Anyone ridden this in Northern Nicaragua?

[ThirtyOne]

Hi all -

I'll be riding through Nicaragua next week while on break, currently living in Honduras, and will be heading towards volcano San Cristobal. Google has two routes they show. It seems that the route 16>38>1>26 is the recommended way and is connecting bigger cities/towns. The other route that is further west goes around more parks and has more curves. 1>4>32>24.

Time isn't that big of a deal for our trip. Quality of road is. Anyone have experience on either?

**UPDATED 4/22** So I couldn't leave the country on my bike because I don't have a plate on it and couldn't get on in time. (The country ran out of license plates over 4 years ago and only gets them in small batches from time to time.)

I took the route highlighted in blue on the map. It turned out to be a very nicely paved road. Super smooth and no holes or craters. The posted speed limit was 40kph. Ridiculous. I comfortably did 90-100kph the whole way in a fwd Mitsubishi Lancer, which took considerably less time than the posted almost 4 hours that Google Maps estimated.

Overall a very easy drive or ride with nice pavement the whole way. The access road to Jiquilillo was another story. Rock filled dirt road that got the best of one of the tires. Cheers.




Thanks

[crisidsto]

I think the recommended way you are asking for, 16>38>1>26, really is 15>1>26.
38 seems to be the yellow one.

I only rode from Leon to Estelì, through El Sauce, 26>38>49 from your map.

26 is tarmac and no traffic, 38 until El Sauce is good pavè, from El Sauce to Estelì is gravel road

I didn't rode the other routes you're asking, but from what I saw I can tell you the Panamericana (1) is almost always good tarmac but with some traffic (cars and trucks) and some roadworks

Enjoy Nicaragua!

[ThirtyOne]

Thanks for the feedback. I just got in touch a friend and both routes are supposedly okay. The eastern route is more heavily trafficked, so we are going to hit the western route. Less drunk people driving during Semana Santa.

[ThirtyOne]

Updated the first post.