The perfect holiday in Nicaragua – our expert's ultimate itinerary

Two years after it boiled over with social and political unrest, Nicaragua has calmed down and the country’s tourism industry is once again resurgent. While the Foreign Office advises that “visitors to Nicaragua should exercise a high degree of caution”, the map of Nicaragua is all green now. Local tour operators and hotels have reopened and even Mukul, the luxurious mega-resort on the Emerald Coast built by billionaire Carlos Pellas, is scheduled for a relaunch in 2020.  

For a while, it’s probably true that only the intrepid or desperately curious will make a first visit – and how lucky they are, as Nicaragua combines jungles and volcanoes similar to those of Costa Rica with cultural and agricultural landscapes that make it feel like a cross between Panama and Cuba. 

This 11-day tour itinerary is intended for these pioneers and is intentionally easy on the eye and light on effort. Nicaragua is not a huge country, and in two weeks visitors can see its loveliest cities, Lake Nicaragua with its islets and volcanoes, and the sultry beaches of the Emerald Coast, and learn a bit about its recent history.

Guest services, bedrooms, food and drink are ever-improving. León has fine art galleries and Granada is a well-preserved colonial beauty. The lake is also magical. 

But Nicaragua’s allure is subtle and an overland trip will open up lots of local details: religious processions; coffee berries and beans drying by the roadside; volcanoes blue in the tropical haze; old-school farms ploughed using oxen and ancient Russian tractors; cowboys on horseback. 

Nicaraguans are welcoming, smart and free-spirited; tourism is a relatively new phenomenon and for many people symbolises peace and potential prosperity. Keep an eye on the news, but go soon if you want to see the best of this proud republic.

The itinerary

Managua and magma

Day 1

Fly to Managua, the capital, arriving late on the same day. 

Transfer from Augusto C Sandino international airport to the small town of Dolores (1hr 20 mins) in Carazo, an agricultural region specialising in coffee production. Small, intimate Hotel D’Santos is one of Nicaragua’s few boutique hotels, tucked away on a coffee farm and private wildlife reserve. With its polished wood, pitched roofs and verandas with rocking chairs, it’s a relaxing place to enjoy your first evening in Nicaragua.

Day 2

Spend the morning seeing Managua’s main sights with bilingual guide Juan Carlos Mendoza (carelitours.com): the old and new cathedrals, Plaza de la Revolución and Parque Histórico Nacional Loma de Tiscapa – a huge shrine dedicated to Sandino, Nicaragua’s number-one national hero, who was executed at this spot in 1934.

In the afternoon, drive to Masaya – the Parque Nacional Volcán Masaya is arguably Nicaragua’s top tourist attraction. From the rim of this active volcano, you can sniff the sulphur and look down into the bubbling red lava pot below. Spanish priests called it La Boca del Infierno (the Mouth of Hell) – they were told that the local Nindiri people threw young maidens alive into the bubbling magma to appease their god. 

You will arrive in Granada during the evening. Check into the hotel Plaza Colón – a grand historic property that has balconied rooms overlooking the tree-lined Parque Central, the social hub of the city.

Colonial Granada and the idyllic islets 

Day 3

Enjoy a guided tour of colonial Granada. A delightful city to stroll around, Granada has pretty churches and an impressive cathedral and – in the Convento San Francisco, built in 1585 and reconstructed in 1868 – an excellent museum of pre-Columbian sculpture. Private museum Mi Museo houses a good collection of ceramics.

Lunch at the Garden Café is highly recommended; this art, book and food space has a sun-dappled patio and serves wholesome light dishes.

In the afternoon, transfer to the lakeside (by horse and cart, if you wish) and ride in a launch to the Isletas, hundreds of tiny, densely forested islands created by eruptions from the nearby Mombacho volcano. The bird life is great and you might even see the hump of a bull shark.

Spend the evening and a second night in Granada. For dinner, Pita Pita does excellent Middle Eastern fare.

Volcanoes and forest

Day 4

Travel to the island of Ometepe on Lake Nicaragua, using a good road that runs parallel to the southern shore, passing through cattle country and farming towns. At San Jorge, jump on the ferry to cross the lake to Moyogalpa (1hr). 

Ometepe is dominated by two cone-shaped volcanoes, Concepción and Maderas, the lower slopes of which are covered in forests that are a habitat for monkeys and many birds. The good soils found here are used to grow citrus fruits, bananas, watermelons, avocados and cacao.

Check in to the ramblingly rustic Totoco Eco-Lodge, which has lovely views and uses solar power, compost loos, outside showers and minimal lighting after dark, and runs a foundation that provides micro-loans for local companies. A neighbouring coffee plantation, the Finca Magdalena, provides the organic beans used to make the breakfast brew.

Day 5

Climb Maderas. While a bit more than a stroll, this two-to-three-hour uphill hike follows a good path and takes you deep into the jungle and up to a lake on the summit. Look out for birds as you go, especially hummingbirds in the misty higher reaches.

Spend a second night at Totoco.

Beach break on the serene Emerald Coast

Day 6 

Transfer to Playa Jiquelite on the Emerald Coast for a lazy day at the beach. Stay at the small, friendly SoLost hotel, where you can enjoy yoga classes, massage, a stand-up paddleboarding session, surfing, or just lie back in a hammock. Come sunset, you’ll be served cocktails on the beach before a supper of ceviche – live music shows take place at weekends. The Pacific Ocean can be lively, but SoLost sits beside a calm, clean river, ideal for bathing.

A river adventure

Day 7

Go by road to San Carlos to cruise down the Rio San Juan, on the border with Costa Rica that connects Lake Nicaragua with the Caribbean Sea. The river trip lasts around 90 minutes and opens up jungle and fruit-growing plantations. Look out for caimans and snowy ibis as well as monkeys swinging overhead. 

The final destination, El Castillo, is a tiny town on stilts, only accessible by river, like something out of a magical realism novel. Check in to family-run Hotel Victoria on the riverbanks for two nights.

Day 8

Just a couple of miles downstream from El Castillo, at the convergence of Rio Bartola and Rio San Juan, is the Indio Maiz Biological Reserve, dedicated to the preservation and research of its biological diversity, which includes jaguars, tapirs, manatees, harpy eagles and the American crocodile. Hike the short Bartola trail (2½ hr max) and, with luck, you’ll see some of them, plus lots of bird life.

Afterwards, explore the crumbling walls and rusting cannons of El Castillo’s fortress, built in 1673 by the Spaniards to protect Granada from pirates, and said to be the oldest building in Nicaragua. Set overlooking rapids, it’s quite a sight, and a local guide will recount its extraordinary history, which included an assault by a youthful naval officer by the name of Horatio Nelson.

Learned León 

Day 9

Boat to San Carlos (1.5 hr) and by road to León – a longish day (six to seven hours on the road) and a chance to see something of the country’s agricultural interior.

Formerly Nicaragua’s capital, it remains an important university city and centre. Many of the walls are daubed with colourful Sandinista, anti-American murals – and many are riddled with bullet holes, reminders of Nicaragua’s turbulent recent past. 

The Ortíz Gurdián Foundation Art Center has a superb collection of Latin-American art.

Stay at the gorgeous El Convento hotel, formerly the San Francisco Convent (León’s oldest), which was founded in 1639 by the Reverend Fray Pedro de Zuniga. 

Day 10

Transfer to nearby Cerro Negro to try a novel sport: volcano boarding. Climb to the top of this active volcano, taking in the lava sculptures, the tough fire-adapted flora and the views over surrounding volcanoes, before putting on a boiler suit for your short, sharp trip down the cinder slopes on a small piece of wood. It’s basic but lots of fun.

This afternoon, explore the city at leisure. Enjoy evening beers at lively Gecko’s bar.

Day 11

Transfer to Managua airport for your international flight home.

When to go

Nicaragua’s dry season runs between November and April, when much of the country enjoys dry, sunny days and mild temperatures. It’s the best time in the cities, on the beaches, and to go birding and hiking – and it is also a welcome break from the UK winter. The rest of the year is fine, and the wetter months are quieter. Generally speaking, the Pacific – where this tour is located – is a little drier than the Caribbean.

How to get there

Chris Moss’s itinerary offers a well-paced tour, aimed at independent travellers. We have teamed up with Journey Latin America, which is able to incorporate the main elements of the itinerary exclusively for Telegraph readers. An 11-day tailor-made holiday to Nicaragua following Chris’s Ultimate Nicaragua trip starts from £3,638 per person with Journey Latin America (0330 029 4972, journeylatinamerica.co.uk). The price includes transfers, mid-range hotels on a B&B basis, excursions and flights. 

Guided experiences include walks in Managua, León, Granada (right) and Masaya; a tour of Isletas on Lake Nicaragua; volcano boarding at Cerro Negro; a volcano climb on Ometepe; a river cruise and guided tour of El Castillo’s Spanish fortress.