Self-drive Nicaragua: Adventures by road

Day 1

Arrive in Managua, transfer to hotel in a smart residential district.

Managua is a vibrant modern city hugging the southern banks of Lake Nicaragua. There is little evidence of its colonial past – the result of a devastating earthquake which virtually flattened the capital in 1972. It is a confusing, sprawling metropolis but offers excellent shopping, good restaurants and a boisterous nightlife.

Day 2

Pick up your car; drive to Selva Negra cloudforest, Matagalpa

You will set off on your road trip across Nicaragua from the capital, and over the next 2 weeks our suggested route covers approximately 800km with the longest single journey about 4 hours. However, chances are you will be intrigued by a detour, or pause to enjoy a coffee or a picnic in a beauty spot.

Our local partners will be on hand to help with the collection of your vehicle. A standard 4×2 SUV is suitable for the route covered, but upon request we can upgrade your vehicle to a 4×4 if you prefer.

Set off north towards Matagalpa. This busy city is set within a valley surrounded by hills shimmering with the polished green of the coffee plantations. Matagalpa is at the heart of Nicaragua’s coffee industry although eco-tourism has also become an important cog in its economy. It serves as a gateway to the country’s most picturesque mountains and the Selva Negra Cloud Forest Reserve with its many hiking possibilities

Just 15km beyond the city you reach the cool cloud forest air of Selva Negra and your lodge on a working coffee estate.

Day 3

At leisure in the Selva Negra Cloud Forest Reserve.

Staying at Selva Negra Lodge on the coffee estate itself, you are well positioned to explore a landscape of cool misty forests of pine and oaks strangled by bromeliads, which create a fairytale environment through which wind over a dozen marked trails. Birds flit between the 30 secretive creeks and around the coffee plantation itself. You may even spot the elusive but dazzling Resplendent quetzal.

The estate is a monument to sustainability and organic flowers and vegetables grown here are served in the lodge’s restaurant.

Day 4

Drive to León.

The total journey total time to Nicaragua’s second city of León is 3-4 hours if you drive direct, a distance of 155km. Descending from the highlands, you’ll pass coffee plantations and spot roadside stalls laden with orchids and bromeliads. Approaching the hot coastal plains around León, the volcanic scenery is impressive with views of Momotombo across the rice fields.

León was founded in 1524 and moved to its present site 35km away after being devastated by an earthquake in 1610. Formerly Nicaragua’s capital, it has retained much of its ecclesiastical and intellectual heritage. Many of the building walls are daubed with colourful Sandinista and anti-American murals and ridden with bullet holes – a poignant symbol of Nicaragua’s turbulent past.

Day 5

Explore León with a local guide

León is Nicaragua’s most ebullient city, with a lively university and a thriving intellectual and cultural life.

Your guided walking city tour will reveal the history of the modern day city, a colonial masterpiece rivalled only by Granada, with the trademark adobe colonial façades, narrow streets and pretty squares, dominated by a number of grandiose churches (many connected by tunnels). These include the imposing cathedral, the largest in the Americas, which took over 100 years to build. The city has a history of alliance to revolutionary causes and you’ll see what remains of some of the 1970s anti-Somoza murals.

Day 6

Drive from León to Granada.

Your journey time is about 3 hours (134km). Taking the Pan American Highway you’ll be following volcanoes all the way back to Managua – the chain is only broken by the vast Lake Managua.  You can visit the town of Masaya and the spectacular crater of Masaya Volcano en route or on your free day in the city.

Finally, arrive at Granada, founded in 1524 and the oldest city in the New World. It lies at the foot of Mombacho Volcano. The city became very rich on the back of the gold trade but was regularly plundered by pirates and completely razed by American mercenary William Walker at the beginning of the 19th century.

However, Granada has since been wonderfully restored and its colourful colonial houses and cobbled streets that run down to the shores of Lake Nicaragua are a delight.

Day 7

Explore Granada with a local guide

On a guided city tour visit Granada’s colonial churches, strolling down the narrow streets and passing graceful colonial houses. Many of the places of interest are within the vicinity of the main square. These include the beautiful baroque La Merced church, the Casa de Los Tres Mundos – now a cultural centre for local musicians and dancers; and the 16th-century San Francisco convent.

Later, embark on a small launch for a relaxing boat ride in the sheltered waters around the peaceful Isletas, hundreds of tiny, bright green and thickly forested islands created by eruptions from the bulky Mombacho Volcano which looms over the region. Small fishing communities thrive here and some islands host impressive weekend retreats owned by wealthy Nicaraguans.

Day 8

At leisure in Granada. Evening visit to Masaya Volcano (conditions permitting).

A free day to further soak up the photogenic charms of Nicaragua’s showpiece city.

At sunset we take you on a private (guided) adventure to Masaya volcano set within Nicaragua’s first national park, 28km from Granada. We drive up to the rim of the volcano’s crater with views into the steaming, sizzling orifice itself, where the boiling, incandescent magma is an impressive sight. You should be able to observe green parakeets which approach the volcano to roost. The exhilarating experience includes a visit to a viewpoint where you can spend a few minutes looking down at the red and glowing lava in the fiery depths of the crater mouth.

Please note (March 2024): Masaya volcano is currently closed to visitors due to heightened volcanic activity.

Day 9

Drive from Granada to San Jorge and take the ferry to Ometepe Island.

It’s about 2 hours to the ramshackle lakeshore port at San Jorge, a drive of around 75km from where, local ferries operate to the island of Ometepe in Lake Nicaragua. Boarding a ferry in Nicaragua will feel like a very different experience when compared with the ferries we’re used to in Europe but our local partners will be available at the port to assist.

It’s around an hour to the port of Moyogalpa on Ometepe and then a short drive to your lodgings for the next couple of nights where you can park up, settle in a get used to your new, slower paced surroundings. 

Ometepe is a relaxed, tranquil island rising majestically from Lake Nicaragua. It’s  dominated by twin conical volcanoes and is partially blanketed with lush jungle vegetation populated by monkeys and a plethora of bird species. Life here has been unchanging for decades if not centuries. Take care where you drive as only one road has been fully paved, but this has helped preserve this special island’s enduring feeling of remoteness.

Day 10 & 11

At leisure on Ometepe.

Enjoy island life with the freedom of your hire car. Or you can park up and let us take you on an island tour, including the luxuriant nature reserve at Charco Verde, alive with the call of howler monkeys and birds. There’s a calm lagoon covered in mangroves and fallen trees, creating a fairy-tale atmosphere. The tour continues to the village of Altagracia to view the pre-Columbian statues in the courtyard of the oldest church on the island. You’ll also visit a coffee and cacao plantation before stopping off at Ojo de Agua, a forest-fringed natural swimming pool with a café for a refreshing swim in the crystal-clear waters. Alternatively, for the very active, we can arrange guided hikes up Ometepe’s volcanoes, Maderas or Concepción.

Days 12

Ferry back to the mainland and drive to San Juan del Sur.

It’s time to drive back to the port and board the ferry. After heading back across the lake to San Jorge it’s only an hour or so to the Pacific coast resort of San Juan del Sur.

As visitors returned to Nicaragua in the 1990s, San Juan’s charms were soon rediscovered by backpackers and surfers and it remains justiably popular for its laid-back vibe and pretty bay, and the shoreline is decorated with a necklet of tiny demerara-coloured sandy beaches. We’ve arranged a 2-night stay here, and extra nights can be added if you wish to extend it.

Day 13

At leisure on the Pacific coast.

San Juan del Sur is a tranquil Pacific coast fishing village at the head of a horseshoe-shaped bay peppered with small, private yachts and fishing boats. The laid-back, rustic village has clapboard Victorian houses, open air beach-side restaurants and brilliant sunset views from its tiny bays. Understandably, plenty of European and American ex-pats have put down roots here.

Other visitors are drawn to the area’s unspoilt beaches and it has also become an established spot for surfers. Fishing, snorkelling, scuba diving and mountain biking are other popular pursuits you might have a go at – there are local agencies which organise trips. Olive Ridley turtles hatch on the beaches just south of town between September and April – a spectacular sight.

14

Drive back to Managua airport, drop off car, take international flight.

It’s around 3 hours’ drive from San Juan back to the car rental office at Managua international airport. Hand over your car and proceed to the terminal building to check in for your international flight (not included).