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Discover Nicaragua

Example 15 Day Tour
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Visit the highlights of Nicaragua in 15 days including unique landscapes and rich culture. Explore looming volcanoes, lush jungles teeming with wildlife, historic cities, and tranquil beaches as you travel from one corner of this diverse, vibrant country to the other. Soak in the sights, flavors, and ambience as you discover the best of Nicaragua.
Relaxing boat ride through Granada's islandsA family waiting to start sand boarding down a volcano.Geothermal activity at the San Jacinto mud potsEnjoying an exciting zipline adventure.A well-preserved facade in Colonial LeonEnjoy some sand boarding at Cerro Negro Volcano.Iconic cathedral in colonial GranadaCanoeing along Rio San JuanA canopy walkway in Mombacho Volcano ReserveA Poison Dart Frog sits on a bright green leaf.
Highlights
  • Observe a myriad of wildlife as you float downriver to Indio Maiz Reserve
  • Visit Old Leon, Nicaragua's first capital city
  • Learn about Selva Negra's innovative and sustainable farming techniques
  • Zip line through the canopy of the forest
  • Relax on the white sand beaches of Corn Island, a bona fide tropical paradise
Places Visited
Activity Level: Relaxed
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
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Full Itinerary

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Day 1: Arrive in Liberia

Arrive at Quiros International Airport in Liberia and be transferred privately to your hotel in Tenorio Bijajua. Enjoy the evening in Managua and dine on your own.

Day 2: Tenorio to Rio San Juan

  • Hotels
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
After breakfast at your hotel, transfer to Las Tablillas Border. Upon arrival, meet with a local guide and travel down the Rio San Juan to the riverside town of El Castillo. This one-hour boat trip takes you through an area teeming with wildlife, historically known as the Gold Route. Throughout the journey keep your eyes open and be prepared to spot a number of species of monkeys and birds native to Nicaragua. Lunch is served on the boat en route.

Upon arrival in El Castillo enjoy free time to explore and dine at a local restaurant.

Day 3: Indio Maiz Reserve & Historic El Castillo

  • Hotels
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Dine at your hotel this morning before embarking with your guide on a boat trip to the Indio Maiz Reserve, an area dedicated to the preservation and study of a vast array of wildlife. The Reserve is two miles downstream from El Castillo, at the convergence of Rio Bartola and Rio San Juan. As you peacefully float this stretch of the river observe a myriad of creatures which could potentially include jaguar, tapir, manatee, harpy eagle, green limpet, sawfish, and crocodile, as well as a host of monkeys and native birds.

Return to El Castillo for lunch at a local restaurant, after which a guide escorts you through this historic town. The tour highlights the XVIII century Spanish fortress de la Inmaculada Concepcion, which was part of a series of fortifications along Rio San Juan constructed in the 17th century to provide defense against pirate attacks on the city of Granada. Throughout the tour learn about local customs and gastronomy, and be entertained by the rich myth and lore of the area. Dinner is included today at an authentic Castillo restaurant intentionally selected by your guide. Return to your hotel after dinner and unwind after a full day of touring.

Day 4: Transfer to Granada Colonial City

Enjoy your last breakfast in El Castillo before taking the boat back to San Carlos Pier. Have lunch on your own in San Carlos and continue on to Granada with your guide. The drive takes about 5 hours though mostly uninhabited land.  Upon arrival in Granada, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant in Granada. 

After Lunch, take a tour of the Granada city. The tour highlights Granada's rich colonial heritage, visible in the structure and architecture of its beautiful homes, patios, and churches. Tour the famous La Merced Church, the Zamora family house, Casa de Los Tres Mundos, and the iconic San Francisco Convent. Stroll through charming streets and bask in a colorful Granadan ambiance. After the tour, enjoy dinner on your own and relax at your hotel.

Day 5: Explore Granada | Choose Your Own Adventure

After breakfast today, choose between two day tour options:

Mombacho Volcano Crater Trail & Canopy Tour: The tour begins with a 45-minute 4x4 drive up the slopes of nearby Mombacho Volcano. The surrounding cloud forest is full of lush vegetation that has regrown since the volcano was last active. At the foot of the mountain meet the park keepers and switch vehicles for the ascent to the summit. Along the way enjoy breathtaking views and become acquainted with the biodiversity of the region. At the summit set off on a moderate hike along the trails of the volcano. Throughout the hike, learn about Mombacho's wildlife, ancient inhabitants, and volcanic history. If the day is clear, the hike affords amazing views of the plain Pacific region of Nicaragua, neighboring Granada, as well as beautiful Lake Nicaragua. The hike takes about two hours, after which you are driven back down the mountain and have a typical Nicaraguan lunch at the Mombacho reserve. After lunch take an invigorating zip line canopy tour through Cafe Las Flores Canopy Adventure, also located on the reserve. The tour takes two to three hours and offers a truly unique perspective on this beautiful region. Local guides provide assistance throughout, showing you how to properly use the equipment and safely pass from one platform to the other. After zip lining, relax on Cafe Las Flores' farm and enjoy a fresh cup of coffee, produced entirely onsite.

Masaya Volcano, Artisan Market, Catarina & San Juan de Oriente: This tour takes you to half an hour from Granada to the first national park in the country, established in 1979, home of the Masaya Volcano. At the environmental interpretive center, learn about the history of the volcano as well as the flora and fauna of the surrounding wildlife refuge. Continue with your guided drive up to the summit of Masaya, where you can get out and explore the Santiago crater. Learn about the volcanic formations, the famous Aratinga strenua, a bird that makes its home in the toxic crater walls, as well as the history of the Spanish explorers and native inhabitants of the area. After the volcano tour, travel 15 minutes down the road to visit the Masaya arts and crafts market featuring locally-made ceramics, hammocks, and wood and leather goods. Dine at a local restaurant and continue on to the charming, adjacent towns of Catarina and San Juan de Oriente. Here you are introduced to Nicaraguan craftsmen and learn about how typical pottery, furniture, and baskets are made, while taking in the beauty of the surrounding water and volcanic landscape.

After finishing the tour of your choice, return to the hotel in Granada and enjoy dinner on your own.
 

Day 6: Transfer to Ometepe Island

This morning enjoy breakfast at your hotel before transferring an hour and a half from Granada to San Jorge port and catching the ferry to Ometepe Island. After a beautiful hour-long ferry ride, meet your guide in Ometepe and have lunch before embarking together on a tour of the island's most interesting sites. The tour features the charming village of Altagracia and the mysterious Charco Verde and Punta de Jesus Maria. Charco Verde is an ecological reserve famous for its striking emerald-green lagoon, which has been the focal point of local legend for centuries. Punta de Jesus Maria, a narrow land spit formed over centuries of sedimentation, offers spectacular panoramic views of Ometepe's two volcanoes as well as imposing Mombacho on the mainland.

After your tour, check in to the hotel and enjoy dinner on your own.

Day 7: Ometepe Island Excursions

After breakfast today, choose between two tour options:

Maderas Volcano Hiking Tour: To begin this tour, set out for the Maderas Volcano with your guide at 7:30 a.m. It takes about 15 minutes to drive to the base of the volcano, where you embark on a 10km round-trip hike. The hike up Maderas is considered relatively strenuous, taking most strong hikers four hours to summit and two to three hours to descend. The hike is steep and can be muddy, but rewards participants with sightings of more species of tropical plants and animals than anywhere else on Ometepe. Enjoy spectacular views from the summit, including the unique volcanic crater lake. A box lunch is provided along the way.

Kayaking Tour at Istiam River: This tour allows you to explore the ambient wetland ecosystem, getting an up-close look at a variety of birds, monkeys, turtles, and native plants. Paddle with your guide along the shore of Lake Nicaragua until you reach the mouth of the Istiam River. The tour takes about three hours, after which you can enjoy the rest of the afternoon relaxing and exploring the island at your leisure.

Return to your hotel to relax and dine on your own.

Day 8: Ometepe | Leon City and Ruins

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel this morning and gear up for an eventful journey. Board a ferry from Moyogalpa Port to Port San Jorge, followed by a scenic drive through the countryside to Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua. Explore the National Historic Park Loma de Tiscapa, a significant location that sheds light on the nation's past, including the story of Augusto Cesar Sandino and the Somoza dictatorship. Savor a delectable lunch in Managua before continuing to Leon. Along the way, visit the Old Leon ruins, a UNESCO World Heritage site that offers a fascinating glimpse into the early history of Nicaragua's first capital city. Admire the panoramic view of the Momotombo volcano and Lake Xolotlan from the hilltop fort in Leon Viejo. Arrive in Leon and enjoy a leisurely evening to relax.

Day 9: Choose your morning | Afternoon Leon City tour

After breakfast, this morning, choose between two-morning tour options:

Juan Venado Island Tour: Juan Venado Island is a natural reserve off of Nicaragua's Pacific coast that provides habitat for hundreds of species of birds, wetland creatures, and sea turtles. Observe these native species and enjoy pristine volcanic sand beaches as you tour the island on foot and via boat. Lunch is served at a local restaurant in Las Penitas.

Cerro Negro Volcano Hiking Tour: The Cerro Negro Volcano, the youngest in Central America, is a truly unique destination. Your tour begins with a 90-minute 4x4 drive to the base of the volcano. The ascent is steep and takes about an hour, but the stunning view from the top is a worthy reward for your hard work. For those seeking a memorable descent, you can opt to sandboard down through the loose rock of Cerro Negro's black slope. Equipment is provided and the descent takes about 15 minutes. Afterward, travel with your guide back to Leon for lunch.

After the morning's activities, embark on an informative tour of the influential, colonial Leon city. The city's history largely revolves around the nearby Momotombo Volcano. It was originally located close to the volcano and was destroyed by a series of eruptions before being moved to its current location. Throughout your walking tour, you are introduced to the main sites of historic Leon including its monumental cathedral, the birdhouse of Ruben Dario, and the Ortiz Gurdian art gallery.

Spend the evening exploring and dining on your own in Leon City.

Day 10: Selva Negra & San Jacinto Mud Pots

This morning transfer with your guide to Selva Negra after breakfast at your hotel. Break up the two-and-a-half-hour drive with a stop along the way at the geologically-impressive San Jacinto Mud Pots. Resting just southeast of the Telica Volcano, this area is alive with geothermic activity. Boiling mud pits and steaming vents create an impressive display and have long been famed for their curative and restorative powers. Explore this unique site before continuing on to Selva Negra.

Arrive at the lodge and enjoy lunch before setting out on the Selva Negra Sustainable Farm Tour, a must-see for visitors to the area. Selva Negra has a reputation for innovative and sustainable farming techniques. The two-hour tour of the farm provides great insight into these operations, passing by organic laboratories, worker housing, greenhouses, stables, pastures, coffee plantations, and compost operations.

Return to your hotel for dinner and a relaxing evening.

Day 11: Transfer Managua | Fly to Corn Island

This morning enjoy breakfast at your hotel and prepare for an early transfer to Moyogalpa Port. Here take a ferry to Port San Jorge and transfer two and a half hours to Managua airport. From Managua, take a domestic flight to Corn Island where your hotel provides a transfer from the airstrip.

After the journey relax at your hotel and explore the beach.

Day 12-13: Corn Island Leisure Day

This morning enjoy breakfast at your hotel and have the remainder of the day free to enjoy beautiful Corn Island. The island is a bona fide tropical paradise, lush with native palms and fruit trees. Relax on white sand beaches or make arrangements with local operators if you're interested in water activities. English is prevalent on the Island, as is negotiating. So if you opt to try the local water sports, be prepared to bargain!

Enjoy lunch and dinner on your own today.

Day 14: Fly to Managua

After breakfast and a leisurely morning enjoying Corn Island, take a taxi back to the airport for your afternoon flight to Managua. Transfer to your hotel and spend the remainder of the day relaxing and dining on your own.

Day 15: Depart Managua

  • 1 Breakfast
After breakfast this morning transfer from your hotel to Managua International airport for your midday flight and the next leg of your journey.

Accommodations

Selva Negra Lodge

Selva Negra Lodge
Selva Negra Lodge
Selva Negra Lodge

Managua - Hotels

Granada - Hotels

Ometepe - Hotels

Leon City - Hotels

Corn Islands - Hotels

El Castillo - Hotels

Dates & Prices

My Preferred Start Date

Per person starting at
$5,300

Notes

Select a Date
Flights to/from San Carlos ONLY operate on Thursdays and Sundays.
Included
  • 14 Breakfasts, 8 Lunches, 2 Dinners
  • 14 Nights Accommodations
  • Accommodations as listed
  • Ground transportation as listed
  • Activities as listed
  • Meals as listed
  • Access to a 24-7 Emergency line while traveling
Excluded
  • Gratuities
  • Travel Insurance
  • Personal Expenses
  • Flight costs (please request a quote)
  • Additional excursions during free time
  • Fuel and transportation surcharges (when applicable)

Map

When to Go

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Good to ideal period to travel, and many people choose to visit at this time.
Chance for unpredictable weather but with fewer visitors.

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Our guide and driver were very good with their knowledge and were very helpful with our questions. It was a very pleasant visit that would have been impossible to do on our own. Hotels and restaurants were fantastic. The special places we got to go to, like the kitchens, were great. Enjoyed the entire trip!
Meyer Smolen

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