Nicaragua - Land of Lakes and Volcanoes

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!

The itinerary was varied - a good mix of culture, landscape, farming, local artisans, history, wildlife and walking. Our guide, Oscar, was friendly, informative, caring and good-humoured. He’s one of the best guides I’ve had.

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.

Oscar was fabulous, knowledgeable, helpful and good fun. He was reliable, punctual and flexible to our needs when it was possible

Oscar was a great tour leader. Itinerary was varied.

Our guide Roberto could not have been better. He went above and beyond to make us happy and fix problems. Lodging ran the gamut -- from sleek with great scenery, to comfortable but spare, to downright uninhabitable. It seemed like we had horrible rooms for the most nights. Consecutive nights at hotels with no hot water or ability to wash clothing were a real problem. It definitely took a toll on our stress level. Photos are of our filthy bathroom in Leon; and check my last photo of the room, so small they couldn't fit even one table between the beds - and of course the ONLY outlet in the room was behind the bed, thus I'm sleeping with all our electronics that had to be charged.

Really enjoyed the holiday to Nicaragua. It would have been better if the trip started a day earlier as was very tiring by the time we got there and was time to go to bed. Would have preferred if more was included on the trip as a lot you had to pay extra for which added onto the cost e.g. boat trip on Lake Nicaragua and on Ometepe Island. The hotels were of a good standard apart from the one in Leon which was dirty and felt like the staff couldn't care less. This hotel should be changed to a better one. Roberto was an excellent leader and would recommend this trip.

Nicaragua is a most interesting country but not without its problems. The holiday covers a variety of locations and includes many different experiences. We particularly enjoyed the water based activities, including kayaking and swimming. Sand boarding down the side of a volcano was challenging but extremely good fun. Our guide , Roberto, kept the group organised and informed at all times and he was happy to share his breadth of knowledge about his country.

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!

Hotel in Leon absolutely atrocious

Good trip - everything went well and I returned home very relaxed

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.