6 Best Sights in Laguna de Ibans, La Mosquitia

A boat ride from Belén across Laguna de Ibans takes you to Banaka Creek. A strenuous full-day hike in the rain forest leads to a waterfall, virgin jungle, and a grouping of ancient petroglyphs in the village of Banaka. The carvings here might be a convenient alternative if you don't have the three days it takes to make the trip to the more famous Walpaulbansirpe petroglyphs, near Las Marías.

Well, more like dusk than full-on night: canoes slither through shaded canals in the early evening as passengers stay on the lookout for crocodiles and caimans. Flashlight beams find the red reflection in reptilian eyes, and the remaining daylight affords decent bird-watching and wildlife observation.

Not that you'll need it here (unless you really plan poorly), but local guides in Raista offer a five-hour training session in jungle survival skills. The course teaches how to find sources of food and drinkable water, how to spot medicinal plants and natural mosquito repellents, plus orientation in the jungle.

Spend a cultural hour with the local women's group around an evening bonfire. The women perform traditional Miskito dances and songs, along with ancient stories that have been shared from generation to generation.

This four- to five-hour day trip starts across the lagoon in the nearby lowland rain forest, where spotting troops of howler monkeys is possible, albeit unguaranteed. Hikers set off through the jungle on a moderately difficult hike and plunge into the refreshing Paru Creek with inner tubes in hand. From there, it's a tranquil float downstream with bird-watching and wildlife spotting above in the rain-forest canopy.

From February to September each year, Doña Patrocinia heads the grassroots group that organizes volunteer trips during the nesting period of green, leatherback, and loggerhead turtles. Participants head out at night to comb the beaches for turtle nests, collect the freshly laid eggs, and rebury them in a protected sanctuary intended to fend off poachers and predators. The eggs hatch three months later, and the young turtles are released back into the lagoon. Plaplaya villagers also take part in the project during the height of the turtle season, from April to July.