Selva Negra Mountain Resort
History
In the 1850s when gold was discovered in California, many American and European passengers made their way to California crossing the Isthmus of Central America through Nicaragua. On one of those trips, a German couple (Ludwig Elster and Katharina Braun) from the region named Black Forest (Selva Negra in Spanish) in Germany chose to stay in Nicaragua rather than continue to San Francisco. Instead of looking for gold they planted the first coffee beans in this region. Coffee came to be of very good quality, so soon many other Europeans and Americans showed up to do the same.
One hundred years later a new couple, Eddy Kühl and Mausi Hayn, descendants of the first settlers, thought of building a tourist resort in the same area to recreate the dream of the first settlers. The scenic mountains already drew visitors to the nearby Hotel Santa María de Ostuma. The resort was finally completed between 1975 and 1976. They built, all German style: 23 mountain bungalows, an additional building with 14 hotel rooms, a youth hostel, bar and restaurant, conference rooms, and a rustic non-denominational chapel.
The activities are all eco-touristic: mountain hiking, horseback riding, birdwatching, and tours of the coffee plantation. The farm is well known for protecting the forest, birds, and wildlife sanctuary. Kühl has also devoted himself to preserving and recording the region's history.
Gallery
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Fairy-tale like entrance to Selva Negra -
chapel -
Path from chapel -
The resort's ever-alert security dog -
gazebo -
another shot from gazebo
References
- ^ Gelula, Melisse; Mark Sullivan (2003). Fodor's Central America (1st ed.). Fodor's LLC. p. 251. ISBN 1-4000-1166-3. ISSN 0270-8183. OCLC 51514844. ISBN 978-1-4000-1166-7.