Nicaragua: León, Granada, Ometepe and San Juan del Sur

1. Jour 1 : Arrive in Managua, on to León

   Managua International Airport (MGA) to León

   • Environ 2 h de route
   • Welcome dinner
   • Nuit : León
   Détail du jour 1

   Fly into Augusto C. Sandino International Airport (MGA) in Managua. Buy your tourist card at immigration, about US$10 in cash, and a driver meets you in the arrivals hall. We do not stay in Managua: it is about two hours, roughly 100 km, north-west along the shore of Lake Managua and across farmland to León, with the chain of the Maribios volcanoes on your right. León was the country's capital for most of its colonial history and is still its university town, with low, thick-walled houses painted in faded colours, churches on almost every corner and murals from the revolution of 1979. Your hotel is a few blocks from the cathedral. Plan to land by about 3 pm to join the evening: your See Sight Tours guide meets the group at about 6:30 pm for a short briefing, then we walk to the Parque Central as it fills up after the heat of the day, and on to a welcome dinner of Nicaraguan dishes at a local restaurant.

   Compris

   • Pick-up at Augusto C. Sandino International Airport (MGA)
   • Transfer to León
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Welcome dinner in León

   Temps libre : Free until the evening briefing

   Activité : If you land late, the driver still meets you and your guide catches you up at breakfast.

   

2. Jour 2 : Cerro Negro early, the cathedral roof by afternoon

   León to Cerro Negro and back, then central León

   • Environ 2 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : León
   Détail du jour 2

   Today is the one early start, and the reason is the heat. Cerro Negro is a bare cone of black basalt gravel that first erupted in 1850 and last in 1999, which makes it one of the youngest volcanoes in Central America, and by late morning the gravel is too hot to enjoy. We leave León at 7:30 am, about an hour on a road that turns to dirt for the last stretch, and climb with a local guide for 45 minutes to an hour, carrying your own water. From the rim, about 700 m up, you look into the steaming crater and along the line of the Maribios volcanoes towards the Pacific. Most walk back down the scree; some board down it, an optional extra. We are back in León for a sit-down lunch, then rest through the hottest hours. Mid-afternoon your guide walks you to the cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the poet Rubén Darío is buried, and up onto its white roof among the domes, shoes off. We finish at the yellow facade of La Recolección and the revolutionary murals. The evening is free.

   Compris

   • Cerro Negro with a local guide: the climb to the crater rim and the walk down
   • Sit-down lunch in León
   • Guided walk of central León: the cathedral and its rooftop, La Recolección and the murals

   Activités en option

   • Volcano boarding down Cerro Negro, booked at the operator's own price
   • Museums in León in your free time, such as the Rubén Darío house museum or the Ortiz-Gurdián art collection

   Option plus facile : Stay at the foot of Cerro Negro with the driver and a cold drink while the others climb; the view of the cone and the Maribios chain is good from below.

   Option plus active : Board down the volcano on a sledge, with a suit and goggles from the operator, instead of walking down.

   Temps libre : Late afternoon and evening free in León

   Activité : The climb is steep, on loose gravel, in strong sun and often strong wind at the top. Closed shoes with grip, a hat and at least a litre of water are needed.

   

3. Jour 3 : Masaya market, then Granada by boat

   León to Masaya and the Catarina viewpoint, then Granada and Las Isletas

   • Environ 3 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Granada
   Détail du jour 3

   We leave León at about 8:30 am and drive south past Managua, about two hours, to Masaya. Its craft market, set inside a walled 19th-century market building, is a good place to buy hammocks, pottery, carved wood and leather, and you have an hour to browse before a sit-down lunch in town. From Masaya it is a few minutes up to Catarina, one of the Pueblos Blancos villages, whose viewpoint looks straight down into Laguna de Apoyo, a crater lake, with Granada and Lake Nicaragua beyond it. We reach Granada, our base for three nights, by mid-afternoon. Founded in 1524, it is one of the oldest cities built by Europeans on the American mainland, and its colonial grid of colourful houses runs down to the lake. At about 4:30 pm we take a small boat out among Las Isletas, the cluster of small wooded islands formed by an ancient eruption of Mombacho, for an hour and a half in the late light, past fishermen's houses, herons and cormorants. The evening is free.

   Compris

   • Masaya craft market
   • Sit-down lunch in Masaya
   • The Catarina viewpoint over Laguna de Apoyo
   • Late-afternoon boat trip through Las Isletas on Lake Nicaragua

   Temps libre : Evening free in Granada

   Activité : The longest drive of the trip, about three hours in all, broken by the market, lunch and the viewpoint.

4. Jour 4 : Granada on foot, Masaya Volcano at dusk

   Central Granada, then Masaya Volcano National Park and back

   • Environ 1 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner
   • Nuit : Granada
   Détail du jour 4

   We start at 8 am, while the streets are still in shade. Your guide walks you from the Parque Central past the yellow cathedral to La Merced, where you climb the bell tower for the view over red roofs to the lake on one side and Mombacho on the other. At the old Convento San Francisco we see the pre-Columbian basalt statues brought from Zapatera Island, then walk down La Calzada, the pedestrian street of cafés, to the lakeshore. Along the way you hear how the American filibuster William Walker had the city burned in 1856, and why so much of what you see was rebuilt after it. We are back by late morning; lunch and the afternoon are yours, for a nap, the pool or a café. At about 4:30 pm we drive half an hour to Masaya Volcano National Park, Nicaragua's first national park, and up to the rim of the Santiago crater as the light goes. When the volcano is active the crater glows red after dark; when the park rangers close the rim because of gas, we watch the sunset from another viewpoint instead. Dinner is your choice.

   Compris

   • Guided walk of Granada: the Parque Central, the cathedral, the La Merced bell tower, the Convento San Francisco statues and La Calzada
   • Masaya Volcano National Park entry and an evening visit to the Santiago crater rim

   Activités en option

   • Kayaking among Las Isletas in the free afternoon, booked at the operator's own price

   Temps libre : Lunch and the afternoon free in Granada; dinner free

   Activité : Time at the crater rim is limited by park rules, usually to a short stop. Whether lava is visible depends on the volcano and cannot be promised.

5. Jour 5 : Mombacho cloud forest and a swim in Laguna de Apoyo

   Granada to Mombacho Volcano Natural Reserve, then Laguna de Apoyo

   • Environ 1.5 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Granada
   Détail du jour 5

   Mombacho rises about 1,344 m just south of Granada, and its upper slopes hold a cloud forest of ferns, orchids, mosses and bromeliads, cooler than the city by several degrees. We drive about 20 minutes to the reserve gate for its morning opening, then ride the reserve's open trucks up a very steep road to the top. With a local guide we walk the crater trail, a loop of about 1.5 km through the forest, past steaming fumaroles and to viewpoints over Granada, Las Isletas and the lake when the cloud lifts. Listen for howler monkeys and look for the small salamander found only on this volcano. After the walk we drive to Laguna de Apoyo, the crater lake we saw from above on day 3, formed about 23,000 years ago. Lunch is at a lakeside spot with a deck and kayaks, and the afternoon is for swimming in warm, clear, fresh water. We are back in Granada by about 4:30 pm, and the evening is free.

   Compris

   • Mombacho Volcano Natural Reserve entry, the reserve trucks to the top and the crater trail with a local guide
   • Lunch on the shore of Laguna de Apoyo
   • An afternoon to swim and kayak in Laguna de Apoyo

   Option plus facile : Ride the truck to the top and walk only to the first viewpoint, then wait at the reserve's visitor area at the top; or skip the morning and join the group at Laguna de Apoyo for lunch.

   Option plus active : Walk the longer Puma trail on Mombacho, about 4 km with steeper sections and more viewpoints, with a local guide in place of the crater loop.

   Temps libre : Evening free in Granada

   Activité : The crater trail is about 1.5 km on uneven, sometimes muddy ground with some steps; bring a light layer, as the top can be misty and cool. The reserve closes on some weekdays and in poor weather; if it is shut on our day, we swap this day with the Granada walk on day 4 or spend longer at Laguna de Apoyo instead.

   

6. Jour 6 : By ferry to Ometepe

   Granada to San Jorge, ferry to Moyogalpa, then Charco Verde and Punta Jesús María

   • Environ 2 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Ometepe
   Détail du jour 6

   After breakfast we drive about an hour and a half south to San Jorge, the port on the western shore of Lake Nicaragua, the largest lake in Central America. The ferry to Moyogalpa takes about an hour, and from the deck you watch Ometepe grow: two volcanoes joined by a low neck of land, the steep cone of Concepción, about 1,610 m and still active, and the lower, forested Maderas. The island is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, a place of plantain and rice farms, small villages and roads where horses still outnumber cars. An island van meets us in Moyogalpa, and after a sit-down lunch we settle into our lakeside hotel, where we stay two nights. Late in the afternoon there is an easy walk at the foot of Concepción around the lagoon at Charco Verde, a small reserve where howler monkeys and white-faced capuchins are often seen. We end at Punta Jesús María, a sandbar that runs out into the lake, to watch the sun set behind the mainland. The evening is free.

   Compris

   • Ferry from San Jorge to Moyogalpa
   • Sit-down lunch on Ometepe
   • Charco Verde reserve walk at the foot of Concepción
   • Sunset at Punta Jesús María

   Temps libre : Evening free

   Activité : The ferry runs to a timetable and the lake can be choppy in the afternoon wind; we aim for a morning sailing.

7. Jour 7 : The Maderas side of the island

   Round Ometepe to the slopes of Maderas and the Ojo de Agua spring

   • Environ 2 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Ometepe
   Détail du jour 7

   Today we cross the isthmus to the quieter Maderas half of the island, about an hour by van along the lakeshore. With a local guide we walk for about two hours through farms and forest on the lower slopes of Maderas, a dormant volcano of about 1,394 m whose summit holds a crater lake in the cloud forest. The path is mostly gentle. Along the way your guide shows you pre-Columbian petroglyphs, spirals and figures carved into basalt boulders, which are found all over the island, and explains how families here farm coffee, plantains and beans. Lunch is a sit-down meal at a farm restaurant on the slope. In the afternoon we stop at Ojo de Agua, a spring-fed pool shaded by trees, for a long swim in clear, cool water, and you are back at the hotel by about 4 pm for a free late afternoon and evening by the lake. The full climb to the Maderas summit is a separate, muddy 7 to 8 hour day, so we keep it as an option for strong walkers.

   Compris

   • Guided walk on the lower slopes of Maderas, with pre-Columbian petroglyphs
   • Sit-down lunch on the Maderas side of the island
   • Ojo de Agua spring entry and time to swim

   Activités en option

   • The full Maderas summit climb with a local guide, a 7 to 8 hour day, booked at the operator's own price

   Option plus facile : Skip the morning walk and spend the day at Ojo de Agua; the van brings you there and the group joins you after lunch.

   Option plus active : Walk to the San Ramón waterfall on the southern slope of Maderas instead of the petroglyph walk, about 3 to 4 hours there and back on a steady climb through forest.

   Temps libre : Late afternoon and evening free

   Activité : About 2 hours of walking on farm tracks and forest paths with some uphill; the waterfall option is longer and steeper.

   

8. Jour 8 : Down to the Pacific at San Juan del Sur

   Ometepe ferry to San Jorge, then San Juan del Sur

   • Environ 1 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du soir
   • Nuit : San Juan del Sur
   Détail du jour 8

   We take a morning ferry back across the lake to San Jorge and drive about 45 minutes, roughly 35 km, over the narrow strip of land that separates Lake Nicaragua from the Pacific. San Juan del Sur sits on a horseshoe bay with fishing boats at anchor, a long beach of pale sand and green hills on either side. You have the middle of the day free: lunch on the beachfront, a swim, or a surf lesson at one of the beaches north of town. In the late afternoon we drive up to the Cristo de la Misericordia, the tall statue of Christ on the headland at the north end of the bay, and walk the last stretch to the viewpoint for the whole sweep of the bay below as the sun goes down into the ocean. Then we walk down to a farewell dinner together, with fish from the morning's catch if you want it.

   Compris

   • Ferry from Moyogalpa to San Jorge
   • Sunset at the Cristo de la Misericordia viewpoint above the bay
   • Farewell dinner in San Juan del Sur

   Activités en option

   • Surf lesson, sunset catamaran or fishing trip, booked at the operator's own price

   Temps libre : Lunch and the middle of the day free on the beach

   

9. Jour 9 : A last swim, then Managua airport

   San Juan del Sur to Managua International Airport (MGA)

   • Environ 2.5 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner
   Détail du jour 9

   The morning is yours for a last walk along the bay or a swim before breakfast, when the beach is at its quietest and the fishing boats are coming back in. We leave San Juan del Sur at about 10 am and drive north on the Pan-American Highway past Rivas and the western shore of Lake Nicaragua, about two and a half hours and roughly 140 km, to Augusto C. Sandino International Airport in Managua, arriving at about 12:30 pm. Your guide comes with you and sees you to the terminal before saying goodbye. Book a flight leaving after about 3 pm to travel with the group. If your flight is earlier, we arrange a separate transfer from San Juan del Sur; tell us your flight time when you request to book, and your guide says goodbye at breakfast. If you would like to stay on at the beach or in Granada, ask us and we can book extra nights.

   Compris

   • Drop-off at Augusto C. Sandino International Airport (MGA)

   Temps libre : Early morning free on the beach

   Activité : Book a flight leaving after about 3 pm to travel with the group.

Faune et météo : December to April is the dry season: sunny, with almost no rain on the Pacific side. It gets hotter as it goes, and León in March and April is often well above 30 °C, which is why we climb Cerro Negro early. Mombacho can be misty in any month. Howler monkeys are heard most days on Ometepe and Mombacho, but wildlife is never promised.

• León2 nuits
• Granada3 nuits
• Ometepe2 nuits
• San Juan del Sur1 nuit