1

bus from esteli to mayoreo in Managua, taxi to UCA bus terminal, Bus to Granada... Don't know of any shuttles.

2

In mid-August, 2012 , steve486435 posted the following response on this website; "i just took a direct bus from esteli to masaya yesterday bypassing managua. it leaves from cotran del norte at 2 pm, arrived around 4:30, plenty of time to go to granada if heading that way. does the trip in reverse at 6:15 am from masaya, which i will be taking in a few days. A friend of mine called and got me the schedule. leaves at 6:15 am and would suggest getting there early as it fill up, we were a half hour early but worth it to get a seat. nice bus, with fairly comfortable seats. " Look on a map of Nicaragua and you will see that where all three cities are located and that once in Masaya, one is only a short, easy bus ride away from Granada. This way one can avoid Managua by taking the Tipitapa-Masaya shortcut..

3

a shuttle bus will take you to managua,then another shuttle bus to granada. did this a few years back worked fine

4

thanks all, plenty of good ideas here. i like the idea of going through masaya, and avoiding managua entirely, but i'm happy to see there are a number of options.

5

it will be getting dark by the time you get granada but it will be painless, does have a plan for a hotel or hostal. my last time i stayed in masaya and just took a day trip to granada and lots to see in the masaya area also.

6

thanks, we do have a place to stay in granada and are planning to use it as a base for day trips, including of course around and in masaya.