City of León

The origin of the city of León dates back to the ancient city of “León Viejo” which was founded by the colonizer Francisco Hernández de Córdoba in 1524. In the wake of an earthquake and the eruption of the volcano in 1610, the city moved to a new site in a fertile and wide valley next to the indigenous settlement of Sutiaba. The municipality of León, located in the western region of the country, has a tropical savanna climate, with pronounced dry season between the months of November to April, and a rainy season, between the months of May to October.

The delineated and long streets of the city of León, also known as the “University City”, evoke the colonial era. The existing churches in large numbers are an attraction of cultural order for their architectural features and antiquity, standing among them the majestic Cathedral of León, Central America largest Cathedral, declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. From a stylistic point of view, the monument shows the transition from Baroque to Neo-classic and is characterized by the sobriety of its decoration. The Cathedral contains important movable works of art. In addition, the city features a varied offer of historical-cultural tourism, housing various museums and churches of the colonial era.

The tourist offer of the municipality of León is diverse, also offering adventure tourism and community rural tourism, standing out the volcanic complex Las Pilas-El Hoyo and Cerro Negro, where the famous extreme sport of sandboarding is practiced.

Finally, low-density sun and beach tourism is one of the attractions during the summer, as the area has attractions such as the Juan Venado Island Natural Reserve and the beaches of Poneloya, Las Peñitas and Salinas Grande.