– Managua – Little Corn Island – Leon – Las Penitas – Ometepe – San Juan del Sur – Popoyo Beach – Granada –

Managua

Little Corn Island

Where to sleep:
The Lighthouse (book early)
Where to eat:
At the Lighthouse, Tranquilo Cafe
What do do:
Diving, Snorkeling, lying on the North Beach, Yoga, Kitesurfing

Welcome to the paradise …

It is not that simple to get to the island, even if we took the most comfortable (& fast) way. But already the trip is part of the adventure. We had booked our flights already from back home with La Costena  (https://lacostena.online.com.ni/). At the airport of Big Corn Island we took a taxi to the harbor and from there the ferry to Little Corn Island.

As soon as you are on this island the Caribbean feeling begins – you will find lonely beaches, great food and a completely relaxed atmosphere. Especially due to the fact that there are no cars allowed on this tiny island.

As we explored the whole island and had a look at most hotels/hostels, we can highly recommend the place we stayed: The Lighthouse – It is run by French brothers, has the most delicious food we found on the island, offers – due to its location on the top of the hill – an amazing view to the sea, and has a relaxed atmosphere.

Around the island are about twenty dive sites; one of them is the famous Blowing Rock. So check out in which month the best conditions are to ensure that the diving company is going to the best spots.

We were diving with Dolphin Dive. The staff was great and the equipment was fine as well, so check them out.

Leon

Where to sleep:
Via Via
Where to eat:
Pan & Paz, Big Foot Hostel
What do do:
Volcano Boarding, Climb El Hoyo (Quetzaltrekkers), Mangroves, Somoto Canyon

Leon with its colonial buildings and historical center  is a city you can fall in love with. It covers various needs people are looking for:

• Art galleries, colonial architecture and museums for the culturally interested
• Restaurants, bars and clubs for people who want to socialize and exchange experiences with locals
• Furthermore, Leon is the perfect place to explore the region. The city is surrounded by eight volcanos , volcanic lagoons and the beach is not far away.

We arrived at the bus station in Leon – a totally crowded place full of people, rickshaws, buses and taxis. Right after the drivers had spotted us, there had been kind of a fight about who would take us to our hostel. We decided to take one of the rickshaws. I was quite happy that the tour took only a few minutes as I felt very uncomfortable sitting in the front of a bicycle while hundreds of motorcycles and cars crossed us.

The first two nights we stayed in the Big Foot Hostel – well-known as a party hostel. With the hostel we had booked a Volcano Boarding Trip to the Cerro Negro. It has been a great experience – party bus, great atmosphere, exhausting hike up the hill and an exciting ride down. We highly recommend this tour if you are looking for a party atmosphere. If you want to support a social project and if you want surf the volcano down twice for a better price, you should book with Quetzaltrekkers.

Rob and I did a two-day trip with Quetzaltrekkers – surfing down the Cerro Negro, climb the El Hoyo volcanic complex, sleep next to the crater and jump into a volcano lake. The trip was one of the most exhausting (15kilos on my back, 40 degrees) and at the same time one of my best experiences I ever made. The great point with Quetzaltrekkers is that the organization “donates all profits to locally-run projects working with disadvantaged youth”.

Another great trip was kayaking through the mangroves of the Estero Padre Ramos national park.

Unfortunately, we had not enough time to make a trip farther north – to Somoto Canyon and to Esteli. But we heard a lot of good stories from other travelers about this area as well.

Las Penitas

Where to sleep:
Simple Beach Lodge
Where to eat:
Mono Loco
What do do:
Surfing, relaxing

After our exhausting tracking tour on the top of  El Hoyo, Las Penitas was the ultimate place for some regeneration. In the Simple Beach Lodge we found a beautiful home for some days on the beach. It is run by a very friendly and helpful couple from Argentina.

On the long beach are only some hostels/hotels located, so the beaches are under the week really quit. On weekends it is a little bit more crowded with people from Leon, who are coming here for some surfing and bathing in the sun.

For sunset a small bar on the left side of the Simple Beach Lodge with a small rooftop and daily drinking specials serves as our spot to bring the day to a close before we enjoyed the great food at Sua Grill&Chill.

If you are looking for a place to surf you need to know that the conditions are ok in Las Penitas. We found it much better in the south of Nicaragua.

Ometepe

Where to sleep:
Finca Mystica; Finca Montania Sagrada
Where to eat:
Finca Mystica, Finca Montania Sagrada, Pizzeria Mediterranea
What do do:
Climb one of the volcanos (we recommend Maderas), visit the waterfalls, do horseback riding (with Hari’s Horses)

Ometepe is one of the best places to come down and to relax, but of course like everywhere in Nicaragua you have as well the chance to combine it with adventure and activities.

The experience of this island starts already with the short and beautiful ferry trip. On the island you can choose between various areas to sleep. We stayed the first 2 nights at Finca Mystica in the south of the Maderas volcano. The Finca was one of our favorite stays due to the friendly staff, the great bungalows and the amazing food.

With the Finca Mystica we also booked our volcano trip. You are hiking three hours up the mountain with a local guide through the rainforest and a crater lake on top.

Driven by Franzi a horse riding tour was a must on our trip. On our trip we had already seen many skinny horses, therefore please choose really carefully your operator and the conditions of the horses. On Ometepe we can highly recommend Hari’s Horses. He is an enthusiastic horseman and the horses are really well trained. As a result I (Rob) was galloping the first time through the forest as well as next to the lake – And surprisingly  I really liked it.

The last two nights we stayed at El Zopilote close to Santa Cruz. It is a special accommodation and feels like a Hippie community.  In this case we recommend  to create your own picture and decide for yourself if its your style.

San Juan Del Sur

Where to sleep:
Hola Ola Hostel, Clandestino Hostel (Playa Madera)
Where to eat:
La Lancha!
What do do:
Surfing!, visit the beaches around, Sunday Funday

After some relatively quiet nights in Ometepe it was time for us for some more action in San Juan Del Sur – The party and surfing heart of Nicaragua. We stayed at the Hola Ola Hostel, which we can highly recommend. It is located close to the city with a great common area including a wonderful pool. In the hostel is a very open and friendly vibe. Every day a shuttle bus runs to the surfing beaches around San Juan Del Sur.

We heard already a lot of stories on our trip about the Sunday Funday Party in San Juan Del Sur and so it was clear we have to join. This party is going the whole Sunday with switching locations. We choose the great option from the Hola Ola to relax and party at their place during the day, of course with open bar, and to use their shuttle to the third Funday Sunday location with an amazing view over the San Juan Del Sur bay and to watch the sunset. The Funday Sunday party ends in one place in the city.

Next to party and surfing you will find great food options in the city. By far our favorite place was a very small local fish restaurant – La Lancha.

Popoyo Beach

Where to sleep:
Ola Verde (very quiet)
Where to eat:
Magnific Rock (expensive), Ola Verde
What do do:
Surfing! Long walks on the beach, enjoy the sunsets  and watch the surfers at Finca Popoyo

Popoyo Beach is the paradise for every surfer. You will find  spots for every surfing level. Our favourite bar was with an amazing  view on the Popoyo Point Break. Here we enjoyed the local beer every evening and watched very skilled surfers playing in the waves.

Right next to the hotel Ola Verde,  CocoSurfCamp was opening his business. Coco is a really experienced surf instructor,  who worked around the world in several camps. I took some lessons with him and surfed Magnific Rock. I can highly recommend him.

In total it is a place to get lost and to enjoy the beach life.

Granada

Where to sleep:
Hotel La Palvora
Where to eat:
La Frontera, The Garden Café, Kathy’s Waffles House
What do do:
Explore the city, visit the cathedral, Masaya Volcano (see Lava)

Our last destination on our trip was the colonial city Granada. During the day it is the best to float through the city and to explore the cultural offer of many churches, museums and other buildings. Combine it with some visits in small coffee places in inner courtyards and relax there from the heat outside.

For the evening we can highly recommend the Masaya Volcano tour. Yes, it is really touristic and you will get only 15 minutes at the crater, but to see the lava after the sunset glowing and to lighten the crater is absolutely worth it.

At the next morning we used one of the operators for a private shuttle to the airport to skip one more time the crowded city of Managua.