We posted last month and got some helpful advice. Thanks! Much appreciated. We have a last-minute itinerary for a 14 day stay (later this month) but seem to have a few days unaccounted for.... We are a family with 2 kids (10 & 15) so we booked some hotels in advance.
First 2-3 days Grenada
2 days - nothing yet **
2 days Leon
4 days Ometepe
3 days Grenada
We booked a hotel in Leon but it did not have availability for the Saturday night. So the question is to go another hotel in Leon because two days is simply not enough...
or
try to fit in another location in the vicinity the kids would like..... I noticed some people talking about an eco ranch with horse back riding/zip lining etc..... I just was not sure if the sleeping accomodations etc... might be a little too in the "rough" for my middle aged state or perhaps a little too remote for taste....and maybe just too far away. Same concerns for staying somewhere in a beach town. Have not yet checked out the distances but we will not be renting a car.
Thanks again for any suggestions.
It depends if you want to use Granada as a base for day trips and activities further afield.
But 2 nights Granada for most enough, 3 would be plenty. 2 days in Leon would be fine, why so many days in Granada again? How about some beach days near Leon? or add to Ometepe....
You'll find another place in Leon easy, plenty of lodging. get dropped off in the center, have the kids watch the luggage and cruise around for a place, don't hesitate to ask to see a room before deciding. You'll have a nice place under 1/2 hour.
Could head to Las Peñitas first for a little beach time.
Agree 3 days in Granada is a lot, I'd add a day up north or on Ometpe.
I'd cut down on the days in Granada at the end, add a day in Leon for a volcano trek, like Volcan Telica maybe, and spend a couple of days/nights at the beach in Las Penitas, 1/2 hour from Leon. It's a nice small beach town. That's what I'd suggest.
But if you do wind up with so many days in Granada, the time can be used to visit the Apoyo laguna, plus the town of Masaya with it's famous handicraft market, plus the Masaya volcano and the Mombacho volcano.
I clicked on your name but can't see any other posts. What are your interests ? Hiking, swimming, surfing, colonial cities ?
I wouldn't start and end with Granada. Go to Leon at the beginning when you are already in Managua. Or at the end as you will be going back to Managua for your flight home. With two weeks I would stay in Leon and area for 6 days or so (minibus from the UCA bus station in Managua to Leon). There is the city itself with churches, museums, murals. Go on the roof of the cathedral. Explore the market. Try the street food behind the cathedral. Climb Cerro Negro, it is a short hike up, great views, amazing active crater and you can board or run down ! Maybe do an overnight camping trip to volcano Telica : longer hot hike but amazing sunset, crater, sunrise... Also possible as a late afternoon/evening tour with less hiking. You can't see lava any more after the recent eruption but still impressive. Then go to he beach. Las Penitas is a fishing village with a nice beach, fun waves and a nature reserve where you can go kayaking and do an evening sea turtle tour. Jiquilillo is a bit farther from Leon, a rural area with deserted beaches and also a nature reserve. Check out Rancho Esperanza.
Then go back to the UCA in Managua by minibus and there take another minibus to Granada. Stay there for 3-4 days. A day for Granada and the isletas (kayaking or boat tour) and a day for active volcano Masaya, Lake Apoyo (swmming, kayaking..) and the white villages (the Catarina viewpoint, San Juan de Oriente for pottery) and volcano Mombacho (cloud forest, trails, wildlife). Take the bus to Rivas, taxi to San Jorge and boat/ferry to Ometepe. Spend the rest of your time on the island : the volcanoes might be too hard (you can also just try to go to the viewpoint with a guide which in the case of Maderas is not that hard) but there is lots of other things to do : Charco Verde nature reserve with nature trail and wildlife, great beach, great view of volcano Concepcion (apparently also a new butterfly garden) and next door to Charco Verde Chico Largo Adventure : fun ziplining with great views run by two very enthusiastic local guys. Ojo de Agua natural spring pool. Kayaking on the Rio Istian. San Ramon waterfall hike. Horseback riding.
Leon has many hotels and you can easily find one when you are there. Just make a list of a few hotels you like. We were there New Year's Eve without a room (long story) and I found a great room in half an hour. We can suggest places if you let us know your budget.
Where was that eco ranch ? What is it called ?
Leon and Granada have many nice hotels. You could even stay one or two nights on Mombacho or at Lake Apoyo. Ometepe has a lot of fun hotels which offer lots of activities.
Managua to Leon is two hours by minibus. Managua to Granada an hour. Granada to Rivas 1.5 hours. The boat/ferry to Ometepe takes 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes.
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