Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Nicaragua and Costa Rica: León, Granada, Ometepe, Arenal and Monteverde
13 days from Managua to San José: León and Cerro Negro, Granada and Masaya Volcano, two nights on Ometepe, over the border at Peñas Blancas to Rincón de la Vieja, then Arenal and the Monteverde cloud forest.
13 days · Managua to San José · up to 12 guests
Late light on the summit cloud of Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste Photo: NASA/Milan Loiacono, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clouds_Gather_on_Rinc%C3%B3n_de_la_Vieja_Volcano_(crater-052025-loiacono-4358).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 13 days, 12 nights
- Start and end
- Managua to San José
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 4 h on day 8No drive day is longer than 4 hours.
- Activity level
Moderate
One steep climb of 45 minutes to an hour up the loose black gravel of Cerro Negro (about 250 to 300 m of ascent, in the heat), about 2 hours of walking on Ometepe, a 3 km loop past mud pots at Rincón de la Vieja, 3 to 4 km of mostly gentle trail at Arenal, about 500 steps down and up at La Fortuna Waterfall, about 3 km in the Monteverde reserve and city walks of 2 to 3 hours. On the border day you carry your own bag for a few hundred metres. The Cerro Negro climb, the waterfall steps and the longer walks can be sat out.
- Meals included
- 12 breakfasts, 8 lunches, 3 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 555 (estimated price)
- Season
- Dry season, December to April
Highlights
Why this trip
- The rim of Cerro Negro, a black cinder cone born in 1850, with the Maribios volcanoes lined up to the horizon
- Barefoot on the white rooftop of León Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- The crater of Masaya Volcano at dusk, after the day visitors have gone
- A late-afternoon boat through Las Isletas off Granada, then the ferry to Ometepe with Concepción's cone ahead
- Walking from Nicaragua into Costa Rica at Peñas Blancas, with your guide handling the paperwork
- Bubbling mud pots and fumaroles at Rincón de la Vieja, then a soak in volcanic hot springs
- The Monteverde cloud forest at its 7 am opening, when the birds are loudest
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day, and none is longer than 4 hours.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 555 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 4 h, on day 8.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Managua, on to León
Managua International Airport (MGA) to León
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in León
- Drive about 2 h
Fly into Augusto C. Sandino International Airport (MGA) in Managua. Buy your tourist card at immigration, about US$10 to 13 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 Lake Managua and across farmland to León, with the Maribios volcanoes on your right. León was Nicaragua's capital for most of its colonial history and is still its university town, with low, thick-walled houses in faded colours, a church on almost every corner and murals from the 1979 revolution. Your hotel is a few blocks from the cathedral.
Evening
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 briefing on the two weeks ahead, including how the border crossing on day 7 works, 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.
Included
- Pick-up at Augusto C. Sandino International Airport (MGA)
- Transfer to León
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner in León
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
Activity: If you land late, the driver still meets you and your guide catches you up at breakfast.
Cerro Negro early, the cathedral roof by afternoon
León to Cerro Negro and back, then central León
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in León
- Drive about 2 h
Today starts early, and the reason is the heat.
Morning
Cerro Negro is a bare cone of black basalt gravel that first erupted in 1850 and last in 1999, 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 Maribios chain towards the Pacific. Most walk back down the scree; some board down it, an optional extra.
Afternoon
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.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- 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
Optional experiences
- 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
Easier option: 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.
More active option: Board down the volcano on a sledge, with a suit and goggles from the operator, instead of walking down.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in León
Activity: 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.
Masaya market, then Granada by boat
León to Masaya, then Granada and Las Isletas
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Granada
- Drive about 3 h
We leave León at about 8:30 am and drive south past Managua, about two hours, to Masaya.
Afternoon
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 about half an hour to Granada, our base for two nights, which we reach by mid-afternoon. Founded in 1524, it is one of the oldest cities built by Europeans on the American mainland, and its grid of colourful colonial houses runs down to Lake Nicaragua. 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 volcano, for an hour and a half in the late light, past fishermen's houses, herons and cormorants.
Evening
The evening is free; La Calzada, the pedestrian street of cafés and restaurants, is a short walk from the hotel.
Included
- Masaya craft market
- Sit-down lunch in Masaya
- Late-afternoon boat trip through Las Isletas on Lake Nicaragua
Free time: Evening free in Granada
Activity: About three hours of driving in all, broken by the market and lunch.
Granada on foot, Masaya Volcano at dusk
Central Granada, then Masaya Volcano National Park and back
- Breakfast
- Stay in Granada
- Drive about 1 h
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 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.
Afternoon
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 and up to the rim of the Santiago crater as the light goes.
Evening
When the volcano is active the crater glows red after dark; when the rangers close the rim because of gas, we watch the sunset from the Catarina viewpoint instead. Dinner is your choice.
Included
- 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
Optional experiences
- Kayaking among Las Isletas or a half-day at Laguna de Apoyo in the free afternoon, booked at the operator's own price
Free time: Lunch and the afternoon free in Granada; dinner free
Activity: 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.
By ferry to Ometepe
Granada to San Jorge, ferry to Moyogalpa, then Charco Verde and Punta Jesús María
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Ometepe
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
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 of plantain and rice farms, small villages and roads where horses still share the way with cars.
Afternoon
An island van meets us in Moyogalpa, and after a sit-down lunch we settle into our lakeside hotel for 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.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- 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
Free time: Evening free
Activity: The ferry runs to a timetable and the lake can be choppy in the afternoon wind; we aim for a morning sailing.
The Maderas side of the island
Round Ometepe to the slopes of Maderas and the Ojo de Agua spring
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Ometepe
- Drive about 2 h
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, found all over the island, and explains how families here farm coffee, plantains and beans.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal at a farm restaurant on the slope.
Evening
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. Pack tonight: tomorrow is the border day, and your guide runs through it once more over a drink before dinner.
Included
- 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
Optional experiences
- The full Maderas summit climb with a local guide, a muddy 7 to 8 hour day, booked at the operator's own price
Easier option: Skip the morning walk and spend the day at Ojo de Agua; the van brings you there and the group joins you after lunch.
More active option: 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.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 2 hours of walking on farm tracks and forest paths with some uphill; the San Ramón waterfall walk (the active option) is longer and steeper, about 3 to 4 hours.
Over the border to Rincón de la Vieja
Ometepe ferry to San Jorge, Peñas Blancas border, then Liberia and Rincón de la Vieja
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Rincón de la Vieja
- Drive about 3 h
This is the long day, because of the border, not the road. We leave the hotel at about 6:30 am for an early ferry to San Jorge, about an hour on the lake; the sailing times are checked when we confirm your dates. From San Jorge it is about 40 minutes by van to Peñas Blancas. Your guide walks the group through each step: Nicaraguan exit, where you show your passport and pay a small fee in cash; a walk of a few hundred metres with your bag to the Costa Rican post; then Costa Rican immigration, where you may be asked for your flight home, and customs, where bags are x-rayed. It usually takes one and a half to three hours, depending on queues, which nobody can predict.
Afternoon
A Costa Rican van meets us on the far side, and after a sit-down lunch in Guanacaste we drive about 100 km, two hours, past Liberia to a lodge near Rincón de la Vieja National Park.
Evening
The afternoon ends in volcanic hot springs in the dry forest, with dinner at the lodge, as there is no town nearby.
Included
- Ferry from Moyogalpa to San Jorge
- Border crossing at Peñas Blancas with your guide
- Sit-down lunch in Guanacaste
- Hot springs entry near Rincón de la Vieja
- Dinner at the lodge
Free time: Late afternoon in the hot springs
Activity: A 6:30 am start. About 140 km and three hours of driving in all (40 minutes to the border, then about 100 km), plus the ferry and the border. You carry your own bag across the border, so pack light. Have your passport, some small US dollar notes and a copy of your flight home from San José to hand.
Mud pots at Las Pailas, then round Lake Arenal
Rincón de la Vieja National Park, then Liberia, Tilarán and Lake Arenal to La Fortuna
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in La Fortuna
- Drive about 4 h
Rincón de la Vieja is an active volcano of about 1,916 m, part of the Guanacaste Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We are at the Las Pailas gate when it opens and walk the loop trail of about 3 km with your guide through tropical dry forest to boiling mud pots, steaming fumaroles and a small volcano of mud, with the smell of sulphur in the air. Watch for white-faced capuchins, coatis and motmots.
Afternoon
By about 10:30 am we are back on the road, the longest drive of the trip at about four hours, which is why the walk comes first: south to Cañas, then up to Tilarán and along the winding north shore of Lake Arenal, with a sit-down lunch by the lake halfway. As the road nears La Fortuna, the cone of Arenal comes into view if the cloud allows. We arrive in the late afternoon at our base for two nights, in walking distance of town.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- Rincón de la Vieja National Park entry and the Las Pailas loop with your guide
- Sit-down lunch on the shore of Lake Arenal
Easier option: Walk the first half of the loop to the fumaroles and back, about 1.5 km, and wait in the shade at the park entrance.
Free time: Evening free in La Fortuna
Activity: The Las Pailas loop is about 3 km on dirt paths with some rocky sections and a few short climbs; it is hot and exposed in parts, so bring water and a hat. The park is closed on Mondays, so departures are set so this day never falls on a Monday.
Arenal at opening, the waterfall and the hot springs
La Fortuna to Arenal Volcano National Park and La Fortuna Waterfall
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in La Fortuna
- Drive about 1 h
Arenal is a cone of about 1,650 m that erupted without warning in 1968 and stayed active until 2010.
Morning
Its summit is often in cloud by late morning, so we are at the gate of Arenal Volcano National Park when it opens at about 8 am. A licensed naturalist walks us through regrown forest and over old lava flows, now covered in ferns and shrubs, to a viewpoint over the volcano and Lake Arenal. The trails are mostly gentle, about 3 to 4 km in all, and the naturalist carries a telescope for the toucans, howler monkeys and coatis we may meet.
Afternoon
We are back in town by noon, and lunch is your choice. In the afternoon we drive about ten minutes to La Fortuna Waterfall, roughly 70 m high, dropping into a forest pool. A viewpoint sits at the top; the pool is about 500 steps down, and you can swim.
Evening
As the light goes, we drive to one of the hot spring parks around town, where water heated by the volcano runs through pools in gardens, and dinner is included there.
Included
- Arenal Volcano National Park entry and a guided walk with a naturalist
- La Fortuna Waterfall entry
- Hot springs entry with dinner
Optional experiences
- Ziplining, canyoning or a hanging-bridges walk near La Fortuna in the free midday, booked at the operator's own price
Easier option: Stay at the viewpoint at the top of La Fortuna Waterfall instead of taking the 500 steps down to the pool.
More active option: Swim in the pool at the foot of the waterfall, then walk the river path below it with your guide.
Free time: Lunch and the midday free in La Fortuna
Activity: The steps at the waterfall are steep and can be wet; the climb back up takes 15 to 25 minutes.
Across Lake Arenal to Monteverde
La Fortuna by van and boat across Lake Arenal, then up to Santa Elena (Monteverde)
- Breakfast
- Stay in Monteverde
- Drive about 2 h
There is no direct road from La Fortuna to Monteverde, and the drive round Lake Arenal takes about four hours, so we cross the lake instead.
Morning
After breakfast a short drive takes us to a dock near the Arenal dam, where a covered boat carries the group and our bags across the water, with the volcano behind us when the sky is clear. Lake Arenal is a reservoir, the largest lake in Costa Rica, formed when the dam was finished in 1979. On the far shore our van meets us for the climb into the Tilarán hills, the last stretch on a winding, partly unpaved road, to Santa Elena, the village beside the Monteverde reserves at about 1,400 m, noticeably cooler than the lowlands.
Afternoon
We arrive around midday, and lunch and the afternoon are yours to settle in or walk the village.
Evening
At dusk we go out with a naturalist on a two-hour guided night walk in a private reserve, torch in hand, looking for sleeping birds, tarantulas, tree frogs and, with luck, a sloth or a kinkajou.
Included
- Boat across Lake Arenal
- Guided night walk with a naturalist in a private reserve
Optional experiences
- Coffee and chocolate farm tour in the free afternoon, booked at the operator's own price
Free time: Lunch and the afternoon free in Santa Elena
Activity: The night walk is about two hours at a slow pace on forest paths; bring a rain jacket and a warm layer.
Inside the Monteverde cloud forest
Santa Elena to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, then a hanging-bridges park
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Monteverde
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve opens at 7 am, and the first hour is the quietest and the best for birds, so this is our third early start, after Cerro Negro and the border day, with breakfast packed or served early. With a licensed naturalist and a telescope we walk about 3 km of the reserve's trails under trees thick with mosses, bromeliads and orchids, listening for the metallic call of the three-wattled bellbird and looking for the resplendent quetzal, seen most often from about February to April. The reserve was founded in 1972, with land from the Quaker families who settled here in the early 1950s.
Afternoon
We come back to Santa Elena for a sit-down lunch together at a local soda. In the afternoon we walk the hanging bridges at a canopy park nearby: a loop of trail and suspension bridges at treetop height, which shows the cloud forest from the level where most of its life happens. If cloud or rain closes in, your guide swaps the morning and afternoon.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve entry and a guided walk with a naturalist
- Sit-down lunch in Santa Elena
- Hanging-bridges walk at a canopy park
Optional experiences
- Ziplining through the canopy in place of the hanging bridges, booked at the operator's own price
Easier option: Walk only the first hour in the reserve and rest at the visitor centre café, or skip the bridges and take the afternoon free.
More active option: Go back into the reserve in the afternoon on your own ticket for the longer trails to the continental divide viewpoint.
Free time: Evening free in Santa Elena
Activity: About 3 km in the reserve and 3 km on the bridges loop, on paths that can be wet and muddy; bring a rain jacket and shoes with grip.
Down to San José
Monteverde to San José via the Pacific lowlands and Route 27
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in San José
- Drive about 3.5 h
Afternoon
We leave Santa Elena at about 8:30 am and wind down out of the hills to the Pan-American Highway, then take Route 27 east up into the Central Valley, about 145 km and three and a half hours of driving, with a sit-down lunch on the way so we arrive in the city by mid-afternoon.
Evening
San José sits at about 1,150 m among coffee slopes and volcanoes, so the evening is mild. Your guide walks the group through the centre: the Plaza de la Cultura and the Teatro Nacional, paid for with a tax on coffee exports and opened in 1897; the pedestrian Avenida Central; and the Museo Nacional, set in the old Bellavista fortress, whose barracks became a museum after Costa Rica abolished its army in 1948. Where the museum is closed on our day, we look at it from outside and visit the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum under the plaza. In the evening we walk to a farewell dinner together, two countries and twelve nights after León.
Included
- Sit-down lunch on the way to San José
- Guided walk of central San José with the Museo Nacional or the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum
- Farewell dinner in San José
Free time: An hour free before the farewell dinner
Activity: About three and a half hours of driving, broken by lunch; the city walk is about two hours on flat streets.
Juan Santamaría airport
San José to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO)
- Breakfast
- Drive about 45 min
Morning
The trip ends after breakfast. If you have time before your flight, the Mercado Central, a covered market of narrow aisles with sodas, spice stalls and coffee sellers, is a short walk from the centre and a good place to buy beans to take home.
Evening
Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) is about 20 km west of San José in Alajuela, 30 to 45 minutes by road depending on traffic, and longer at the morning and evening rush hours. We run a group transfer leaving the hotel at about 9:30 am, with your guide, for flights leaving after about 12:30 pm. If your flight is earlier or later, we arrange a separate transfer to match it; tell us your flight time when you request to book. Remember that Costa Rica checked your onward flight when you entered: this is it. If you would like to stay on in Costa Rica, at the beach or in the Central Valley, ask us and we can add nights.
Included
- Drop-off at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO)
Free time: Morning free until the transfer
Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 12:30 pm to travel on the group transfer.
- Managuastart
- León2 nights
- Granada2 nights
- Ometepe2 nights
- Rincón de la Vieja1 night
- La Fortuna2 nights
- Monteverde2 nights
- San José1 night
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: December to April is the dry season on the Pacific side of both countries: sunny, hot and dusty in León and Guanacaste, often above 30 °C by March, which is why we climb Cerro Negro early. Arenal and Monteverde are wetter and can be in cloud or drizzle in any month; your guide swaps morning and afternoon plans when the weather turns. Howler monkeys are heard most days on Ometepe and in Guanacaste, and coatis, toucans and sloths are often seen in Costa Rica; the resplendent quetzal is seen most often from about February to April in Monteverde. Wildlife is never promised.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- A first trip to Central America that covers Nicaragua's colonial cities and volcanoes and Costa Rica's volcano parks and cloud forest in under two weeks
- Travellers who want the land border handled by someone who has done it before
- Walkers who like a steep hour on a volcano and forest trails, but not long expeditions
- Solo travellers who want company, a guide and a fair single supplement
Not for you if you want
- Anyone uneasy travelling where their government advises extra caution or to reconsider travel
- A beach holiday: this trip has lakes and hot springs but no Pacific beach nights
- Travellers who want to avoid any long transit day: the border day has a ferry, a border and three hours of driving
- Travellers who cannot manage heat: León and Guanacaste are often above 30 °C by March
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
12 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- León2 nights
- Granada2 nights
- Ometepe2 nights
- Rincón de la Vieja1 night
- La Fortuna2 nights
- Monteverde2 nights
- San José1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 12 nights: León (2), Granada (2), Ometepe (2), Rincón de la Vieja (1), La Fortuna (2), Monteverde (2) and San José (1)
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with air conditioning in León and Granada; the best lakeside hotel available on Ometepe, with a private bathroom, hot water and a fan or air conditioning; a lodge near the park at Rincón de la Vieja; hotels in walking distance of town in La Fortuna, Santa Elena and San José; named when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Augusto C. Sandino International Airport (MGA) and drop-off at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO)
- An air-conditioned van with driver in Nicaragua and another in Costa Rica, meeting at the Peñas Blancas border, and an island van on Ometepe
- Ferry across Lake Nicaragua both ways between San Jorge and Ometepe
- Boat trip through Las Isletas
- Boat across Lake Arenal to Monteverde
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip, including the border crossing
- Local guides on Cerro Negro and Ometepe, and licensed naturalists at Arenal and Monteverde
Activities
- Cerro Negro entry and guided climb, near León
- Guided walk of León with the cathedral rooftop
- Masaya craft market
- Las Isletas boat trip, Granada
- Guided walk of Granada with the La Merced bell tower and the Convento San Francisco
- Masaya Volcano National Park entry and evening visit
- Charco Verde reserve and Punta Jesús María, Ometepe
- Maderas petroglyph walk and Ojo de Agua spring entry, Ometepe
- Escorted border crossing at Peñas Blancas
- Hot springs near Rincón de la Vieja
- Rincón de la Vieja National Park entry and the Las Pailas loop
- Arenal Volcano National Park entry and naturalist walk, La Fortuna
- La Fortuna Waterfall entry
- Hot springs with dinner, La Fortuna
- Guided night walk, Monteverde
- Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve entry and naturalist walk
- Hanging-bridges walk, Monteverde
- Guided walk of San José with the Museo Nacional or the Gold Museum
Meals
- 12 breakfasts, 8 lunches and 4 dinners
- Sit-down lunches on days 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11 and 12, including every long travel day
- Welcome dinner in León, dinner at the Rincón de la Vieja lodge, dinner at the Arenal hot springs and farewell dinner in San José
Not included
- International flights into Managua and out of San José
- The Nicaraguan tourist card and municipal fee, about US$10 to 13 in cash on arrival
- The Nicaraguan exit fee at the Peñas Blancas border, about US$3 to 4 in cash
- Travel insurance (check that it covers Nicaragua and Costa Rica)
- Lunches on days 1, 4, 9, 10 and 13 and dinners on days 2 to 6, 8, 10 and 11
- Drinks
- Tips for your guide, drivers, naturalists and local guides
- Optional activities such as volcano boarding, the Maderas summit climb, ziplining, canyoning and coffee tours
- Personal expenses
Local fees
- Nicaraguan tourist card and municipal fee, about US$10 to 13 in cash on arrival, and the Nicaraguan exit fee at the land border, a few US dollars (about US$3 to 4 at the time of writing) in cash
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 555 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
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Questions
What does the price include?
Twelve nights in central hotels and a lodge, 12 breakfasts, 8 lunches and 4 dinners, airport transfers at both ends, a van and driver in each country, both Ometepe ferries, the Lake Arenal boat, your See Sight Tours guide throughout and every visit in the day plan, including Cerro Negro, Masaya Volcano, Las Isletas, Rincón de la Vieja, Arenal, two hot springs and the Monteverde reserve.
How does the border crossing at Peñas Blancas work?
Your guide walks you through it. The Nicaraguan van drops us at the Nicaraguan post, where you show your passport and pay a small exit fee in cash. You walk a few hundred metres with your bag to Costa Rican immigration and customs, where bags are x-rayed. A Costa Rican van waits on the far side. Allow one and a half to three hours.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. That is small enough to fit in one van with room for bags, to clear the border together in one queue, to take a single small boat through Las Isletas and to sit round one table at dinner. Most trips on this route run to 14 or 16.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide stays with the group for the whole trip, from the welcome briefing in León, across the border, to the airport in San José. Local guides lead the climb on Cerro Negro and the walk on Ometepe, and licensed naturalists lead the walks at Arenal and Monteverde, as the parks require.
Are Nicaragua and Costa Rica safe to visit?
Read your government's advice first. At the time of writing (November 2026), Canada advises a high degree of caution in Nicaragua and the United States advises its citizens to reconsider travel there, mainly over arbitrary enforcement of laws, detention risk and limited health care. The US asks for increased caution in Costa Rica because of crime. We check the advice before every departure and tell you if anything changes.
How fit do I need to be for this Nicaragua and Costa Rica tour?
Moderate fitness is enough. The hardest hour is the climb up Cerro Negro on loose gravel in the heat, and you can stay at the bottom. The other walks are 2 to 4 km on forest paths, plus about 500 steps at La Fortuna Waterfall. You carry your own bag across the border. Every busy day has an easier choice.
I am travelling solo. Is there a single supplement?
Solo travellers are welcome. You can share a room at the twin-share price, or have a room of your own from CAD 555 more, shown up front when you request to book. There is no other solo charge, and dinners on free evenings are as social or as quiet as you like.
When is the best time to visit Nicaragua and Costa Rica?
December to April, the dry season, when we run this trip. Rain is rare in León, Granada and Guanacaste, and the roads, ferries and border run reliably. It gets hotter towards April, so we start the volcano days early. Arenal and Monteverde can be cloudy or wet in any month. We do not run departures over Holy Week, when ferries and the border are busiest.
Do I need a visa for Nicaragua and Costa Rica?
Canadian, US, UK and most EU passport holders need no visa for either country. Nicaragua charges about US$10 to 13 on arrival for the tourist card and a municipal fee, and about US$3 to 4 to exit at the land border. Costa Rica asks for proof of your flight home. Your passport should be valid for at least six months. Check the rules for your own passport before you book.
Why does the trip start in Managua and end in San José?
Because it is one journey south, with no backtracking. You fly into Managua and out of San José, so book an open-jaw ticket or two one-way flights. Costa Rica asks for proof of onward travel at the border, and your flight home from San José is that proof.
How does booking work?
Choose your start date and request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken when you send the request. The small group starts from CAD 3,250 per person sharing, taxes included; the only extra costs on the ground are the Nicaraguan tourist card and the border exit fee.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 5,850 per person sharing. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, transfers and guided visits.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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