Private Journeys

Signature Nicaragua: Fire, water and revolution

13 days from £2,720pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Nicaragua

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Overview & Highlights

A medley of Spanish colonial cities, visible wildlife, volcanoes and the continent’s largest freshwater lake. Travel down jungle-fringed Rio San Juan, visit tranquil Ometepe Island, relax on unspoilt beaches on the Pacific Coast and learn about a history of rebellion and innovation.

The variety you will discover on your highlights holiday is staggering - the volcanic and jungle-choked scenery, timeless colonial cities, cultures ranging from Spanish to indigenous communities: you could extend your trip to visit its English speaking Caribbean Corn islands.

Nicaragua, following a history of political and economic upheavals is now a peaceful and congenial place which has become impressively reconciled with the conflicts of its past. Visitors are increasingly drawn to its wonderfully unspoilt landscapes, where the bucolic tranquility of countryside little changed over the centuries has as its counterpoint seething volcanoes and the legacy of earthquakes in times gone by.

Here you’ll find a couple of the continent’s finest Spanish colonial cities, Granada and León. Spruced up now, with their central Spanish cores faithfully restored, they have a real historical atmosphere, with lovely old mansions, baroque churches and cobbled lanes.

Beyond, rising from the vast silvery waters of Lake Nicaragua is the dozy island Ometepe, whose isolation has protected it from the political upheavals of the past, and held back modern development. Rio San Juan is too important a river to be called a backwater, but its jungle-fringed banks have a timeless, wilderness feel, and the quaint little port of wooden houses on stilts, El Castillo, will make you feel you are on a real adventure of discovery. San Juan del Sur, a rustic and laid-back fishing village on the Pacific Coast, has a string of yawning, golden sand beaches where turtles hatch between September and April.

 

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  • Discover Nicaragua's fascinating history from colonial cities to ruined forts
  • Explore the lush jungles and waterways
  • Take in the countries natural volcano clad beauty

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Sophie Barber

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What our clients say

  • Iguazu Falls were out of this world. Machu Picchu was very special and the desert was amazing.

    IM, Solihull
  • This was my first tour with JLA, and I would certainly have it as my first choice for tours in South America in the future. The two journeys from Cajamarca…

    MK, Hassocks
  • We enjoyed an excellent tour with a special tour leader. We chose this tour because it took us to a lot of places we had dreampt of visiting and it…

    CHJ, Aberdeen
  • Most memorable experience? "Lots - Tour of Caracas, the canoe trip to Angel Falls plus the Falls themselves, the night bus trip to St Elena followed by good facilities to…

    ET, Huddersfield
  • So many highlights it's difficult to say! The routing was excellent both in terms of acclimatising to the altitude and building to the grand finale at Machu Picchu.

    CA, Brighton
  • This great holiday was definitely made greater by the tour leader. Of course a small group travel made it possible to view more places.

    RR, Bolton
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Our Expert's Opinion

Sophie
Sophie Barber Travel Expert Sophie lived in Chile before joining us and has travelled extensively across Latin America, from Mexico to the furthest tip of Patagonia and beyond to Antarctica.

Inspired by this trip

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Meet our team

Real Latin american experts

  • Paul Winrow Giffin
    Paul Winrow-Giffin - Travel Expert

    After graduating in Computer Science, Paul spent seven months travelling from Colombia to Argentina and came home hooked on Latin America.

  • Hannah
    Hannah Donaldson - Travel Expert

    Having spent part of her childhood in Colombia and worked in Brazil and Costa Rica, Hannah's ties to Latin America run deep. Hannah is a much valued Travel Expert in our Tailor-made Holidays and Group Tours sales team.

  • Sophie
    Sophie Barber - Travel Expert

    Sophie lived in Chile before joining us and has travelled extensively across Latin America, from Mexico to the furthest tip of Patagonia and beyond to Antarctica.

  • Charlotte
    Charlotte Daubeney - Travel Expert

    Charlotte's fascination with Latin America began with a family holiday to Belize. She went on to study Spanish in school and at university before spending a year living in Santiago, Chile.

  • Juliet
    Juliet Ellwood - Travel Expert

    After graduating with a degree in Anthropology and History and having been fascinated by Latin America since childhood by the book featuring photos of Nazca, Juliet first visited the region in 2003. Since then, Juliet has visited the majority of countries in Latin America but has particularly extensive experience with Peru, a country she loves for many reasons but not least, its incredible archaeological richness and delicious food!

  • Sallly
    Sally Dodge - Travel Expert

    A former Journey Latin America tour leader, Sally spent 7 years working, travelling and living throughout Latin America before returning to the UK to help people arrange their own adventures to this wonderful destination.

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