort on a green hill.
DiverDave — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Stoschmidt — CC BY 3.0 · Stoschmidt — CC BY 3.0 · Stoschmidt — CC BY 3.0 · DiverDave — CC BY-SA 3.0
The Fortress of the Immaculate Conception is a stone fort on a hill above the San Juan River, at the village of El Castillo in southern Nicaragua. The village grew up around it and is usually reached by boat rather than car, which makes this one of the country's finest remote trips, with thick green forest and broad water. Building began on 10 March 1673 and finished in 1675, to protect Granada from pirates coming up the river from the Caribbean. The buccaneer William Dampier still plundered the city in 1685. In 1762 it held off a British siege, in which Rafaela Herrera, the commander's 19-year-old daughter, became famous. The British captured it in 1780, with Horatio Nelson among them, and left nine months later. From the village dock you climb a short path between coloured houses to dark walls and a gate reached by a bridge, with a flag above. From the top of the walls the river bends away through the forest, and you see the village roofs through openings in the stone. Sources mention a small museum on the fort inside, and the village has timber houses on stilts over the water. The fortress is 43 km in a straight line east of San Carlos and about 6 km from the Costa Rican border. Access is by boat, so check the schedule and allow plenty of time. The area is very rainy, so bring a waterproof jacket and insect repellent. Wear suitable shoes for the slippery path and carry your passport, as the border is close.
A fort on a green hill.
A bend through the forest.
Houses on stilts over the water.
El Castillo village, San Juan River, Río San Juan Department
Usually by boat from San Carlos, so check times in advance.
A night in the village is better, as river trips are slow and limited.