Puerto Morazán would make the perfect launching point into Reserva Natural Delta del Estero Real – if the town had any tourist infrastructure whatsoever. This end-point of the Chinandega-Morazán bus route is still a desperately poor fishing village, where outhouses have been built right over the river waters.

Just a two-hour bus ride from Chinandega, the town has been left untouched by Nicaragua’s recent tourist boom and has no hotels or restaurants. You can always hire a local fisherman to take you on a tour of the delta, but if you end up here, you far better off catching one of the hourly buses back to Tonalá.

Puerto Morazán’s neighbor is slightly more developed (Tonalá had a hospedaje, but it closed in April). At the moment, Tonalá’s alcaldia (505-2-346-9030) does double duty as the local INTUR office and can arrange various tours to Cerrania Ecologico Municipal Los Limones, Estero Real and to the Centro Ecotouristico Tempisque if you call a day ahead. The city hall can also arrange for boat tours of the river delta.

Regular buses stop at the Tonalá bridge on their way between Puerto Morazán and Chinandega. You can catch one every hour between 4 a.m. and 4 p.m. for C$13.50 or wait for a minibus at the same corner. The minibuses cost C$18 and depart when full.