BalanceJulyIssue17 - 54
Travel
DE ST I NAT ION:
N E KU PE , N I CARAGUA
H OW TO B O O K
Into the
JUNGLE
With tree-top yoga,
high-adrenaline hikes
and alfresco spa sessions
on offer, Lizzie Pook
sweats it out in style
on an active-luxe
adventure in Nicaragua
Beautiful Nicaragua;
below, there are
seven different
pineapple species
grown in the country
54
T
he stream before us gushes,
thigh-deep and cobalt blue,
through the wide forest valley,
before snaking off into the distance and
disappearing into a dense tangle of trees.
Pinto, my horse, stubborn and a little lazy,
doesn't seem too enamoured with the idea
of crossing it. And there's no turning back,
so we're currently at an impasse.
I'm at Nekupe, a new sporting resort in
lush, jungly Nicaragua. Horse-riding
(full-disclosure: I'm a total rookie) is just
one of the activities you can hurl yourself
into at this sprawling, luxurious retreat,
which also hosts winding hiking trails,
skeet shooting ranges and a bounty of
outdoor yoga decks, complete with
BALANCE July 2017
gratifyingly green views. But an active-luxe
adventure in Nicaragua doesn't have to cost
the earth. As well as the particularly
high-end Nekupe, there's an abundance of
beautiful eco-lodges, boutique hotels and
decent hostels across the country, too.
WALK ON THE WILD SIDE
Right now, the sun is setting. Pinto and I
have already trudged through sultry teak
forests and billows of vibrant yellow
butterflies. But she seems somewhat
reluctant to wet her hooves.
Eventually (and with much prodding)
she plods forward into the water, and
I lurch from side-to-side, gripping the
saddle with untrained thighs, as she
ploughs steadily across.
Emerging onto the opposite bank,
I spot a beady-eyed hawk high up in the
branches, illuminated by the last shafts of
sunlight. Vultures circle in the sky above
the forest canopy and howler monkeys
crash through the trees, pausing
occasionally to eyeball us curiously. As we
mosey on back towards the stables, snakes
slither across our path and fireflies emerge.
'This', I think, 'is real wilderness.'
PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES, STOCKSY
BOOKING INFO:
Black Tomato
(blacktomato.com
020 7426 9888)
can arrange a luxury
adventure to Nekupe
Resort from £4,875
per person, which
includes five nights'
accommodation
with all meals,
experiences and
private transfers.
Cheaper packages to
Nicaragua are
available at:
Mombacho Lodge
(mombacholodge.
com), Los Patios
Hotel, (lospatios
granada.com) and
Xalli Ometepe
Beach Hotel
(ometepebeach
hotel.com)
http://www.blacktomato.com
http://www.granada.com
http://www.hotel.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BalanceJulyIssue17
BalanceJulyIssue17 - 1
BalanceJulyIssue17 - 2
BalanceJulyIssue17 - 3
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