Nicaragua 7-Day Itinerary: Granada, Masaya Volcano and Ometepe Island

One hour, late afternoon, free. Managua airport is 50 km from Granada, about an hour by taxi or shuttle, and immigration charges a 10 dollar tourist card payable in flawless notes: torn or marked bills get refused.

After check-in, start at the Parque Central, with the yellow cathedral on its east side. The kiosks on the square sell vigorón, the dish Granada invented. Next to the cathedral is the Plaza de la Independencia, with the Casa de los Tres Mundos.

Evening, on foot, leaving from the side of the cathedral. The Calzada runs 1 km straight down to Lake Cocibolca, lined with colonial houses, bars and pavement tables. It is the heart of Granada’s nightlife and the easiest dinner on day one.

Compare menus before sitting down: the first blocks by the cathedral charge more for the same plate. If you have energy left, walk to the end of the street to see the lake.

An hour and a half from 9am, with a ticket of a few dollars paid at the door. It is two blocks north of the Parque Central. This is Granada’s oldest building, founded in 1529 and burned by the pirate Henry Morgan and by the adventurer William Walker.

The reason to go is the room of basalt statues from Zapatera island, human figures with animals on their shoulders carved before the Spanish arrived. There is also a scale model of the city and a room of Solentiname primitivist art.

Half an hour, with a paid climb up the tower of about one dollar. Walk west from the convent along Calle Real Xalteva: 600 metres, passing the Parque Central. The time-darkened baroque facade dates from the 18th century and is the finest in town.

From the belfry you see the rooftops, the cathedral domes, the lake and Mombacho. Five hundred metres further along the same street is the Fortaleza La Pólvora, the old gunpowder store, if you want to stretch the walk.

Two hours in the afternoon, on a boat hired at the Puerto Asese dock, 10 minutes by taxi from the centre. Prices are per boat, so it pays to share; agree the fare before boarding and ask to stop at Castillo San Pablo, a small Spanish fort on one of the islands.

There are around 365 islets, formed by an ancient eruption of Mombacho, some with farmers’ houses and others with weekend mansions. Herons, kingfishers and the monkeys living on one of the islands round off the trip. Late afternoon has the best light.

Half a day, from 8am to noon. The reserve is 10 km from Granada and charges a 10 dollar entry plus a small fee per trail; the truck that climbs the steep road to the top, at 1,100 metres, is paid separately. Guides at the gate cost 12 to 22 dollars per group.

The Crater trail is 1.5 km past fumaroles and viewpoints over Granada and the Isletas; the Puma trail is 4 km around the crater rim with the best views. Bring a jacket, it is cold and windy up there. Go early, before the clouds settle.

The whole afternoon. The lagoon fills a 6 km wide crater between Granada and Masaya, 30 minutes away by taxi. The water is warm and clean, and the lakeside lodges sell a day pass to their deck, with kayaks and inner tubes, for about 10 dollars.

There is no real sand beach: you get in from the deck. Shuttles leave Granada in the morning and return in the afternoon, but today a taxi is better, since it lets you drive up to Catarina afterwards.

Twenty minutes at the end of the afternoon, for a token fee. From the village of Catarina, on the western rim of the crater, you see the whole lagoon with Lake Cocibolca behind. The street to the viewpoint is lined with plant nurseries and craft stalls.

An hour and a half in the morning, free. Masaya is 30 minutes from Granada. The old market, enclosed by crenellated stone walls, gathers the country’s crafts: Masaya hammocks, San Juan de Oriente pottery, leather and wood.

Compare before buying and haggle politely. If you want a hammock, the indigenous Monimbó quarter next door has the workshops where they are woven. On Thursday evenings there is folk dancing in the market.

Two hours, late afternoon. The national park is 20 minutes from the market, and the road runs right up to the rim of the Santiago crater. The night visit costs about 10 dollars for foreigners; tours from Granada leaving at 4pm with transport cost 25 to 30 dollars plus the entry fee.

The lava lake was buried by a collapse inside the crater in 2024, but after dark you still see the red glow of the vent and the lit-up plume. Gases limit the stop at the viewpoint to a few minutes, so anyone with asthma should skip it. Visit the museum at the visitor centre first.

Leave Granada at 7am: it is 70 km to San Jorge, 1h15 by car. The 9am ferry takes 70 minutes to Moyogalpa and costs under 3 dollars including the port tax. As you arrive, the perfect cone of Concepción volcano fills the horizon. Rent a motorbike or hire a driver right at the port.

An hour and a half, 8 km from the port, for 8 dollars with a guide for both museums. One holds funeral urns, figurines and pottery found on the island, which was sacred to the Nahua peoples; the other tells Nicaragua’s history through its coins and banknotes.

The guide explains each style and how the island was settled. It is the best place to make sense of the petroglyphs scattered around Ometepe before you see them on the trail.

An hour and a half, 5 km from the museum along the south coast, for about 5 dollars including the butterfly garden. A short trail loops through the forest around the green lagoon, where howler monkeys are common.

Bancón beach, on the lake, has the prettiest view of Concepción. Then drive on to check in at Santo Domingo, on the isthmus. For a sunset on another day, Punta Jesús María, a sand spit near Moyogalpa, is where locals go.

An hour and a half late in the afternoon, 5 km from the hotel. The 10 dollar entry comes as two vouchers: 5 for the pool and 5 to spend on drinks or food on site. Mineral water wells up from the ground, cool and clear, in the middle of a wood.

Arrive after 3pm, once the tour groups have left. There is a rope swing, hammocks and a simple bar.

The whole morning, leaving at 7:30am: the San Ramón biological station is 20 km from Santo Domingo on the southern slope of Maderas. Entry is about 4 dollars with your vehicle, and the trail takes 3 to 4 hours return, climbing steadily over wet rocks.

The waterfall drops about 50 metres down a mossy wall. Carry two litres of water, wear shoes with good grip and start early, before the heat. In the dry season the flow is thin, but the forest walk is still worth it.

The afternoon, free, right in front of the hotel. The dark sand beach runs along the isthmus with Maderas behind, and the lake wind whips up sea-like waves. It is the rest after the hike, with the lodge restaurants serving lake fish.

In the dry season the beach is wide; at the end of the rains the lake rises and it almost disappears. If you want more action, rent a kayak on the Río Istián, on the south side of the isthmus.

One hour, around 11:30am. Take the 7am ferry from Moyogalpa, 40 minutes from Santo Domingo, and drive from San Jorge to Managua, 2h30. The hill has the 18 metre silhouette of Sandino and a viewpoint over the Tiscapa crater lagoon.

Entry is a few córdobas. It is the only viewpoint in central Managua and shows how the city sprawled after the 1972 earthquake.

Twenty minutes, 2 km north of Tiscapa, before heading to the airport 12 km away. The Old Cathedral of Santiago has been closed since the 1972 earthquake and is seen only from outside, with the National Palace next door. Leave three hours between the square and your flight.