This is Nicaragua on a more active trip. You will hike in the cloudforest around the extinct crater of a volcano, fly down the slopes on a canopy zipline, hike into an active volcano at night, tour colonial Granada by bicycle, kayak on Lake Nicaragua, go horseback riding in the far north of Nicaragua, climb an active volcano and sandboard back down the slope.
If you are looking for true adventure, this is the right package for you, with a mix of culture and more "off the beaten track" adventures. The hikes are moderately strenuous to strenuous and can take up to 2-3 hours.
Lost World Adventures itineraries can be tailor-made according to your plans and preferences: budget, hotel selections, travel dates, optional excursions, length of trip, etc.
Upon arrival at Managua Int'l Airport you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Overnight Managua hotel, breakfast included.
You will be picked up at your hotel and transferred to Mombacho Volcano Natural Reserve. The 1400-meter-high Volcano has been extinct for many years and it is totally covered with vegetation. This has created a rich ecosystem where within it live 50 species of mammals, 174 species of birds, 30 species of reptiles and 750 species of flora.
A powerful truck will drive through coffee plantations and cloud forest to the top of the extinct volcano. From the volcano top you will hike around one of the three craters. The El Crater Trail (1.5 hours) is the most challenging hike that goes around the other craters and offers stunning views.
A local guide will accompany you through the jungle along this lesser visited path. Afterward, you will experience the zipline canopy tour, located on the lower flank of the volcano. This tour offers you an secure and unforgettable experience sliding from tree to tree across several platforms and bridges overlooking the coffee plantations.
Afterward, transfer to Granada. Optional today: Hike the Tigrillo (3 hours) or Puma Trail (4-5 hours), more challenging hikes that goes around the other craters and offers stunning views.
A local guide will accompany you as this path is less visited and you are in the jungle. Then continue with the Canopy Tour. You’ll experience the zipline located on the flanks of Mombacho volcano. This tour offers you an unforgettable experience sliding from tree to tree over and through coffee plantations. Overnight at a Granada hotel, breakfast included - 2 nights.
Granada City Tour by bike & Lake Nicaragua Kayaking
Granada is the oldest colonial city in the Americas, founded by the Spanish in 1524. Touring Granada will transport you back to the colonial times, with its classical and neo-classical buildings and horse-drawn carriages.
Today, your guide will pick you up at your hotel for a visit of the city. Visit the central park, the popular and very old market and the Iglesia La Merced.
You can hike to the tower from where you can get greats views of the city. Then you will get your bikes and go to historic and relevant places like the cemetery, some of the most important churches and colonial places of the city.
Continue the ride to Lake Nicaragua and arrive in the Asese peninsula following rural path, enjoy pristine views and nature.
You will then transfer to the dock on Lake Nicaragua. You will be equipped with a personal sea kayak, flotation device and instructions for safety and comfort. Kayak for 2-3 hours seeing the most beautiful islands in Lake Nicaragua and their rich flora and fauna.
Along with your guide, you will see the most beautiful islands in Lake Nicaragua and their rich flora and fauna, discover some of the 356 islands “isletas”. The inhabitants (“Isleños”) live peacefully in simple yet decent conditions and dedicate themselves to fishing and small agriculture. You will see many birds and wildlife.
Return to Granada, and then we will continue to Masaya. At 4pm, you will be transferred for a night tour to Masaya National Park an active volcano, The tour starts right before sunset, with a visit to the cross (La Cruz de Bobadilla) overlooking the volcano and the surroundings.
Next is the observation of Green Parakeets that come back to the volcano to roost. The birds can often be seen returning to the volcano during the tour, but the arrival time varies every day so the sightings are not guaranteed.
The second attraction is to watch a large number of bats depart en masse from their caves, another great natural spectacle! These bats can also be seen in the caves during daytime, but only at night do they leave their home en masse.
Next is a visit to an underground tunnel which was formed by lava streams. Equipped with flashlight and helmet, visitors can enter the tunnel and observe the interesting rock formations.
The tour ends with a visit to a viewpoint that provides the possibility to actually look inside the crater mouth of the volcano, observing the red, glowing lava! Return to Granada, free time to relax and explore the city.
In the morning, leave Granada; you will travel to Catarina, a small native village overlooking the Apoyo lagoon and Lake Nicaragua, Granada and the Masaya volcano. From there you will hike down inside the dry forest in the “caldera” of the extinct volcano, which now hosts a beautiful lagoon: the Apoyo Lagoon.
On the way, observe birds and monkeys. Once you reach the lagoon, transfer to a small resort for lunch. Afterward, transfer to Leon, located north of Managua.
Overnight at a Leon hotel, breakfast included - 2 nights.
Today's adventure will be to the Cerro Negro volcano. Born in 1850, it is one of the most active volcanoes in Nicaragua. Cerro Negro “Black Mount” is the most recent of a group of four very young cinder cones in the central Maribios. Last big eruption was August 1998. Hiking to the top takes less than an hour; a rough trail has been made across the rocks and volcanic ashes.
Temperature can be very hot as there is no vegetation at all, ranging between 30 and 48 degrees, Celsius. The overwhelming view from the active crater will be the reward. From the top, you can observe the crater of Telica, another active volcano, as well as the Pacific Ocean, 20 miles away.
Optional activity: “Volcano Boarding”, the new exciting sport which allows visitors to descend the black sands of Cerro Negro strapped onto a board. You will receive a short technical training from your experienced bilingual guide.
Put on the protective equipment provided for your safe descent and get ready for the ride of your life! It is possible to do a short test run inside the crater, before heading to the steeper outer rim for the real descent.
After some final orientations you will board all the way down to the base of Cerro Negro. Some experience with (snow) boarding is recommended but not mandatory.
Then, return to Leon and continue to San Jacinto, a small village located between 2 volcanoes which hide the “Hervideros”, geysers with 300°C vapors that leave the entrails of the ground permanently. The area also offers incredible views of Nicaragua’s impressive volcanic chain.
Telica Volcano
Early in the morning, transfer north to the base of Telica Volcano, a very active volcano and the last to erupt back in 1999. To start you will drive in a 4WD on a rough trail, and then continue on foot. After around 3 hours hiking you reach the top of the volcano (1061 mts elevation). See the activity - lava coming out from the crater - and enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding areas to the Pacific Ocean.
Afterward, continue to Chinandega and the Cosiguina area, a remote and rural area located in the far northwest of Nicaragua. Dinner and overnight at a rustic 950-acre ranch.
Cosiguina Peninsula – Horseback Riding Tour
This morning you will go for a horseback riding tour with your local guide, a cowboy from the area, in the dry forest surrounding the ranch. On the way you will see many species of centenary, tropical trees, lush vegetation and plants and flowers. Reach a “mirador” (lookout) from where you will be able to see the Gulf of Cosiguina, which divides Nicaragua and El Salvador.
Afterward, you will transfer back to Managua. Overnight at a Managua hotel, breakfast included.
Hotel pickup and transfer to the airport for your international departure.
| Price from | $1,968.00 per person, based on double occupancy |
|---|---|
| Days | 8 |
| Nights | 7 |
| Includes: | Based on double occupancy for 2 travelers, reduced prices for parties of 3 or more. |
