The best of Nicaragua

Arrival at the airport of Managua and transfer to the hotel.

Option 1: Guided city tour
(starting limit time at 2:00 PM)

Classic city tour to discover the main attractions: the Tiscapa hill, providing a beautiful view on the Capital; the square of Revolucion, symbolizing the fall of Somoza’s regime; the Palacio Nacional, the most representative building in Managua, home to national historical archives, and exhibits of pre-Colombian statues/ceramics as well as Nicaraguan contemporary art; the ancient Cathedral, core of city life until the 1972 earthquake. The tour ends at Salvador Allende pier, a pleasant and colorful lakefront area, meeting point for locals and tourists.

Option 2: The best of Nicaraguan cuisine

Nicaraguan cuisine offers extraordinary meat dishes prepared with beef grown on the country's fertile lands. In addition to meat dishes, Nicaragua has developed a typical cuisine born from the meeting of different cultures. If you love to eat well, our driver will be at your disposal and will take you to dine in one of the best steak houses in the capital or in a restaurant where you can appreciate authentic Nicaraguan cuisine (meal cost not included).

Overnight in Managua

Transfer to Leon (94 km), a majestic colonial city and ancient capital of the country.

Option 1: Leon guided city tour

Take our guided tour and you discover: the central square; the murales, showing us a segment of the city’s recent history; the cathedral (the largest in Central America, listed as UNESCO Heritage Site); the Legends and Traditions Museum; the Ortiz-Gurdian Center, the country’s most important private art exhibition, with paintings and statues by American and European artists from the 17th century until present time.

Option 2: Visit the ruins of Leon Viejo

Leon Viejo was founded in 1524 by Hernandez de Cordoba. This first settlement of the Spanish Crown offer us an interesting testimony on the life and social structures of the "conquistadores".

Option 3: Leon Bike Tour

if you are curious and like to move, choose our bike tour, so you can discover the secrets of this city and the places where the locals love to spend their time.

Overnight in Leon

Option 1: Cerro Negro volcano

Transfer to the feet of Cerro Negro volcano (an hour driving approx.), one of Nicaragua’s seven active volcanoes. The slope of the crater is covered by black pulverized lava, proof of the last strong eruption in 1999. We reach the top in about 1 hour walking. Enjoy the extraordinary view over the green valley below and the other volcanoes of this zone. To come back, we sink our feet in the soft volcanic ash, or we practice sandboarding, a sort of surf to slip sitting on a table. Very easy and fun!

Option 2: Las Peñitas

Transfer to Las Peñitas (40 minutes driving approx.), a fishing village on the Pacific coast, 30 minutes from Leon. Boat tour in the Juan Venado nature reserve sailing along the arm of the sea between the coast and the opposite island, where the mangrove forest is home to crocodiles, crabs and many crustaceans. We then dock on the island whose vegetation is the habitat of dozens of bird species. With a short walk we reach the opposite side, bathed by the ocean, and we enjoy the immense sandy beach (not frequented by tourists), where the Paslama turtles arrive between August and December to lay their eggs. Return to Las Peñitas to enjoy one of the most beautiful sunsets in Nicaragua.

Overnight in Leon

We move to Masaya volcano (110 km), one of the naturalistic wonders of the country. We take you up to the mouth of the active crater, don’t miss this amazing show! Then, we reach Granada (40 km), the colonial city known as the Great Sultan, due to its architectural analogies with Spain’s Andalusia region. In the afternoon we head to the Cocibolca lake harbor and take a boat ride around some of the 365 small islands (isletas), which were created following an eruption of the Mombacho volcano. Some islands are inhabited, others are home to a population of monkeys, squirrels, and different bird species.

Overnight in Granada

Option 1: Granada City Tour

City tour to visit Granada’s main attractions: the colorful main market; the central square and the neoclassical Cathedral; the Museum of Saint Francis (an extraordinary testimony of the pre-Columbian Nicaraguan civilization); the Church of La Merced, and its bell tower where visitors enjoy the view over the city; the Xalteva area where the city was founded

Option 2: Mombacho volcano

Excursion in the tropical forest of the Mombacho volcano (30 minutes driving approx.), home to 150 species of mammals, 120 species of birds, 30 species of reptiles and 750 different plant species. There are some endemic samples that are part of the volcano's fauna: the Mombacho salamander is one of the most representative, as it is only in this remote area of the world that we can find this small salamander! There are so many viewpoints providing a spectacular view towards Cocibolca lake and its isletas. You can choose the easy route (1 km), the medium route (2 km) or the long route (4 km). At the end of the excursion we offer an amazing canopy crossing the rain forest. Lunch in the natural reserve included.

Option 3: Catarina viewpoint

Transfer to the Catarina viewpoint (30 minutes driving approx.), a hill overlooking the Apoyo lagoon, an extinct crater filled with blue waters, surrounded by dense vegetation. Lunch included in a typical restaurant. Visit to a nearby workshop where the artisans produce fine clay artifacts.

Overnight in Granada

Transfer to the characteristic seaside resort of San Juan del Sur on the Pacific coast (110 km).

Overnight in San Juan del Sur

Spend good time at the beach where you can relax, enjoy the sunshine and forget everything around you.

Overnight in San Juan del Sur

Private transfer back to Managua’s airport (132 km) to take your schedule flight.

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