Nicaragua Full Day Tour from Costa Rica
Description
Explore all of Nicaragua's most famous highlights all in one day from Costa Rica! You will see a dormant volcano crater, the active Masaya Crater, go shopping at the artisan markets, explore the colonial town of Granada, and go on a boat ride viewing the islets of Lake Nicaragua, and even get to feed monkeys!
Tour Options
Itinerary
4:00 am
4:30 am
4:20 am
4:30 am
You will picked up from your hotel promptly and taken to the border where your guide will help you in every step of the crossing, which takes about 30 minutes. The guide will make the process easy for you and will take care of all of the passport paperwork and visas. From here we will travel to eat a hearty breakfast to start off the day.
4:50 am
4:30 am
5:30 am - Secrets Papagayo, Villas Sol, Occidental Papagayo, Mangroove
5:20 am
6:00 am
Here you will enjoy an incredible view over the dormant volcano crater, Granada, and Lake Nicaragua. You will be allowed to walk around freely for a while before getting back in the bus and heading to the next stop.
Do some shopping for inexpensive souvenirs and experience the Nicaraguan life style before sitting down for a typical Nicaraguan lunch.
An active volcano where you will have the opportunity to stand right next to its crater and hear it rumbling and spewing of gases. An incredible, rare sight.
An old Colonial town near Lake Nicaragua. Stop at La Merced Church, considered one of the most beautiful buildings of Granada. It is flanked by a large tower that houses the church bells. You will ascend the stairs and reach the roof of the church. From here, you’ll have a panoramic city view of Granada, Mombacho Volcano, and Nicaragua Lake with the islets. This is the perfect place to take pictures of the beautiful city and the surroundings.
Your last stop is a one hour boat ride in Lake Nicaragua viewing the Nicarguan Islets around sunset. Your guide will stop by Monkey Island consisting only of monkeys that will come out and take food from your guide on the boat! You will then head back to Costa Rica, stopping on the way to pick up some snacks for the ride home.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We pick up from the hotels, condos and private residences in the following areas: Hacienda Pinilla/JW Marriott: 4:00 AM Langosta/Tamarindo Hotels, Condos, Apartments, Houses: 4:30 AM Conchal (W/Westin Conchal), Brasilito Hotels, Condos, Apartments, Houses: 4:45 AM Playa Grande, Flamingo, Potrero Hotels, Condos, Apartments, Houses: 4:30 AM Catalinas: 4:15 AM (extra fee) RIU Hotels Main Security Gate, Not the Lobby: 5:00 AM Playas del Coco Hotels, Condos, Houses: 5:20 AM Playa Hermosa & Panama (Occ/Secrts Papagayo, Villas Sol, Condovac, Mangroove): 5:30 AM Liberia Peri Supermarket: 6:00 AM Andaz, Four Seasons, Planet Hollywood: 5:20 AM (extra fee) Waldorf Astoria: 5:30 AM (extra fee) Dreams Las Mareas: 6:00am Pick up times above are an estimate. We will send you an official pick up time the day before the tour.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Passport name, number, expiry and country is required at time of booking for all participants. Please bring your passport on the day of your tour
- Entry to Nicaragua: Send photo of passport to info@nativesway.com or WhatsApp
- Your departure Ticket that proof of flight out of Costa Rica
- If your hotel is not listed, contact us for quoting
- It is prohibited to enter the country of Nicaragua with the following items: all kinds of Drones, all kinds of Binoculars, including those for Night vision, and any object considered for professional, journalistic, and similar audiovisual reproduction.
Reviews(586)
A must do attraction Family friendly activity Would recommend it Great for all ages Excellent tour guide … Claudio and team
This was a good experience and I’m glad I went and was able to experience Nicaragua! Everything went well and all the guides were very nice. It’s just A LOT of time in the van and a long day. All the sights were cool but we were always on a time crunch because of the amount of driving we needed to do. The inside of the volcano was especially a unique experience. Also, we had no problem getting through immigration both ways. It was relatively quick. The longest wait was maybe 15 minutes in line going into Nicaragua. They tell you everything to say and stay there with you the entire time.
Miguel was a great tour guide. He made sure we were informed, made us laugh, and kept us safe as we enjoyed the beautiful country of Nicaragua!
They didn’t check all passports when I booked a month ago and they didn’t tell me one of us needed a visa. The van broke down and they wasted time picking up one of the tour guides friends because she needed to go to the border.
Nicaragua should only be seen with a tour IMHO. It’s one of those countries with lots of poverty and crime. You can feel eyes watching you because they think you’re rich, which we weren’t. So be careful or choose elsewhere.
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We're glad you chose to explore Nicaragua with us and appreciate your perspective. Our goal is to provide a safe, informative, and enjoyable experience while showcasing the country's rich culture, history, and natural beauty. We wish you all the best in your future travels.
Experience a full day of Nicaraguan immersion! No regrets! Friendly, experienced and knowledgeable guide from Nicaragua shared the history, fun facts and highlights of his beautiful country. The staff assisted us every step of the way through immigration / customs. We saw so much and experienced chocolate and cigar making, Nicaraguian food, a city tour via a horse drawn carriage (extra), visited a national park where we got amazing pics of a volcano up close...a riverboat ride around some small Nicaraguian islands...and extras all along the way. One of the highlights was sharing all of this with the new friends we met on our tour. Truly an unforgettable experience.
Thank you for your kind review! We're so glad you enjoyed discovering Nicaragua's culture, history, and beautiful landscapes. It sounds like a memorable day, and we're happy to hear it was an unforgettable experience. Pura vida!
This is a must-do tour if you're in Tamarindo. I did this tour back in 2016 and wanted to do it again! I couldn't believe I ran into Eduardo, my tour guide from 10 years ago, as well! Oh, what a joy it was to see him again. Last but not least, Paul was such an awesome driver and so helpful. He's well-spoken in English and was such a pleasure. Our tour guide this trip was also outstanding! He was very knowledgeable about the history of Nicaragua. I wish I could remember his name. He had the prettiest black head of hair! I do remember that. Lol. Great job to everyone. I will continue to spread the word about this excursion! 😊
Thank you so much for your kind review! We're really happy you enjoyed the tour and had such a special experience reconnecting with Eduardo. We'll also pass your kind words along to Paul and the rest of the team. We truly appreciate your support and hope to see you again!
Truly impressed with how well this tour is operated. There are a lot of logistics that go in to it on both sides of the boarder and it went quite smooth. Our tour guides were phenomenal and this excursion was a highlight to our trip. I will say make sure you bring cash! I did not bring enough and needed to find and atm as many vendors don’t take card. Make sure to bring money for tips. We especially enjoyed our carriage ride through the city of Granada. The people of Nicaragua were very friendly and there is a sense of authenticity felt there that many places lack, I would love to return one day.
The tour to Nicaragua was an excellent experience overall and well worth the long day of travel from Costa Rica. Breakfast and lunch were both very good, and the drivers safely transported us to, from, and throughout Nicaragua, which was greatly appreciated. The beach photo opportunity was definitely worth the stop, and the inexpensive carriage ride was a great option compared to walking in the heat. The visit to the chocolate factory was interesting, although the demonstration focused more on rolling the chocolate rather than explaining how the products were actually made. They also had chocolate, sangria, tea, and body lotion available for purchase, though the prices seemed somewhat higher than expected. The volcano visit was a highlight of the tour and very impressive to see in person, although the stay was understandably limited due to the gases emitted from the volcano. Waking up early to clear Customs in Nicaragua was absolutely worth it because it allowed more time to enjoy the tour activities. Unfortunately, we arrived too late to visit the Nicaragua Duty Free shop at the border. The Craft Market offered a wide variety of items, but the ATM machine was not working, although U.S. dollars were accepted for purchases. If you see something you like, it is best to buy it immediately since you may not find it again elsewhere during the trip. The boat ride to Monkey Island was enjoyable, although it was a little disappointing to only see two monkeys. Returning to Costa Rica was quick and efficient. Overall, despite being a long day, the tour was enjoyable, well organized, and reasonably priced for everything that was included.
The tour was great and exciting. A little long in the car but it was worth it. Every stop was very informative about the country of Nicaragua.
