Granada City Break

Day 1 — Managua to Granada

You will be met at Managua airport for the approximate hour-long transfer to Granada.

(Please note that the schedule for Day 1 will largely depend on your arrival time in Managua. If you arrive on a morning flight, it is possible to make some sightseeing stops enroute to Granada).

Day 2 — Granada (City Tour)

Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful towns in Latin America, this morning you will enjoy a private, guided tour of Granada that will provide you with an insight into its history, layout and just some of its most important and historic buildings.

This tour can be entirely on foot, a combination of on foot and horse-drawn carriage or even by bike.

Having been collected from your hotel, tours generally begin in Granada’s Parque Central which is home to much of the town’s most impressive architecture. However, pretty much wherever you turn in Granada you will be faced with yet another beautiful vista of pastel-coloured colonial buildings of all different shapes and sizes.

At the end of the tour, your guide can make recommendations for the best places to eat, after which the rest of the afternoon is free for you to relax at your hotel or explore on your own. Our suggestion would be to visit the excellent Museo San Francisco.

Day 3 — Granada (Mombacho Volcano & Apoyo Lagoon)

From almost any vantage point in Granada, one can see Mombacho Volcano looming up next to Lake Nicaragua.

This morning, you will have an opportunity to visit this dormant volcano in very close quarters. Beginning with a half-hour drive from Granada, the first leg of the journey takes you only partly up the side of the volcano. You will then transfer to either a 4×4 or an open top truck to cover the final, steepest section of the road until you are almost at the top of the volcano.

With your guide, you will then set off on an approximate 75m minute walk around the rim of the volcano, now covered in lush vegetation, learning about both the flora and fauna of the area. If you would like something more arduous, there are longer, more demanding trails that we can offer.

Also located on the side of the volcano, and enjoying the rich volcanic growing conditions, is a small coffee estate which, after an approximate hour-long tour, ends with a delicious cup of very local coffee.

From there, you will head to Apoyo Lagoon and Casa Marimba hotel where, after a late lunch, the rest of the afternoon is free for you to relax by / in the lagoon.

You will then return to Granada in the late afternoon.

Day 4 — Granada (Masaya & Pueblos Blancos)

Departing Granada after breakfast, first up is one of the highlights of any holiday to Nicaragua as you visit the nearby Masaya Volcano. While Nicaragua isn’t exactly short of volcanoes, the majority are dormant. Masaya is very much a live volcano and peering (from a safe distance) into its bubbling, molten core is an unforgettable experience.

Heading into the nearby town of Masaya, there will be a chance to pick up some local crafts at the colourful artisan market before heading to the village of Catarina. Here, you can enjoy lunch from a viewpoint that boasts spectacular views over Apoyo Lagoon, itself a dormant volcano.

After lunch, you will explore the surrounding Pueblos Blancos, traditional towns with a history of producing a variety of crafts.

The town of San Juan de Oriente is famous for its ceramics and there will be an opportunity to visit a local workshop for a quick demonstration of their craft.

From San Juan de Oriente it is a just a short drive back to Granada where you will be dropped back at your hotel.

Day 5 — Granada (Zopango Island)

After a leisurely morning, you will be collected from your hotel at approximately 11am and driven the short distance to the dock on Lake Nicaragua.

From the dock it is an approximate 40-minute boat ride to Zopango, a private island reserve within the Isletas de Granada.

With a refreshing drink on arrival and a BBQ lunch both included, the day is free for you to explore the island’s beautiful trails, take a kayak out on the lake and simply relax in one of the many beach chairs and hammocks with a good book.

You will then depart the island at around 4pm and return to your hotel in Granada.

Day 6 — Granada (Cacao Farm Experience)

This morning, you will head to a rural community, located on the slopes of Mombacho Volcano, where you learn about the essence of Nicaraguan rural living from an extended family of peasants.

Primarily a cacao plantation, but with numerous other crops also grown, you will explore the farm with your guide and learn all about traditional, small-scale farming.

You will also be able to experience the entire process of chocolate making, including making some for yourself.

Lunch is included at the community’s communal table, after which you will return to Granada.

The rest of the afternoon is at leisure with plenty of options for exploring this beautiful and fascinating town.

Day 7 — Granada to Managua Airport

Depending on your flight time, you will be collected from your hotel for the transfer back to Managua airport.

Alternatively, you can extend your holiday in Nicaragua however you wish, perhaps with a relaxing beach extension.