fortaleza de la inmaculada concepcion

Thoroughly enjoyed my morning at the Fortaleza. Steeped in local history and for a reasonable price the fortaleza gives you a great insight into the past. Nestled above the town of El Castillo, it's hard to believe this tranquil setting had such a ferocious past. It's the must do attraction!

The guide made a good job in the rain in the rainforrest. They even gave you rubberboots and helped you to look for the small things.

Nice little castle with a little museum that explained history etc. Great views on the river. My husband and I loved the tranquility up there.

The fort is very well preserved and it is worth it. We went there in the early morning (the staff arrived later than us so we had to wait for them to visit it) and we were the only visitors. We could enjoy the views over the river and rapids. The museum is small but it's interesting.

A great hour stop before diving deeper into the jungle or while staying the night in El Castillo. Well-done museum and nice collection of artifacts, with written English translations available. The castle itself is well preserved and fun to explore/walk around, though you cannot enter inside the building (although it looks like you should be able to), which was disappointing. Pay $2.00 or so to be allowed to take pictures; it's worth it as the views up and down river are quite wonderful.

Best views all around el castillo. Fascinating structure of the fortress. Interesting museo too. You can use your ticket next day too

Both the Fortaleza and the small museum is well wort a visit. It explains the importance of this exact location back in colonial times, and the fights between the pirates and the Spaniards, and it also lays out the different canal projects that have been planned up throughout Nicaragua's history. this is quite relevant to the coming building of a new canal.

It's worth to come up here, but apart from the small museum and the great view of the River San Juan, there is not much to see in this small fort. However, enjoy these views, take pictures and plan with about one hour for the visit.

The fort is an impressive monument to the Spanish Colonial Empire. The museum while small is informative and allows a greater understanding of the history. The fort is relatively well preserved and quite interesting. Great vistas of the river and surrounds make for super photos. Well worth the effort to get there.

If you make the trip to El Castillo then, of course, you must tour the very reason for the town, for it's name and it's history. It is a remarkable construction for it's time and place with a commanding view of the river, especially to the East, from which direction came the pirates raiding Spanish settlements like Leon and Granada. It is also the best place we found to see the layout of the town. As others have noted, the museum is quite good at giving an historical perspective and appreciation for it's unique past.

An important part of Central America's history was centered around the Rio San Juan. The dream of an interoceanic canal first took form along this river. North American Tycoons invested in Nicaragua and fiddled with Nicaraguan Politics because of this River. The Fortress stands in mute testimony of all of this and offers an brief, but complete insight to History.

Very nice museum next to the fort, explanations in English. Detailed. Great photo opportunities from the fort.

Great views from this lovely spot and a good museum. It was thus far the only museum that actually had information in English and Spanish that was interesting and interpretive in a meaningful way. The fort is lovely, cool birds, and a great tree covered with bromeliads. We spent several hours just taking in the views. Visited the little library too. It was all great.

Dopo aver visitato la cittadina molto caratteristica di El Castillo, ci siamo recati alla "Fortaleza", la guida locale ci ha raccontato la storia della fortezza, mostrandoci il museo, dopodichè ci siamo recati in cima alla fortezza.Sono rimasto davvero senza fiato, immaginare che da quel punto, i locali vedevano le navi degli spagnoli attraversare il rio san juan per andare alla conquista della fortezza. Il panorama è incantevole, si domina tutta la città con le sue case a palafitta lungo il rio, con il sole che al tramonto illuminava cielo e fiume.. un vero spettacolo.

Es tranquilo y lleno de mucha historia, si visitas El castillo esta es un lugar obligatorio para visitar.