Grazing cattle atop rolling green hills and cowboys strutting in spurred boots are common sights in Boaco and Chontales. As the primary source for most of Nicaragua’s beef and dairy, cattle is very much part of the culture in these bordering departments. Rodeos and bullfights are frequent, and are probably the most exciting events a visitor can hope to attend. Juigalpa, by far the most cosmopolitan city in either Boaco or Chontales, hosts rodeos every month. You wouldn’t think the bleachers at the ring would fill up every time, but Juigalpans take the sport very seriously. At their patron saint festival in August people come from all over the world to play spectator at their rodeos and bullfights. Locals like to don cowboy gear, and boots, hats and other paraphernalia are easily found all over the region, especially in Camoapa.
If cattle isn’t your thing, there are plenty of beautiful hikes to take and local farms to visit. Bear in mind though, that as this region sees very few tourists, these are sometimes hard to get to. Set among the Amerrisque mountains, Boaco and Chontales have peaks such as Mombacho, La Cebadilla and the more challenging Quizaltepe.
While Boaco and Chontales haven’t seen the sort of governmental investment in agro-tourism you’ll find in other regions, a few entrepreneurial farmers and ranchers have opened up their properties to the public. Nueva Guinea has La Esperanzita, a teaching farm, and San Jose de Los Remates has plenty of coffee farms. All are good places to get a sense of the sort of development going on in this peaceful, prosperous region.