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Itineraries for Nicaragua

Playa Poneloya, the western end of Las Penitas area, near Leon in Nicaragua

Playa Poneloya, the western end of Las Penitas area, near Leon in Nicaragua

Whatever you do, don’t skip Nicaragua. Actually, although traveling around is not always easy and quite slow, it is a miniature version of all the attractive parts of Central America. Let’s go for a ride.

Where to start?

As flying to Managua is expensive, most people will actually arrive from another country. Easiest options are long-distance buses (8-10 hours including border crossings) from San Salvador in the north or San Jose (Costa Rica) in the south.

Where should I definitely go?

Well, the classic trail is to go either from north to south or in the other direction. Leon and Granada are the colonial towns everyone visits. San Juan del Sur is the beach paradise. And most people try to squeeze a quick visit to Ometepe island, with its two volcanoes, into the schedule. Mission accomplished!??

What more options are there?

Ha, you have really only scratched the surface when you do the ‘classic’ trail. Both Leon and Granada are an excellent base to explore the regions. So you can easily expand your stay in both cities to at least a week.

Then there are several regions worth a visit. The northern highlands offer cloud forests, coffee plantations, cigar factories and the excellent Somoto canyon. The Caribbean coast has fewer options and is harder to reach, but flying to Corn Islands is said to be a stunning experience. Even more remote is the jungle river area around El Castillo, at the southeastern border with Costa Rica.

So what about the capital?

As with other Central American capitals, it’s a mess with high crime rates. The city center is apparently well worth a visit, and if you travel around to the bus terminals and airport by taxi, you might actually enjoy a short visit.

Location 8 day trip 17 day trip 29/32 day trip
Leon 1 day in the city
1 day Penitas or
volcano boarding
1 day in the city
1 day Las Penitas
1 day volcano boarding
2 days in the city
1 day Penitas
1 day volcano boarding
Granada 1 day in the city
1 day Mombacho
or Lake Apoyo
1 day in the city
1 day Mombacho & Isletas
1 day Lake Apoyo
2 days in the city
1 day Mombacho & Isletas
1 day Lake Apoyo
Ometepe 2 days sightseeing 2 days sightseeing
1 day hiking
2 days sightseeing
1 day hiking
1 day relax
San Juan del Sur 1 day relax 2 days relax 2 days relax
The north 1 day travel to Esteli
1 day Esteli sightseeing
1 day Somoto canyon
1 day Jinotega
2 days Matagalpa
1 day travel to Esteli
1 day Esteli sightseeing
1 day Somoto canyon
2 days Miraflor
1 day Jinotega
2 days Matagalpa
1 day Salva Negra
Corn Islands 1 day travel to
3 days stay
1 day travel back
El Castillo 1 day travel
2 days sightseeing
Arrival / departure 1 1 1

If you need help putting the different ‘building blocks’ together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

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