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Destinations / Latin America

Personally composedSpeciality

Nicaragua

Volcanoes, colonial cities and a Caribbean island

15 daysWith private driverDates of your choicefrom € 1,780 pp, incl. domestic flights (estimate, not an offer)
See the estimated priceDay by day in the brochure (PDF)

For information only, not an offer yet. Brochure not opening? Email me and I will send it to you.

My recommended private route through Nicaragua: revolutionary León and the black Cerro Negro, three nights on the volcanic island of Ometepe, colonial Granada with Las Isletas, the glowing crater of Masaya and the cloud forest of Mombacho. You finish with four nights on Big Corn Island in the Caribbean Sea. You travel with your own party on your own dates; airport pickup, hotels, private drivers, the ferry and the domestic flight are arranged in advance.

Highlights

  • On the white roof of León cathedral (UNESCO), overlooking the volcanic chain
  • Sliding down the black ash slope of Cerro Negro on a wooden board
  • Ometepe: two volcanoes in Lake Nicaragua, a waterfall, a kayak trip and a natural spring
  • The colourful colonial streets of Granada and a boat trip among Las Isletas
  • The glowing lava in the crater of Masaya volcano at dusk
  • Cloud forest, orchids and howler monkeys on Mombacho
  • Four nights on Big Corn Island: snorkelling on the reefs, a walk up to a lookout tower and a bike ride round the island

Day by day in the brochure (PDF)

For information only, not an offer yet.

What I will arrange for you after launch

  • Pickup at the arrival airport and the transfer on your last day; the details are in the brochure.
  • All hotels and guesthouses, booked in advance at the level you choose: Budget, Comfort or Premium.
  • Transport on the ground with a private driver and private transfers; domestic flights or trains where that makes sense.
  • The activities and entrance fees on the route. Prefer a guide? I can add a local guide to any activity.
  • Breakfast, and the meals at remote places with no alternative (such as a safari lodge, desert camp or yurt camp). For the other meals I give you my restaurant recommendations, but you choose completely freely where you eat.
  • A personal intake, at your home or by video call.
  • A WhatsApp line, before and during your trip, and my personal 24/7 number.
  • A call-back after your trip.
  • Your international flight from Brussels: after launch I'm happy to book it for you, or you book it yourself. Prices on the site exclude the flight.

Travel whenever you like

Your dates are completely free: there are no fixed departure dates, you leave on the day that suits you. My recommended route takes 15 days. Shorter or longer is possible too; I adapt the route.

The months I recommendPossible too, let us discuss

This is advice, not a rule. If you want to travel in another month, I tell you honestly what to expect (rain, heat, crowds) and adapt the route.

Price by level and transport

You choose the level of your hotels and how you get around. Same route, same care; only the hotels and the transport differ.

BudgetSimple, well-rated guesthouses and small hotels, always with private bathroom and breakfast.
With private driver€ 1,780
ComfortCharacterful boutique and garden hotels, often in a colonial building and with a pool.
With private driver€ 2,370
PremiumThe finest places on the route: colonial mansions with pool, suites with mountain views and hotels on the water.
With private driver€ 2,770

Estimated prices per person, based on 2 travellers, incl. domestic flights, excl. international flight. The price per person is calculated per party size (rooms and transport shared). E.g. Comfort, private driver: solo € 3,990, two € 2,370, three € 1,990, four € 2,050 pp. Pick the number of travellers in the price box.

If you are interested, I am happy to send you the hotel guide with all the addresses.

More about self-drive and the private driver on this route

Self-drive (not available on this route)

We do not offer self-drive in Nicaragua. The main roads are good and distances short, but the political situation is tense, police checkpoints are frequent and after an accident you may not move the car until the police arrive; as a foreigner you are then in a weak position, all the more because Belgium has no embassy in the country. Moreover, you do not need a car for half the trip: on Ometepe a local driver takes you around and you fly to the Corn Islands. In Nicaragua a private driver costs hardly more than a rental car with full insurance.

Private driver

You travel with trusted private drivers: one for the mainland (Managua, León, San Jorge, Granada, Masaya, Mombacho) and a local driver on Ometepe, who is at your disposal for three days. They collect you at your hotel, the airport or the dock at the time stated in your travel documents and drive in daylight only. The ferry and the flight to Big Corn Island are included; on the island you take a taxi for a dollar, or the bike. Drivers speak Spanish and sometimes English; I can always interpret over WhatsApp.

Flight & price

After launch I'm happy to book your flight for you, or you book it yourself. The prices on this page include domestic flights and exclude the international flight.

Return flight Brussels–Managua not included: allow about € 600–1,130 p.p. depending on the month (cheapest in April, most expensive in June and July). After launch I will find you the best flight with your proposal.

Estimated price per person based on 2 travellers, incl. domestic flights, excl. international flight; higher in high season, lower in low season. Not an offer: nothing is being sold yet.

Travelling responsibly

In Nicaragua we deliberately choose small family-run hotels, local drivers, skippers and, if you want one, local guides so tourism money reaches ordinary Nicaraguans. On Ometepe you stay at lodges that work with solar power, compost toilets and people from the village. On the Corn Islands we use local skippers, you use reef-safe sunscreen and you do not touch coral. The only domestic flight is the one to the Corn Islands; everything else is done by road and water. Flight CO₂ offsetting is available.