Tour Operators

Most of the national tour operators listed in the Essentials chapter [1] have offices in Granada [2] that provide all local trips and transfers. In addition, here are a few Granada specialists.

Leo Tours (tel. 505/8829-4372 or 505/8842-7905, leotoursgranada [at] gmail [dot] com, leonica1971 [at] yahoo [dot] com, http://leotours.blogspot.com [3]), run by Leopoldo Castillo, a Granada native, tries to work in a more community-minded spirit that will connect you to Nicaragua rather than just show you the sights. They can take you around Granada, Ometepe [4], Laguna de Apoyo [5], and Mombacho [6], or show by bike tour how the “rest” of Granada lives.

Mombotour (next to BDF in the Centro Comercial Granada, tel. 505/2552-4545 or 505/2552-3297, www.mombotour.com [7]) offers several different canopy tours starting at $30 per person, including their popular Tarzan Swing. You can be on belay in 30 minutes from your hotel, and they pick you up. Also look for bike tours/rentals and canopy trips at the Cutirre Farm on Mombacho.

Tierra Tours (Calle La Calzada, two blocks east of park, tel. 505/8862-9580, www.tierratours.com [8]) offers trips to Mombacho [6], Masaya [9], and Las Isletas [10], where they can coordinate kayak tours as well. They are also gaining traction as the go-to place for travelers — Spanish language students [11], usually — looking for longer term homestays.

In addition to local tours of Granada, Masaya, and Catarina, Tierra offers night tours of Volcán Masaya [12] and overnight cabins and tent platforms at a nearby Butterfly Reserve [13] and coffee farm ($55 pp for full-service camping trip). Ask about shuttle service to other parts of Nicaragua, including León [14], where they have a sister office.

Servitur (tel. 505/8838-7820 or 505/2552-2955, orvind [at] hotmail [dot] com) is connected to the Hotel Alhambra, offering travel agent services and a variety of local trips in the Granada area, including a horsedrawn-carriage city tour [15] and fishing trips.

Amigo Tours (tel. 505/2552-4080, bernal [at] amigotours [dot] net, www.amigotours.net [16]), connected to the lobby of the Hotel Colonial, provides a higher-end option for tours, plus travel agency services like national airline bookings, car rentals, and transfers to and from Costa Rica [17].

Community Tourism near Granada

For those seeking a full-immersion cultural experience, the most obvious option is to sign up for a homestay with one of the many Spanish schools in Granada [11]. This is a good option if you want to stay with a Nicaraguan family and still have access to Granada’s many restaurants, Internet cafés, and other distractions.

If you’d really like to get out there, then consider arranging a few days (or weeks) with the Unión de Cooperativas Agropecuarias Tierra y Agua, also known as the Earth and Water UCA (tel. 505/8896-9361 or 505/2552-0238, turismo [at] ucatierrayagua [dot] org, www.ucatierrayagua.org [18]). The office in Granada is located 75 yards to the west of the Shell Palmira and is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m. The UCA is an association of rural farmers on the slopes of Volcán Mombacho [6] and Isla de Zapatera National Park [6] who will be glad to be your hosts.

You’ll stay in primitive Nicaraguan lodging and eat typical food while getting to know your new neighborhood. Expect to pay about $5 per person per night for lodging in La Granadilla or Zonzapote, and about $3 per meal. Local guides will take you horseback riding, hiking, fishing, and more; cheap transport to and from Granada can be arranged.

Income generated by your visit goes directly to a cooperative collective fund to pay for meals, guides, maintenance, etc., and to distribute to families involved. The UCA also maintains a general fund for tourism, used for training and to make small loans for new tourist-related projects.