Adventures with Purpose: Nicaragua
Example Itinerary
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Overview
Sandwiched between the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean, it seems appropriate that Nicaragua’s name translates as “united with the water”. It also seems an apt starting point for an adventure that combines the best of the country’s conservation and community initiatives in one incredible journey. Taking you into the cultural and community heartlands of Central America’s largest country, you’ll travel well off the beaten track, staying in a series of sustainable ...
Sandwiched between the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean, it seems appropriate that Nicaragua’s name translates as “united with the water”. It also seems an apt starting point for an adventure that combines the best of the country’s conservation and community initiatives in one incredible journey. Taking you into the cultural and community heartlands of Central America’s largest country, you’ll travel well off the beaten track, staying in a series of sustainable lodges and hotels, as well as enjoying the hospitality of local homestays and local families.
Very much focused on the environment and the community, you will experience a side of Nicaragua that few visitors ever see. You will learn firsthand about wildlife conservation, educational initiatives and projects that have been specifically set up to help local communities to better support themselves. Along the way you will also have an opportunity to enjoy some truly unique interaction with local people and enjoy the natural beauty of some of the country’s most remote and breathtaking national reserves.
Few journeys combine such a wealth of social, environmental and cultural highlights whilst also affording you an opportunity to make a real positive difference during your trip.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
- Kayak around the mangrove forests of Juan Venado whilst supporting the Young Environmentalists Club
- Visit Lost Canyon Nature Reserve and participate in the protection of the endangered Nicaraguan Spiny-tailed iguana
- Hike to the ‘Rainbow Waterfall’ to learn about regeneration of the forest with yellow bamboo, helping to recover the balance in the surrounding ecosystem
- Stay at the Centro de Entendimiento con la Naturaleza, a lodge and scientific centre helping to preserve the surrounding forests
- Enjoy life on Ometepe Island, while staying in a community-based accommodation initiative run by women from the La Paloma community
- Spend time with a small community on the slopes of the Mombacho Volcano to learn about farming, customs and the daily lives of a people who have worked this land for generations
How Tailor-Made Works
Discuss your initial ideas with one of our experts, the types of things you want to see and do.
Your expert will start designing your perfect trip. Within a day or two we'll send a suggested itinerary.
At this stage you can still tweak anything from accommodation to experiences and dates, using our expert advice.
Time to prepare for your trip, safe in the knowledge you'll be in the expert hands of local guides and drivers throughout.
Relax and enjoy...through our partners you'll have support on the ground as well as 24-hour emergency assistance in the UK.
Example Itinerary
This is an example itinerary. Our experts have all travelled widely in the region and will be happy to tailor any of our itineraries to suit your tastes and budget, or build a trip from scratch.
Day 1 ARRIVE MANAGUA
Nicaragua’s capital city is home to nearly two million people and, as you might imagine, lies at the heart of the country’s culture and commerce. Arriving today, you will be met by your Wild Frontiers representative and taken on to your centrally located hotel. A peaceful, colonial-style retreat, surrounded by gardens and boasting private patios, Los Robles provides the perfect boutique start to this remarkable adventure.
Day 2 MANAGUA - LEÓN VIEJO - LEÓN
Leaving Managua behind this morning your journey takes you on towards the country’s eastern coast and the historic city of León. Stopping en route at the ruins of León Viejo (Old León) you will enjoy a walking tour of what was once Nicaragua’s first capital, originally founded in 1524 by the Spanish conquistadores. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, stunningly located next to the impressive Momotombo volcano, it provides an ideal opportunity to learn a little something about the history of early colonisation and the precarious situation faced by the indigenous people. Then continue on to the beautiful city of León, for a two-night stay.
Day 3 JUAN VENADO ISLAND
Juan Venado Island is a nature reserve located just a short drive from León. An impressive mangrove sanctuary that is home to some 106 species of birds, it is ideally suited to a morning’s kayak tour in the company of a local guide. A refuge for caimans, crocodiles and iguanas, the estuary that feeds into the Pacific Ocean is also a prime nesting site each year for Olive Ridley turtles. A spectacular way to spend the morning, this activity also supports the Young Environmentalists Club, based in nearby Las Peñitas. After a chance for a walk and a swim in the Pacific Ocean, you’ll then return to León for an afternoon of leisure amongst the museums, cafes and grandeur of one of Nicaragua’s most picturesque cities.
Day 4 LEÓN - ESTELÍ
Turning north today, the next leg of the journey takes you towards Estelí, a city whose rich history and culture has played a prominent role in war and revolution over the years. But first you will pay a visit to the Lost Canyon Nature Reserve, where you may have a unique opportunity to help rescue and relocate endangered Nicaraguan Spiny-tailed iguanas from the surrounding farmland. Completing the journey on to Estelí from here, you’ll then find yourself enjoying the hospitality of a lesser-visited northeastern corner of the country. For the next two nights you will be staying at a social enterprise hotel, founded and administered by “Fundacion Familias Unidas”, a non-profit organisation whose aims are to provide vocational training to young adults, as well as funding local youth sports programmes, rural health initiatives and educational workshops for local primary and secondary schools.
Day 5 TISEY NATURE RESERVE & FINCA JALACATE
Estelí is surrounded by some breathtaking natural scenery and today you will have a chance to make the most of some of it with a hike through the Tisey Nature Reserve. Blessed with vast areas of protected forest, traditional farmland and spectacular scenic views, the experience begins at the Estanzuela Waterfall, from where just a short walk will bring you to a traditional farmstead. On a clear day the views from here take in Lake Managua and out towards the volcanoes of the Pacific. Lunch will then be followed by a moderately challenging hike down to Finca El Jalacate, a subsistence farm that lies nestled amongst dense forest and rich farmland. The farm is home to Don Alberto, a resident artist who will take you on a tour of his impressive collection of rock sculptures, carved out of the forested hillside surrounding the farm.
Day 6 ESTELÍ - PEÑAS BLANCAS
Peñas Blancas is your next destination, located along the edge of the vast BOSAWAS Biosphere Reserve. Travelling by way of the charming village of San Rafael you will learn more of the lives of a national hero and a potential saint, before continuing on to the quiet streets of Jinotega, home to one of the most popular black pottery workshops in the region. After an opportunity to try your hand at turning the wheel and moulding the clay, you’ll enjoy coffee with a view before completing the transfer on to Peñas Blancas. For the next two nights you will be staying at the Centro de Entendimiento con la Naturaleza, a lodge and scientific centre that promotes sustainable tourism whilst helping to preserve the beauty and wilderness of the surrounding forests.
Day 7 RAINBOW WATERFALL HIKE
A guided hike to the ‘Rainbow Waterfall’ this morning provides an opportunity to learn more about attempts to transform and regenerate the forest through the use of yellow bamboo, helping to recover the balance in the surrounding ecosystem. Straddling the border between the provinces of Matagalpa and Jinotega, the walk will take in part of Central America’s largest reserve, encompassing a landscape filled with giant trees, crystal rivers and a vast array of tropical plants. Often shrouded in a ghostly mist, this haunting setting is also home to pumas, jaguars, wild boar and sloths. This afternoon you will then enjoy participating in a local workshop, where you will learn how to make furniture out of bamboo.
Day 8 PEÑAS BLANCAS - MANAGUA - GRANADA
The splendour of Granada awaits at the end of today’s drive, without doubt one of Latin America’s most beautiful cities. First though, you will make a stop at the Chocoyero-El Brujo Nature Reserve, where you will receive a unique insight into the area’s environmental management initiatives and their socio-economic impact on local families, and discover some of the history and traditions of the local communities. You’ll also learn how conservation is being passed down to the future generations through social customs. After lunch with a local family and a short walk through the reserve you’ll then continue on to Granada, another of Nicaragua’s impressive World Heritage Cities, spectacularly located on the shores of the vast Lake Nicaragua.
Day 9 COMMUNITY VISITS
A morning visit to the small community of Nicaragua Libre brings you to the southern slopes of the Mombacho Volcano. Here you will learn more about subsistence farming and the customs and daily lives of a people who have worked this land for generations. A visit to a small cocoa plantation then provides an insight into the process of chocolate making, before a communal lunch with the locals. Returning to Granada, this afternoon you'll then visit a social centre based in the heart of the city’s historic centre. Here you will have an opportunity to take part in a hammock workshop and make use of the centre’s coffee shop, both initiatives run by professionals with auditive disabilities. A way to generate jobs for locals with handicaps and limited economic resources, they provide a great opportunity for you to help these projects and also experience communicating in Nicaraguan sign language.
Day 10 GRANADA - SAN JORGE - OMETEPE ISLAND
After an early transfer to San Jorge this morning, on the western shores of Lake Nicaragua, jump on a ferry to cross over to Ometepe Island. Once thought by the Aztecs to be the promised land, Ometepe is made up of two imposing volcanic cones that rise up from the fresh waters of Central America’s largest lake. Here you will stay in a community initiative that is run by local women, representing 10 families from the La Paloma community. Founded in 2004 and located on a lovely beach at the base of the active volcano, the cooperative maintains a strong focus on sustainable and community-based tourism. You will very much experience your time here as part of the community, eating with the local families and enjoying the hospitality of their homes. This afternoon enjoy a nature tour around the Peña Inculta Nature Reserve.
Day 11 COOKING CLASS & COMMUNITY VISIT
A treat for the taste buds, you will have an opportunity to savour Nicaraguan cuisine today, with a cooking class led by the local experts. The day’s activities will also include an opportunity to help with daily chores and community projects. A particular highlight is a workshop where you can learn to make wine or tea out of tropical hibiscus plants and herbs - all set against the impressive backdrop of the island and its resident volcanoes. This afternoon has then been set aside for you to relax, or perhaps enjoy some optional activities such as waterfall hikes, a river kayaking experience or a visit to a local coffee farm.
Day 12 OMETEPE ISLAND - MORGAN’S ROCK
Transferring to the Pacific Coast this morning, the day begins with the ferry ride back across to San Jorge. From here you will then be driven on to the once quiet fishing village of San Juan del Sur. One of the most popular beach destinations on Nicaragua’s southern Pacific Coast, it still enjoys a charm and laid back feel all of its own. You will be staying at Morgan’s Rock, a sustainably-run hotel that lies along a crescent-shaped beach close to a secluded tropical estuary. Accommodation comes in the form of charming stone and wood bungalows, with private terraces that overlook long stretches of private beach.
Day 13 MORGAN’S ROCK
During the next couple of days you can enjoy a wealth of activities around the hotel, which may include birdwatching and horse-riding excursions, jungle walks and sunset hikes, mangrove kayak rides, monkey and sloth treks or a chance to make your own farmhouse breakfast or catch your own shrimps. You are also invited to help nature by planting a tree during your stay, and you can learn more about organic agriculture and its balancing act with maintaining a sustainable ecosystem. Your full-board package here allows for a choice of one excursion a day, whilst the bay itself is ideal for swimming, snorkelling and even surfing throughout much of the year. Your physical well-being is also well catered for, with the hotel supplying food from its own farm and from the local community.
Day 14 MORGAN’S ROCK
Enjoy another day to relax or explore at leisure.
Day 15 MORGAN’S ROCK - MANAGUA AIRPORT
Before departure today you are invited to learn a little more about life on the farm; gathering the eggs, milking the cows, making fresh tortillas and preparing a hearty traditional breakfast. Later you will be transferred back to Managua Airport, where this extraordinary journey must unfortunately come to an end.
EXAMPLE ACCOMMODATION
Los Arcos, Estelí
Hotel Los Arcos is a comfortable three star hotel with 32 en suite rooms, located in downtown Esteli. Housed in a typical colonial building, guests can enjoy sitting in the peaceful courtyard or admiring the many paintings and crafts which adorn the interiors, all produced by local artists. There is also a good quality restaurant on site - Vuela Vuela, which offers tasty Spanish-style cuisine. The property is a social enterprise hotel, founded and administered by “Fundacion Familias Unidas”, a non-profit organisation whose aims are to provide vocational training to young adults, as well as funding local youth sports programmes, rural health initiatives and educational workshops for local primary and secondary schools.
Patio Del Malinche, Granada
Situated two blocks from the central cathedral, this charming boutique hotel offers a stylish stay in a restored colonial home, in the heart of the city. Accommodation is centred around two principal patios, the first with a garden and seating for breakfast and relaxing, and the second with a small pool for cooling off in the mid-day warmth. The 20 modern rooms are simple and compact, presenting touches of colonial charm such as the wicker-style furniture, local-patterned fabrics and wooden beams running across the ceiling. Many of the rooms offer direct access to the central garden and outdoor swimming pool and guests can enjoy spectacular views of Mombacho Volcano from the hotel’s second floor. Patio del Malinche is family owned and operated by a charming Spanish couple who support their workers by subsidising their children’s education and also carries out social work with local communities.
Hotel Cacique Adiact, León
Centrally located within walking distance of some of Leon's highlights, the 3-star Hotel Cacique Adiact is a lovely family-owned hotel. With 11 apartments and 6 rooms, guests can enjoy generous amenities and private balconies or terraces. The hotel has an on site swimming pool as well as a small gym, meeting room and restaurant. Environmentally conscious, the property has taken positive steps, by using solar panels for its hot water and recycled rain water for gardening and washing, and continues to look at ways to be more responsible and sustainable in the long term.
Hotel Los Robles, Managua
A wonderfully charismatic option whilst in the capital. Hotel Los Robles is a boutique accommodation located within the city but feels like a world apart, giving guests a flavour of the haciendas and ranches found in the Nicaraguan countryside. The décor evokes feelings of Nicaragua’s past with charming tiled and marble features and colonial-style furnishings. Décor throughout the hotel is stylish and the building centres around a charming courtyard with palm trees and an appealing fountain, where breakfast is had and the French Café de Paris restaurant operates. There is also an outdoor pool within the walled grounds and gardens. Lastly, each bedroom boasts a private, walled, outdoor patio and sitting space.
Morgan's Rock Ecolodge, Morgan's Rock
Located just north of San Juan Del Sur, Morgan’s Rock maintains a focus on the preservation of Nicaragua’s ecology, biodiversity and culture, which is lived and breathed throughout the hotel experience from the 18 bungalows and villas made of local, natural materials to the privately protected forest encompassing the hotel and the variety of tours available to explore and support this incredible country. The spacious accommodation is made from eco-friendly wood featuring large windows with views through the canopy treetops and come equipped with king sized beds, a private deck, daybeds and five-star amenities.
Puesta del Sol, Ometepe Island
Puesta del Sol is a community initiative that is run by local women, representing 10 families from the La Paloma community. Founded in 2004 and located on a lovely beach at the base of the active volcano, the cooperative maintains a strong focus on sustainable and community-based tourism. You will very much experience your time here as part of the community, eating with the local families and enjoying the hospitality of their homes. Rooms are comfortable with mosquito nets and fans provided.
Centro de Entendimiento con la Naturaleza, Peñas Blancas
Centro de Entendimiento con la Naturaleza is a lodge and scientific centre that promotes sustainable tourism whilst helping to preserve the beauty and wilderness of the surrounding forests. Here the owners go out of their way to help protect the unique landscape of Peñas Blancas, as well as helping to educate the next generation by inviting local children to the reserve where they can learn more about the nature of the area and the importance of protecting it. Accommodation here is simple but clean and comfortable, and it is a wonderful and unique way to spend time with the community here and learn about the important conservation work being carried out.
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Accommodation listed here is intended as a guide only, to give you a taste of what we can do. Our experts can tailor any aspect of this itinerary and accommodation to suit your budget and tastes.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
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TRANSPORT
ENTRANCE FEES
EXPERT TEAM
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WILD MILES
ACCOMMODATION
Wild Miles Club
When you book a trip with Wild Frontiers you are awarded points, which are based on the return distance from London to the arrival city of your trip. Points are awarded for all our holidays, including both our escorted group tours and tailor-made trips. When you accrue points, you will qualify for the following discounts on all future bookings:
| Blue | More than 10,000 points | 2.5% discount |
| Bronze | More than 30,000 points | 5% discount |
| Silver | More than 45,000 points | 7.5% discount |
| Gold | More than 60,000 points | 10% discount |
This itinerary is aimed to give you an idea of what we can offer. The price shown above is per person, based on two people travelling outside of peak periods. As this itinerary is only a suggestion and can be tailor-made to suit your interests and budget, your final price may differ.
Positive Impact of this Trip
Making a Difference
Community Tourism
People and local communities have always been at the heart of Wild Frontiers and the travel experiences we offer. Through community tourism we have the opportunity to generate real positive impact, supporting people we visit through sustainable local development, and in turn help to alleviate poverty and protect culture and environments in often more vulnerable destinations. While doing so, our clients gain richer travel experiences and more meaningful connections with the people they meet.
Conservation and Climate Action
As a travel company, we hold a responsibility to minimise our environmental footprint and contribute to sustainability, and work closely with local communities to support their efforts. By implementing initiatives such as carbon measuring, tree-planting, reducing single-use plastic and promoting eco-friendly practices, we can help mitigate the negative impacts of tourism on fragile ecosystems and local communities. Additionally, prioritising conservation efforts helps preserve natural habitats and wildlife, ensuring that future generations can continue to enjoy the wonders of our planet.
Wild Frontiers Foundation
The Wild Frontiers Foundation aims to provide a platform to create awareness, raise money and deliver funding to projects in countries where we operate as a travel company. Through the foundation, we are able to channel money into grass roots projects, which we have either established ourselves or support through charity partners. These include initiatives focused around education, the empowerment of local people and community conservation.
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Richard is our Latin America expert, who has travelled extensively in the region.
Speak to Richard by calling
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OTHER ITINERARIES IN NICARAGUA
Check out our group tours in Nicaragua
As well as private tailor-made trips, we also offer small group tours (max size 12) to Nicaragua. Led by an experienced tour leader, travel with a group of like-minded people on one of our award-winning group tours.
View Group Tours in Nicaragua