This 2 week itinerary will take you from the quaint colonial cities of León and Granada, to the party and surf town of San Juan Del Sur, and the other one of my favourite islands, Ometepe.
It is backpacker friendly and mixes fun parties, amazing scenery and colonial architecture! Truly something for everyone!
I will list the hostels I stayed at, how I got around the country, pricing, tours and activities!
Getting There
I had quite the day getting to Nicaragua. I was picked up at my hostel in El Salvador at 5:00am and taken to customs where I then got on a boat which took me from the coast of El Salvador, around Honduras until we docked in Nicaragua. (If you want more information about this boat trip contact me!)
I sat at the border for about 2 hours, waiting around. I’m not sure why it took so long as there was only 2 of us at the border, but I guess that’s typical for Central America for ya!
From the border I had a taxi pick me up which took me from the Northern tip of Nicaragua all the way to Leon which took about 3 hours. The roads are rough for the first bit of the drive, but once on the main road it was smooth sailing!
Getting to Nicaragua was expensive, for a backpacker. I had to get a Covid-19 test which cost $125USD, and my transportation from my hostel in El Salvador all the way to Nicaragua which cost about $80USD. Prices were in USD because they use US dollars in El Salvador.
Rough Itinerary
– 3 nights in Leon.
– 3 in Granada.
– 3 nights Ometepe Island
– 4 night San Juan del Sur.
León
León is one of the larger cities in Nicaragua and is great for walking around. If you are looking for some good nightlife and adventure, Leon has it!
Getting there:
If you are coming from El Salvador, this will probably be the first city you arrive in. You can organize tourist shuttles from El Salvador or the boat trip. The Boat trip is quicker but more expensive than the bus trip. The bus trip however takes about 24 hours as it crosses through Honduras.
Where to stay:
I stayed at Poco a Poco Hostel, which is $14 a night on Hostelworld. I suggest booking hostels through the hostels website to avoid the Hostelworld up-charge. The hostel was great and had a lovely atmosphere. It was very chill and laidback but still very social. They planned activities each night for the guests which I always love. They also offer excursions during the day.
What to do:
One of the most popular activities in the area is volcano boarding on an active volcano, Cerro Nego. This can be booked through most hostels which usually offer a morning and an afternoon tour.
I did the afternoon tour, but I recommended you choose the morning tour as it is much cooler. Its also more popular. The afternoon tour only had about 6 people on it when I went, and the morning tour had about 25-30.
The tour cost about $25, the shuttle will pick you up at your hostel and take you to another hostel which the tour starts at. Everyone gets a free T-shirt, a bandana and a beer back at the hostel after the tour. The shuttle then takes everyone to Cerro Negro, here they give you your board and a bag that has goggles, and a yellow jumpsuit and gloves. Closed toe shoes are mandatory but they recommended you wear boots if you have them.
The hike is about 30 minutes and overlooks some amazing scenery. Once you reach the top, the guides will take you around the crater of the volcano. If you touch the ground you can feel the warmth from the volcano! Its super cool! Then its time to gear up and slide down. The guides take photos for you and then send them to everyone back at the hostel.
Other popular activities in the area include an overnight hike as well to El Hoyo as well as other hikes to nearby volcanos.
While in León, we went to some great bars that were packed with locals and travellers all having a blast! One of the popular bars is called “23 bar.” I recommend, although it was absolutely packed, it was still a really fun time!
Overall León is a great place for backpacking. It had a great mix of laidback, party and adventure!
Granada
Another large city in Nicaragua, Granada, its great for walking around. Tons of colonial architecture. There are lots of bars and restaurants, lots of little markets and shops, which really makes Granada great spot!
Getting there:
To get to Granada, we took the chicken busses. It cost about $3 CAD. We asked our hostel which bus station to go to and they directed us to the correct one. Sometimes it changes so it is good to ask. We took a small van, which was quite cramped but the bus ride wasn’t very long. It was about 1.5 hours of driving.
Where to stay:
While in Granada I stayed at Hostel De Boca en Boca which I highly recommend! They had events every night and a happy hour that gets everyone together for drinks. They also organized some day tours to other volcanos in the area. I went on a tour to an active volcano, Masaya as well as Laguna De Apoyo which is a lake inside a volcano crater.
I recommend 3 nights here at least so you can experience the city and do some of the other day trips in the area!
This hostel is also right next to a Church where you can pay about $1 to go up to the bell tower. I highly recommend going up just before sunset to get amazing golden views over the city.
What to do:
While in Granada I recommend walking around and experiencing the markets. There are so many little shops and stands selling all sorts of things. There are also tons of places to eat, lots of local restaurants, bars and street food!
I also recommend getting a “banana burger” at a restaurant called Tostometro. It is a little hole in the wall that serves burgers made with plantain buns. They have vegan/ vegetarian options and you have to get the home made iced tea or lemonade! Probably one of the best things I ate in Nicaragua!
Laguna De Apoyo
I booked a day trip through Boca en Boca. We had a driver pick us up at the hostel and then drove us to a lookout where we got a beautiful view of the volcano crater. We had a few minutes to snap some pics before heading down to the lake.
There is a hostel on the Lake called “Paradiso,” where you can book and stay a night or two if you wish. We spent the day there using their bar and restaurant and hanging out by the lake and enjoying the sun. Definitely recommend it as a day trip!
Masaya Volcano
This was also done as a day trip from Granada, organised by our hostel. The tour cost about $25 CAD and included your guide, transportation and admission to the park.
There are a few volcanos in the park and the guide takes us all around and explains some of the history about them and gives you some time to take in the views and take some pictures.
The main attraction is Volcan Masaya o Santiago. This volcano is active and you can see down into the volcano crater and see the lava flowing. When I first booked this tour I wont lie, I thought it was going to be way closer. It was still super cool to see though and the park is beautiful!
Ometepe Island
Getting there:
To get to Ometepe, you take the chicken bus from Granada to a town called Rivas, which is right on Lago Cocibolca, the biggest lake in Central America.
The bus journey is interesting. We had to switch busses at some point through the journey. If you know Spanish it would be easier. But the locals know what they’re doing so just trust them. The chicken bus cost about $3 and the total drive to Rivas took about 1.5 hours from Granada.
From the bus station in Rivas, you will have to take a short taxi to the ferry. The taxi cost about $5 CAD and the ferry cost about $10. You may have to wait at the dock for a little while depending on the ferry schedule. The lake can be rough so if you get sea sick you may want some gravol or other types of sea sickness tablets.
Once you dock on Ometepe, depending on where you are staying you can either walk or get a taxi to your accommodations. Where you dock, is the main town on the island, you can rent scooters here for $25 a day.
Where to stay:
I stayed at Hospedaje Soma which is close to the ferry terminal. They offered scooter rentals directly through the hostel but it was cheaper to rent scooters in town.
I liked this hostel, they had a nice pool and some decent areas to chill and meet other travellers. Its a pretty quiet hostel. They have food and beers to purchase but not much selection.
What to do:
Once on Ometepe, shop around for some prices on a scooter. Scooter or ATV is definitely the best way to get around the island and will allow you to see and do pretty much everything.
While on Ometepe island I recommend checking our La Cascada de San Ramon. You can take the scooters to the entrance of the hike, the road is a little bit rough in some parts.
The hike up is about an hour or so, it isn’t a super hard hike but definitely a good workout! Be mindful of the time of year you visit because apparently the waterfall can dry up. Be sure to ask around to make sure you will actually see the waterfall!
After a day at the waterfall, grab a couple cold beverages and your bug spray and head over to Punta Jesús María to watch the sunset. Here you will see an amazing view of the volcano! The sand fleas here are no joke, so make sure you keep that bug spray handy.
Scooter or ATV is definitely the best way to get around the island!
San Juan Del Sur
Getting there:
To get to San Juan Del Sur, you will have to take the ferry back over to the mainland. From here you can take one of the local busses or take a taxi. It is about 45 minutes to SJDS from the ferry terminal.
Myself, my friend and 1 other traveller decided to split the taxi and have it take us to San Juan Del Sur. The taxi ride was about 45 minutes and cost about $8 each. Plus the taxi will drop you off at your hostel as opposed to the bus station.
If you take the local bus you will have to take a taxi from the bus station to your hostel, or walk depending on where you are staying,
Where to stay:
In San Juan Del Sur we stayed at Hola Ola Hostel. I definitely recommend this hostel, it had a really chill social atmosphere with a good little mix of party. They also had a pool and lots of hammocks to chill out in during the day. It is a little bit out of the main town, still walking distance but not too close that you are kept up by the bars.
The Hostel puts on a couple different social events such as beer pong, surf lessons and beach BBQ’s. You can also buy your tickets for famous Sunday Funday pool crawl through the hostel.
What to do:
While in San Juan Del Sur, its also popular to hike up to the “Cristo de La Misericordia” at the top of the hill. Here you can see a nice view of the beach and the waves coming in. Also a great spot to watch the sunset! Make sure to bring water, it is fairly steep and very hot!
Obviously one of the main reasons tourists come to San Juan Del Sur is for the Sunday Funday Pool Crawl. I definitely recommend participating if you aren/t too hungover from the rest of the weekend.
If you don’t know about the Sunday Funday Pool Crawl, you can look them up on instagram and buy tickets through their website. It is an all day event that takes you to a few different hostels with DJ’s and free shots. The ticket also includes transportation between the different locations.
SJDS is definitely lively, lots of bars and restaurants along the beach and good nightlife in the evenings. Theres also lots of little surf shops selling cute bathing suits and other clothing. So if you are over your backpacking wardrobe by now, this may be a good spot to grab a couple new clothing items.
After a wild weekend in San Juan Del Sur, you can make your way to the Costa Rican border. It is quite popular with backpackers to head to Tamarindo, Costa Rica after San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua.
It is about 45 minutes to the border, so a fellow traveller and I split a taxi. We were too hungover to want to take a chicken bus. Once we were through the border there are lots of public busses waiting on the Costa Rican side of the border that can take you where you want to go.
Summary
I absolutely loved Nicaragua and it is one of my favourite countries. It is so diverse, fairly cheap and the vibes are immaculate. Cheap meals, cheap beer, great beaches, good nightlife, amazing jungles and active volcanoes, there is something for every one!
I wish I could have spent more time in Nicaragua! There are some things I had to skip, so if you have more time I would recommend spending 3 weeks in this country, maybe a month if you are keen to do the Caribbean side!
I’ve heard Nicaragua has been called the “Poor Mans Costa Rica,” and I would definitely agree with that statement. You can get pretty much everything Costa Rica has to offer at a fraction of the price.
I found Nicaragua one of the easier and cheaper countries to get around in Central America. The chicken busses are easy to use and are actually quite quick. So I definitely recommend sticking to the local busses! The roads are also very well kept so if you’re someone who gets motion sickness I don’t think it will be much of a problem here!
This is just my itinerary and I suggest following loosely. Keep your mind open to trying new things and going to places you didn’t even know existed. I hope you find my itinerary useful and add a couple of my stops along your way. Thanks for reading!
Cheers!