Nicaragua Extraordinary More Details
DAY 1
Airport + Transfer to Leon + Free Day
Welcome to Nicaragua, the Land of Lakes & Volcanoes! At your arrival, your tour guide and driver will be both waiting for you at the airport, then, you will altogether drive from the airport to the colonial city of Leon. Once in Leon, you will have the rest of the afternoon free for you to rest or in case you want to walk around the city, you are welcome to do so.
DAY 2
Cathedral Tour + Cerro Negro Volcano Boarding
Today, after breakfast, we will walk to the Cathedral of Leon. We will do this building tour, visiting the second and third floor to learn about the whole construction process of it and its decoration. This Cathedral is the biggest religious building of Central America and one of the oldest as well, so there is a lot to learn. The top of this Church has a great view of the volcano chain of Los Maribios.
Once we are done with the church, you will have 2 hours on your own for you to have lunch. At 2:30 pm, we will be picked up in a 4×4 truck to drive on a volcanic sandy road for about 1 hour. Once in the bottom of the Cerro Negro Volcano, we start to hike the hill.
Cerro Negro Volcano is the second youngest volcano in America and one of the most active ones in Central America. It is also the only active volcano in the world where you can experience surfing on its sand. The hike from the base takes about one hour, on the way up to the top, our very well-informed tour guide will explain every detail of this amazing volcano formation, its type of volcano and type of eruptions it has had all through its history since it was first formed in 1850. Once on the top, you will feel the hit of the sand near its crater while enjoying the astonishing views that its top provides, this view includes probably the best sunset in Nicaragua from the top of this volcano.
After that, your tour guide will give you all the instructions on how to handle the board for you to slide down the 45 grades of slope. It would take us about 5 minutes to slide down back to the base. Once we are done with this tour, we drive about 50 minutes to the City of Leon.
DAY 3
Leon – Transfer to Somoto Town + Somoto Canyon Tour + Transfer to city of Esteli.
Good morning family! We will have breakfast in Leon today, then we will take all of our luggage with us and drive about 3 hours to the cool town of Somoto. Here in Somoto, we will have the imposing Somoto Canyon tour. This spectacular extended circular tour of up to 6 hours and 14 kilometers in distance which includes all the activities of the Standard Tour in the main canyon but also additional walking, scrambling, swimming and jumping in the Rio Tapacali and in the great natural swimming pool below the confluence of the Tapacali and Comali rivers which form the headwaters of the Rio Coco, the longest river in Central America.
We will visit the fruit bat caves and view additional bromeliads and orchids in this tranquil setting. Besides that, birds, lizards, snakes, insects and all kinds of wildlife are seen in our tour. This route is also an approved geo-tour including igneous, metamorphic and volcanic rock samples, our very knowledgeable tour guide here will help us out to understand every geological detail of this formation. This route will take us through both; private and protected areas and we will use water transportation in the canyon such as boats and tubes. In addition to that, a life jacket per person is provided and a dry bag for the group to keep your belongings safe and dry as well.
During the tour, we include a light snack and water and a delicious lunch (vegetarian option available) at the end of it.
After this tour, we will head back to the city of Esteli, we will get there around 6pm and spend the night in the hotel to properly rest to prepare for the next day of adventure.
DAY 4
Esteli – Transfer to Peñas Blancas Massif Natural Reserve + Tour of Arcoiris (rainbow) Waterfall
Good morning to all of you! Today, after breakfast we will start a beautiful journey from this city of Esteli to The Peñas Blancas Massif Natural Reserve. Driving around 3 hours to this amazing destination one easily realizes how great and wonderful the geology of this area is and therefore, the geography becomes an important reason for the biodiversity richness of this place.
Upon arriving at Peñas Blancas Massif, we will do the check in and have a couple of hours for free so we can recognize this interesting place or just relax in the facilities of this rural hotel. A typical Nicaraguan lunch (included today), will be served at 1pm before we do our 3 hour-tour to the Arcoiris waterfall walking through the dense cloud forest of the reserve.
Peñas Blancas Massif Reserve: This is one of the 6 reserves that together form the Bosawas Biosphere Reserve, this reserve is considered in terms of biodiversity, the lung of Central America due to the dense forests that produce tons of pure oxygen. The Peñas Blancas Massif Nature Reserve is located in the eastern area of Bosawas and was declared a nature reserve back in 1991.
The reserve is home to one of the largest forests in Central America, we will find tropical jungle and cloud forest here. The highest point within the reserve is 1,700 meters (5,577 ft) above sea level. Its rock formations are of volcanic origin and its name is due to the white color of a moss that grows on its cliffs.
The Tour: At 1:00 pm, we will leave the hotel towards Arcoiris waterfall. The walking tour in theory should take a bit more than an hour, but there is a lot of nature to see, the cloud forest loaded with epiphytic plants, mosses and lichens attached to the rocks, trees and all of this becomes part of the decoration of the trails. The rivers make their way through the slopes and their sounds are the perfect symphony that mixes with the music of the birds to give us a spectacular and unique experience.
Upon reaching the base of the waterfall, we will have a beautiful moment at receiving the breeze of the waterfall into our skin. By then, we will surely already be soaked by the drizzle from when we walk. There at the base of the waterfall we will be from 10 to 40 minutes, depending on how much you want to be there and then, we return to the station but not in a hurry, but rather than that, we enjoy everything that surrounds us, we can even bring our suits and go for a dip in the rivers of the massif. After this, the rest of the afternoon and evening is on your own.
DAY 5
Peñas Blancas Massif – Private Transfer to Granada + Isletas Sunset Boat Tour
Good morning! Today we will leave Peñas Blancas Massif and head to the beautiful city of Granada. We will be in Granada around 1:00 pm and we will have free time so you can explore the city on your own or simply relax in your hotel before we launch in our sunset tour.
Sunset Boat Tour: Lake Nicaragua is dotted with jungle-clad islands. The biggest is the twin-volcano Isla de Ometepe. But off the lake shore from Granada lie a few hundred smaller islands — some of the most beautiful places to visit in Granada. This is an archipelago of around 360 small volcanic islands that today wonderfully dot the shores of Lake Nicaragua. Las “Isletas” is a place located just 10 minutes from the Colonial City of Granada.
Las Isletas on a private boat are impressive, the large number of birds that can be seen, the flora and fauna in general, plus the panoramic views which includes an amazing sunset is something unique you will not forget.
On the tour you will learn the geological process by which these small islands were formed, or at least, the two theories that are believed are the reasons for the formation of the archipelago. You will also learn about the life of the locals, how they live, what activities they practice, the educational system of local children and much more of the culture of these families.
DAY 6
Adventure Tours in Rural Community
The communities of Charco Muerto and Los Cocos are located in the south side of the city of Granada, in front of the volcanic island of Zapatera and on the shores of Lake Cocibolca and if that’s not enough, this place is also located at the base of the Mombacho Volcano Cloud Forest which enrich Charco Muerto and Los Cocos with a vast variety of biodiversity. The geographical characteristic of this location has privileged these communities with spectacular panoramic landscapes such as coves, beaches, mountains, viewpoints, cliffs, underground waters and above all, beautiful people.
Our day will start early at 6:00 in the morning, at that time we will leave Granada and take the Pan-American Highway for 30 minutes and then, we will take a dirt road for almost 25 kilometers to the beach of Casa de Tejas Farm and Playas del Coco in front of Zapatera Island. The road is rustic, muddy and rocky, with streams and ravines, which makes the adventure more dynamic.
Once in the community of Los Cocos, we’ll walk for approximately an hour, passing through tropical forests, we’ll reach the top of a mountain with beautiful viewpoints where we can rest while admiring the spectacular views, after there, we’ll go down the mountain until we reach to the community of Charco Muerto; This is a peninsula with a very particular geological characteristic, full of coves, rocky walls and cliffs, this place is magical in the sight of those who visit it!
From there, we will go on horses to the base of the volcanic hill known as “La Lomona” (the big hill). From there, we will walk to the top of this hill for about 40 minutes. The majestic and dazzling views up there is something you are going to love. From above, you would see and take photos of the Zapatera archipelago, Lake Cocibolca and when it is clear, the imposing Concepción volcano of Ometepe Island can also be seen.
There at the top of La Lomona, we are going to have a picnic, grill beef and have a few beers while we relax for a while in the shade of a big tree. After about two hours, we will go back down to Charco Muerto and from there, by rowboat (you will have your own paddle) to where we left the motorcycles to return to Granada.
On the way back, we will stop by the crystalline and underground waters of Aguas Agrias, this tropical paradise is located at the base of the Mombacho volcano, the water comes from the Mombacho cloud forest, infiltrating through the underground sources and running for many kilometers until it flows here into this place which is perfect for swimming in its waters loaded with medicinal properties for a perfect relaxation. After this, we will return to Granada, arriving here around 5 in the afternoon.
*Very important: With this tour, you are supporting over 30 families and 140 people of these communities who are doing their best to improve their economic situation with these rural activities.
DAY 7
Free Morning + Masaya Volcano Lava Night Tour
The Masaya volcano is undoubtedly the most spectacular geological monument in Central America, and its easy access makes it something fascinating that can be explored by both natural tourists and scientists of all kinds; volcanologists, geologists, historians and anyone who wants to enjoy a wide variety of unique attractions are somehow obligated to come to this paradise.
This is a shield-shaped volcano which has allowed the authorities to build a paved road to the main crater and its very well-defined paths will take us to specific points where the human eye will delight.
The Tour: Our adventure will begin at 4:00 pm, we will drive 40 minutes to the entrance of the park, once we get into Masaya Volcano National Park, we obtain our tickets and drive approximately 6 kilometers to the Santiago active crater parking area; it will still be daytime here, so we’ll walk about 20 minutes to the different viewpoints to admire the different beauties that this park has to offer.
This National Park is not only lava, that is why we will arrive before sunset, and we will walk to the top of the Masaya Volcano, throughout the entire journey, from the beginning to the end, our certified and experienced tour guide will explain everything related to this park; its eruptive history and formation, its geology, flora, fauna and tourist importance of this park, in addition to the events that have occurred here over the years.
Once on the edge of the San Fernando and San Juan craters, we will obtain one of the most dazzling views of Central America, with also the most astronomical sunset in the region. From here we will contemplate, in addition to the geological ring called “El Ventarrón” in which the 54 square kilometers of the Masaya Volcano National Park rest; we will enjoy the volcanoes: Mombacho, Masaya, Nindirí, Momotombo, Momotombito (this last one if Managua City is not foggy), the Masaya lagoon, the Xolotlán Lake in Managua and Cocibolca Lake in Granada, the cities of: Managua (capital of Nicaragua), Masaya and Granada and if all this were not enough; get ready to admire the most exuberant sunset (if it’s not raining) of this Land of Lakes and Volcanoes. Here, the sun’s rays play with the steam that comes out of the Santiago crater, this mixture of sun rays and volcanic gasses form a spectacular phenomenon that is admired every year by thousands of tourists from all over the world.
Once the sun is gone, we walk back to the active crater of Santiago, to observe a gigantic and divine lava lake at the bottom of it. We will be at this area for 10 to 30 minutes so that you can take the photos you want and record this tour in your memory as one of the best of your life. Once this tour is finished, we will drive approximately 40 minutes to return to Granada where we will be arriving around 7:30 pm.
DAY 8
Granada – Airport
Today, at 7:00 am, we will have our last Nicaraguan breakfast in our hotel. After this, we will head to the airport for you to get your flight back home. The drive from Granada to the airport in the city of Managua takes 50 minutes.
INCLUDES
- Air-Conditioned Land Transportation
- All Water Transportation
- Bilingual, experienced & certified Tour Guide
- All Entrance Fees
- All breakfasts
- Taxes
PLACES VISITED
- Estelí
- Granada
- Jinotega
- León
- Managua
- Masaya
- Somoto