Escape to a tranquil hideaway while staying at the Hotel Victoriano . Enjoy two days in colonial and charming Granada City while you kayak and zip line before continuing on to your nature retreat. The treetop living calms your stress and invites you to relax, play, and decompress in a beautiful rainforest setting.
Highlights
Tour the city of Granada, the oldest colonial city in Central America
Kayak between 365 tiny islands and search for wildlife
Zip line 1500 meters at the base of Mombacho Volcano
Stay in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua's surfing mecca
Moderately active but not overly strenuous. This level includes activities like casual cycling, yoga, or excursions/activities that typically last 3-5 hours total each day.
Arrive to Managua where you are met and transferred 45 minutes to Granada City. The oldest city in all Central America, Granada was first founded in 1524. Its cobblestone streets and old convents and buildings tell a story about the Spanish, pirates, and a vast history of war and peace. Settle in to your hotel near the main plaza.
This morning set out on a walking tour of the city of Granada. The oldest colonial city in all Central America, Granada was first founded in 1524 by Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba. Though it has been sacked by pirates multiple times and undergone many civil wars, Granada boasts beautiful Spanish architecture, making it the must-see of Nicaragua. Explore San Francisco Convento Museum, one of the best in the region. Originally constructed in 1585, it was burnt by pirates then later again by William Walker and was recently restored in 1989. Inside you can see primitivist art, paper mache figurines depicting indigenous life, as well as the Zapatera Statuary, with black basalt statues carved between 800 and 1200 AD. Explore also La Merced Church, arguably the most beautiful in the city. Enjoy a climb to the belltower for an extra dollar! Also visit La Fortaleza, an old Spanish fort constructed in 1748 with the best view over the city!
Lastly take a short kayaking tour of the tiny isletas offshore. Over 365 tiny islands were created by the eruption of Mombacho and now are either uninhabited or the site of vacation homes. Keep your eyes peeled for birds and other wildlife as you pass each island. Kayak out to Fort San Pablo and explore this ancient structure, constructed on an island by native inhabitants to defend themselves from pirate attacks. Return to Granada City this evening.
This morning head to nearby Mombacho Volcano, an active volcano that last erupted in 1570. Hop into an army cargo vehicle which takes you up the steep climb on the brick road to the top where you find a small biological station. Feel free to get out and explore the small exhibits in the station. The top part of this volcano is home to a cloudforest, housing some species of flora and fauna only found here. You can walk on the trails watching for wildlife, as well as find some lookouts allowing you to peer over into the now-forested craters below.
On your way down the volcano, stop to take the zip line tour at the base of Mombacho! Zip across this 1500 meter zipline course suspended by canopy platforms. The tour offers fantastic views of Mombacho cloudforest and the nearby Lake Nicaragua. The course contains fifteen platforms and a 25-meter-long rope bridge!
After the zip line adventure, continue on to the Pacific coast. Settle into your accommodation and enjoy the sound of the forest and lapping waves as you fall asleep this evening.
Enjoy a free day in San Juan del Sur. There is no guide service today so you are free to explore on your own. You can arrange to try your hand at surfing or boogie boarding, do a zip line tour, arrange to go diving, fishing, sailing, rent mountain bikes, go for a hike, or even go on a nightly turtle-watching tour if you are there between July and December. The hotel can help you arrange many local activities.
Day 7: Return Home
1 Breakfast
Transfer back to Managua for your flight home. For an additional cost, opt to take a 25-minute helicopter transfer back to get a bird's eye view of Nicaragua!
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
Initial deposit is $400, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 70 days (10 weeks) prior to departure by bank transfer, check or credit card. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000 charge
Kate was great to work with in the planning stage. She was prompt, helpful, and efficient. Our tour guide, Edwin, was knowledgeable and passionate. We were very happy to have traveled with Adventure Life, it made the trip easy and a true pleasure. We could concentrate on enjoying the experience rather than the details of travel.
Lisa Bridge
TrustScore 4.8 | 174 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 174 reviews on
8 hours ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
1 day ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.