Essential Nicaragua

Summary

Walk on an active volcano, find ancient petroglyphs on a freshwater island, wander amidst crumbling colonial mansions and watch turtles hatch on the sands of the Pacific, all without seeing another tourist. Well, hardly any other. Privately guided to be as active as you like, enjoy some of the diverse highlights of Nicaragua.

How adventurous?

Best time to go i

Level of activity

As is usually the case in Nicaragua, this trip is not overly active. That isn’t to say that it’s not physically demanding though – Nicaragua is a hot country with average temperatures often in the 30s. This is particularly true down in the north of the country, around León.

There are days which are more active, the Cerro Negro volcano hike involves a good hour or two of hot uphill trekking for instance. On other days though, activities tend to be more gentle and somewhat shorter. Because Nicaragua, certainly this inhabited strip down the western side, is so compact days tend to be made up of lots of different elements. As you will see, it is perfectly comfortable to travel from León, lunch at a crater lake and then visit the artisans of Masaya before finishing up in Granada in the late afternoon.

On Ometepe there are different options for activities, bookable locally. The Maderas Volcano hike is a very challenging walk which must be guided. It is beautiful but hard, hard work. Concepcion Volcano is rather gentler and the walk to the San Ramón waterfall gentler still.

Down in San Juan del Sur you can all sorts of activities to choose from although it is actually most famous for its surfing – just in case you are a fan.

The accommodation on this trip is generally of a first class standard 3-4*. On Ometepe the accommodation we use is a first rate eco-lodge, the only caveat there is the composting loos.

Level of culture

Generally, Nicaragua offers probably the most genuine and easy cultural interactions of all of our destinations. Quite simply, visitor numbers are so low that there is often a genuine interest in your presence in the country. Add to this that fact that we are careful to work with so many local people and you have a recipe for abundant and rich insights into the country. Much of the time on this trip you are with one of our guides which means that you have a constant means of communication, learning and interaction.

León is the revolutionary capital of Nicaragua so it is here that you will hear, and see, most about the Sandanista revolution. It is also the birthplace of the national poet Ruben Darío which gives it a certainly literary air. This is the cultural capital of the country.

Granada is probably the most visited place on this journey and you will notice that things are much more ‘slick’ there, in terms of restaurants and hotels, people speaking English, people offering you trips here or there. Locals here are more aware of tourism and tourists. Saying this, we are careful to get you to meet some of the artisans at Masaya market rather than simply wandering through the stalls. You also meet with a local family out on the Isletas.

Ometepe is rural Nicaragua - you are likely to be sharing the road with yoked oxen as you travel around the island. This rustic air gives the island a certain bucolic charm.

Practicalities

There is a detailed itinerary for this trip, as set out above. Please get in touch and we can email that to you.

However, as a tailor made trip, in order to send the most appropriate proposal to you, we really need to discuss things with you first to find out when you want to travel, how long you want to go for, etc.

The standard trip includes all accommodation with breakfast, transfers, guiding, activities and excursions as set out in our detailed itinerary. Naturally, on each and every one of our holidays, we include Pura’s expertise, local contacts and advice throughout, along with the reassurance of our financial protection and safety auditing.

Flights are quoted separately for this holiday. Normally guests fly in and out of Managua (airport code: MGA).