| Day 1 | Managua/Montibelli |
On arrival at Managua Airport you will be met and transferred to the beautiful Montibelli Private Wildlife Reserve in the hills outside of Managua. You are free to hike the trails with the advice of the resident naturalist. Your dinner and overnight will be at the new Montibelli Ecolodge within the reserve. Meals: Dinner Lodging: Montibelli Ecolodge |
Juan Miguel Rizo, your guide.
|
|
| Day 2 | Matagalpa/El Jaguar |
Head out on a bird and nature hike early in the morning with resident naturalist and bird expert Pomares Belli. Many of the 152 species of birds identified here are very difficult to see anywhere else, and you may be entertained by displaying manakins, motmots, toucans, trogons, or tanagers. At least 115 species of butterflies, 33 reptiles, and 30 species of mammals inhabit the reserve. Depart after breakfast for a drive to Matagalpa in time for lunch. Visit the grave of legendary American philanthropist and child welfare advocate Benjamin Lindner, who was killed in an ambush by Contra guerillas. Continue on to Finca El Jaguar Ecolodge for your dinner and overnight. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Lodging: Finca El Jaguar Ecolodge |
Pomares Belli, naturalist and bird expert
|
|
| Day 3 | El Jaguar |
El Jaguar is a family run farm whose main goal is to produce high-quality, environmentally friendly coffee in harmony with nature and the local community. Their mission also includes protecting the biodiversity of 200 acres of cloud forest. Today you will enjoy a guided tour of the farm and sanctuary. Owners Lili and Georges Duriaux–Chavarría describe El Jaguar as an ecoadventure project, as there are also six hiking trails on the reserve. Stay overnight at El Jaguar. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Lodging: El Jaguar | |
|
| Day 4 | El Jaguar/Selva Negra |
Take a morning hike at El Jaguar, then transfer via scenic road to Selva Negra. Accommodations at Selva Negra Mountain Resort are quite comfortable, and the food is excellent. The resort is the hospitality component of La Harmonia Coffee Estate, a state-of-the-art coffee farm which has won international prizes and acclaim for sustainable methods of producing environmentally-friendly, organic, shade-grown coffee.You will be at an elevation of about 3,000 feet, which makes it cool here year-round. The forest holds respendent quetzal, bellbirds, and numerous other species. You will enjoy a tour of the farm, school, and a chance to hike in the cloud forest. You will be transferred to Finca Esperanza Verde for two nights. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Lodging: Selva Negra |
Selva Negra Ecolodge
|
|
| Day 5 | Selva Negra |
Enjoy a full day hike high into the cloud forest, then return to Selva Negra for dinner and your overnight. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Lodging: Selva Negra |
Expect tasty, simple, generous meals.
|
|
| Day 6 | Granada |
After breakfast, drive several hours via the historic Ciudad Dario to the colonial city of Granada, on the shores of Lake Nicaragua, for a very different view of the country. You will see why Granada is a favorite destination and second home for Nicaraguans and foreign visitors. Enjoy a tour of this city filled with colorful buildings, attractive squares, and volcanic vistas. Enjoy dinner al fresco on the square or at one of the pedestrian malls. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Lodging: Hotel Dario |
Granada street
|
|
| Day 7 | Granada |
After a very early breakfast, you will be transferred to Volcano Mombacho, where you will be one of the first people to arrive! The top of the volcano offers a grand vista of Granada and the islet-dotted Lake Nicaragua. You will have the choice of participating in a 20 minute, two hour, or four hour hike, based on your ability and ambition. Next you will head for Lake Nicaragua, where your guide will hire a boat for an afternoon of exploring more than 300 islets. You will have a picnic lunch on one of these many islands. Visit Fortress Island and observe the natural and cultural beauty of this tropical venetian setting. Dinner will be your own at any of Granada's many wonderful restaurants before your overnight at Hotel Dario. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Lodging: Hotel Dario |
Roberto D'Arce is your expert volcano guide.
|
|
| Day 8 | Masaya/Laguna de Apoyo |
In the morning, depart for a guided hike of one of Nicaragua's most active volcanoes, Masaya Volcano. The national park that houses the volcano is Nicaragua's first and largest. Your guide will lead you on a spectacular hike based on your ambition, ability, and the current eruptive status of the volcano. You will be able to fully appreciate and photograph this steaming, belching behemoth. You might hike up past a massive vulture roosting area, or down an old lava flow to the shores of an old caldera lake. After your hike, you may choose to stop at the Masaya handicrafts market, usually considered the best place in Nicaragua to shop for traditional handicrafts such as leather, paintings, textiles, carvings, and jewelry. Continue on to Laguna de Apoyo Natural Reserve, which protects the ecosystems surrounding the 8,600 acre volcanic caldera lake. Howler monkeys and many species of birds inhabit the area. Your ecolodge accommodations at Posada La Buela on the shore of the lake offer a beautiful, friendly, and intimate natural setting for your final dinner of the trip. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Lodging: Posada La Abuela |
Rim of Masaya Volcano
|
|
| Day 9 | Depart or Extend to Rio San Juan |
After a lakeside breakfast, transfer to the Managua Airport for your return flight to Costa Rica or home. Or, you may choose to extend your trip with some extra days in Granada or other areas of Nicaragua, such as the wildlife-filled jungle areas of the South. Meals: Breakfast |
Posada La Buela Ecolodge at Laguna Apoyo.
|
|
-
© 2007 JOURNEYS International, Inc.