Arrival at International Airport of Managua. Meet & Greet by your tour leader. Transfer to your hotel in the colonial city of Granada, check in and enjoy a typical welcome dinner and program briefing by the local tour leader. Overnight in Granada at hotel Patio de Malinche or similar.

Meals:  D

In the morning, enjoy a walking city tour around Granada, the oldest colonial city of the Americas and currently in celebration of 500 years of its foundation. Founded by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba in 1524, its plazas and cobblestone streets are lined with colorful colonial architecture. Sights to see in Granada include the Franciscan Convent Museum, Casa de los Tres Mundos, the central plaza, municipality, main cathedral, and you can ascend the stairs to the roof of La Merced church and take in the fantastic view of Granada. Learn about the fascinating history of colonization of Granada and Nicaragua. In the afternoon we learn cooking Nicaraguan cousine style. We visit the local market to buy the ingredients for a tasty dinner meal. Then we are guided by our hosts to cook under their orientation our Nica-Dinner. At last we eat it all together in friendship. Overnight in Granada at hotel Patio de Malinche or similar.

Meals:  B,L,D

After breakfast we will visit the “white villages” of Catarina and San Juan de Oriente, location of beautiful gardens and colorful streets filled with handicraft produced by the local artisans. Punto de Vida • We will visit the workshop of Valentin Lopez and the school of ceramics, where you will learn about the art of making ceramics from scratch in harmony with mother nature. You will discover some of the secrets of Indigenous ceramic handcraft and do your product in this Nicaraguan ancestor working style. At the end of the day, we visit the National Park Volcano Masaya. The park offers a rare chance for visitors to peer directly into the edge of the burning and steaming volcanic crater of Santiago, allowing you to experience a live volcano without up close. You will also visit a museum located in the vicinity of the Masaya Volcano Park, where you will learn the history of the volcano as well as other relevant information about the park. Overnight in San Juan at hotel Estación or similar.

Meals:  B,L,D

Morning overland drive to San Juan del Sur with changing landscapes and beautiful views of the volcanic island of Ometepe. Today learn the extraordinary history of the “Gold Rush” transit route in the nineteenth century from the American east to the American west coast, passed by this small port town at the Pacific Ocean. We explore the town in its picturesque pacific bay followed by a visit to the viewpoint over the city with the Christ statue. From here you have a unique view of the bay and the vastness of the ocean, and you can understand why the American writer Mark Twain was so excited about Nicaragua when he arrived here in 1866 to cross from San Francisco through Nicaragua to New York. Final visit to the monument to the writers Ruben Dario and Mark Twain at the port and learn about the articles published by Mark Twain about this journey. Overnight in Granada at hotel Patio de Malinche or similar.

Meals:  B,L,D

In the morning, we drive to Colon at the south end of Lake Nicaragua, where we board a private boat to go to the Solentiname archipelago. These 36 islands are considered as a “National Monument of Nicaragua” for their natural beauty. After arriving at the lodge's landing pier, we are shown the lodge's tropical garden, which the owners have turned into a habitat for endangered animal species. In the afternoon, a short hike to the indigenous cemetery at the “La Reconciliación” viewpoint. Here we have a unique view over most of the islands of the archipelago and discover the world of the indigenous people of Solentiname based on stone drawings that are over 2000 years old. Then we visit the village of “Mancarrón”, where we talk to the artists and learn how they recreate the surrounding flora and fauna from light balsa wood and paint it with intense colors. If you want, you can also try your hand at creating your own tropical balsa wood bird. As a reminder of these mystical nature islands, your balsa wood bird will accompany you on your further journey in life as a symbol of nature protection based on harmony. Overnight in Solentiname at lodge Mancarrón.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we take a boat trip to Mancarroncito Island and hike in the dwarf primeval dry and sub-humid forest up to the top to enjoy lake views on the way up to Ometepe Island. It is still a specialty to learn in a primer forest today. This privilege has so far only been granted to a few people other than the locals. They show us their primary forest and let us discover plants, trees, and special fauna, so we get to know a unique flora and fauna of the area. For lunch, we are invited by a local farming family and share a spartan meal with them, to experience how 60% of Nicaraguans live day by day. In the afternoon return to Mancarrón. Overnight in Solentiname at lodge Mancarrón.

Meals:  B,L,D

Day excursion to the tropical nature reserve of Los Guatuzos. It is the first internationally recognized RAMSAR wetland in Nicaragua. The boat trip takes us up a small jungle river, Rio Papaturro, near Solentiname. We discover a beautiful tropical gallery forest and a unique biodiversity: monkeys, crocodiles, iguanas, sloths, turtles, toucans, and the white herons, which are the natural guardians of the nature park. Arriving at a small village, an autochthonous biologist will take us on a rainforest hike. We learn about the wetlands and rainforests which are important for the survival of humanity. With a bit of luck, we will see the smallest orchid in the world and the poison dart frog. In the afternoon, the local ladies invite us to an exciting experience to learn how to make chocolate with cacao beans. No preservatives will be used. Late afternoon return to island Mancarrón. Overnight in Solentiname at lodge Mancarrón.

Meals:  B,L,D

Boat transfer from Solentiname to San Carlos. On arrival, overland journey to the capital, Managua. During the journey we can observe the change of the landscape and stop in Juigalpa, where we further visit the Punto de Vida and the Gregorio Aguilar Barea Archaeological Museum with several stone carvings and artifacts from the Sierra de Amerisque. The basalt statues, some of which are over four meters high, are impressive and can partly be found in famous museums such as the Louvre. Arrive in Managua in the afternoon and check in at the hotel. Farewell dinner at the historic center of Managua at Lake Xolotlan. Overnight in Manafua at Best Western Las Mercedes or similar.

Meals:  B,L,D

According to your flight itinerary, transfer to Managua International Airport.

Meals:  B