Managua Tours and Trips

This was a wonderful Explore tour led by the brilliant and charasmatic Oscar. He was incredibly kind competent and professional. I loved the boat trips and encounters with nature most of all but climbing the cathedral in Leon was amazing with the views of volcanoes, bells and drumming providing a travel experience that will remain forever. Nicaragua is a beautiful country with a complex history which I found fascinating. The accommodation was often outstanding as was the food. A great group of fellow travellers added to the experience and I highly recommend Nicaragua and this trip. Thanks Oscar and Explore for yet another first rate travel experience.

What a fantastic tour! Oscar is an excellent leader giving us insights into Nicaragua's past, present and future e.g. use of green energy. This tour exceeded our expectations with every day bringing at least one memorable experience: hiking volcanoes (the shorter Concepción hike is a challenge, Cerro ***** is unique); beautiful birds (seeing an osprey dive and catch a fish), sloths and excellent howler monkey sightings; roasting chocolate beans and eating the end product! Great accommodation throughout with amazing views on Ometepe, at Selva Negra ecolodge and at Laguna de Apoyo. Finally, we were very fortunate to have the opportunity to release Olive Ridley sea turtle hatchlings into the Pacific, an unexpected and unforgettable experience.

Had a great tour leader - Rene- who gave a wonderful insight into Nicaragua. The itinerary unfortunately was affected by the incessant rain and Rene had to alter it as we went along. Disappointingly we could not do (or see) any of the volcano activities, and wildlife viewing was marred by the constant heavy rain. All of the included activities ( boat rides, coffee farm, chocolate making, farm tour, local lunches at communities etc), were EXCELLENT. As were the optional things we could do (that were not rain affected!!) - eg boat trip on Lake Nicaragua. Love the fact Nicaragua is still developing as a tourist destination and isn't spoilt (yet). Enjoyed my own time for a few days in Granada prior to joining the trip. Felt that the last day was a bit of a "dead" day as we all waited around for airport transfers. Accommodation - Hotel Los Balcones was substandard- not clean, standard of breakfast and staff less than ideal. Do not recommend this place at all. - Selva ***** Ecolodge was lovely in a beautiful setting. - Hotel Pacaya Lodge was exceptional!

An excellent trip - quite interesting to note that there don’t appear to be many tourists visiting Nicaragua currently. Possibly due to the political unrest in 2018, though we all felt quite safe.

My daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Nicaragua. Our guide Oscar was fantastic, and so knowledgeable about the history, culture, geography and nature of the country. The itinerary was varied although there were quite a few additional excursions that were optional extras, so make allowances for this when budgeting. Nevertheless, these tours were some of the best, such as our hike up the Cerra ***** volcano, or our boat trip bird spotting on Lake Nicaragua. We had originally planned to visit Costa Rica, but transferred to the Nicaragua trip when our original trip had no other bookings. We didn't see as much wildlife as we would have done in Costa Rica, but there were many cultural experiences, and the towns of Granada and Leon were also very interesting. Nicaragua is less touristy than other countries we have visited, which is a bonus in some ways, but it is also less developed. That said, the hotels were all comfortable and clean, and Oscar always selected good places to stop for rest breaks. The Nicaraguan people were all very friendly, and the other travellers in our group were great company. We would definitely recommend this trip.

I liked the part where Oscar, our tourleader, gave me hidden tips on where to eat, places only locals are going. I asked him about that. Other than that it was a great trip with lots of adventures and discoveries. I highly recommend it!