Nicaragua Extension Tour

Itinerary

1. Day One

   Arrive in Managua

   • Arrival into Managua before 08:00, then transfer to Granada at 10:00.

   • Full day tour of Granada; one of the most picturesque cities in Nicaragua. During the tour we’ll visit the cathedral bell for panoramic views, City Hall, and San Francisco Convent.

   • Local dinner and overnight in Granada.

2. Day Two

   Tour of Monimbo

   • Morning transfer to Monimbo, Masaya; the hotbed of the Sandinista revolution in the 1970s.

   • Visit to the Revolution Museum in Monimbo. Here we’ll be able to learn about the very beginnings of the Sandinista uprising against the Somosa regime. If entry is allowed then we will visit Coyotepe Fortress, which has an infamous political jail during the time of the revolution.

   • After lunch we will be transferred to Leon, the city of poets and where the Sandinista movement got its first victories.

   • We will visit the various murals around the city and the Leon Revolution Museum, where we will learn how General Sandino came to power in the 1930s and eventually became the image of the Nicaraguan resistance.

3. Day Three

   Tisey Nature Reserve

   • Today we will meet with an ex-freedom fighter who was active during the uprising in the 1970s and the guerrilla warfare in the 1980s against the US-backed Contras. We will be able to hear his first hand experience in the war in the atmospheric Prison 21, which is now a museum.

   • Transfer to the Tisey Nature Reserve to take in the natural beauty of Nicaragua with panoramic views of the volcanic mountain chain that crosses the country and a waterfall.

   • Visit Finca Jalacate to meet the hermit of Esteli and explore his lifework – an impressive collection of rock sculptures carved into the mountain side.

4. Day Four

   Tour of Esteli

   • Meet with an ex-military chief who started his career as a teenager during the 1970s uprisings and moved on to be in charge of a special forces unit in the 1980s civil war.

   • Half day tour of Esteli before starting our drive back to Managua.

   • En route visit Finca Selva Negra, which is a coffee plantation owned by Nicaraguans of German origin. Here we will enjoy the rainforest with a small hike and lunch. If you prefer to skip the hike, stay back and relax in the restaurant of the Finca basking on some mountain lake views.

5. Day Five

   End of Tour

   • Half day tour of Managua. Visit the architectural feat of the New Cathedral, then move on to Tiscapa Hill on the site of the old Somosa residence.

   • Visit Salvador Allende Square, which is located in the old town of Managua.

   • Head to the airport for afternoon flight.