Full-day trip to Nicaragua

Posted By : katiekA8616HS
This is an amazing trip especially if you’re staying near Liberia it is worth it. Be prepared for a lot of driving but the city of Granada is beautiful, Lake Nicaragua is just breathtaking and the culture of Nicaragua is fun! Our tour guide Claudio was so informative and helpful, no issues on the tour and we felt safe!
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Posted On : 2024-04-20 17:20:53

Posted By : sam b
This was a great but rather long day trip. . Booked with Destination Services CR via TUI. Aston was a brilliant guide and Marlon our driver was incredible on tricky roads. All border fees, passport control, included in the price. You are kept advised of what to expect at each stage of the day, the best comfort break stops and what to take with you for each stage of the trip. Pick up was at 4.30am, breakfast, lunch and dinner with drinks provided, definitely take plenty of water and non deet bug spray. Vegan food options available. There is a fair amount of coach time involved between activities so be prepared! Expect to spend quite a bit of time at border control, there is no where to sit or get out of the sun, hats, sunscreen and patience definitely necessary. Moderate fitness levels required. First stop after breakfast was Jesus de la Divina Misericordia with good photo opportunities but very steep steps to the monument. On to a splendid lunch in Grenada with the opportunity to purchase the local brew Tona before a horse and carriage ride around the sites and wonderful architecture, not happy about carriage ride and was not told about it when booking the trip. I would suggest a walking tour instead. Shame on you TUI!
Next onto the boat trip across the massive lake with panoramic views of the mountains and volcanos. Plenty of wildlife, birds and monkeys, together with the multitude of small volcanic created islands, very picturesque.
This is followed by a trip to Mirador de Caterina to see the volcano from the other side to the boat trip, here you get the flavour of Nicuagua and a great vantage point across the lake and mountain range to a back drop of traditional music. For those that like shopping you have purchasing and browsing opportunities and generally cheaper than Costa Rican prices. There is an uphill walk to reach Caterina as roads not suitable for large vehicles.
We arrived back at the resort at approx 11pm, this was a longer trip than normal due to heavy Easter traffic and longer than expected queues at border control.
A brilliant experience and worth a full day trip.
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Posted On : 2024-03-26 10:33:27

Posted By : Venus_d
Communication was easy. There were several guides/drivers involved CR side and Nicaragua side, but everything being done was communicated to the group.
We were picked up exactly on time. Driven to the border and had a short walk to the Nicaraguan Immigration where we waited for 30-45 minutes to be allowed in, but our first guide David made sure that we were processed quickly, same with coming back. Never once did I feel unsafe.

The entire tour was so worth doing! Just to see how different life is on the Nicaragua side. Granada is well preserved! Food served was good! Breakfast by Lake Nicaragua was delicious, but the coffee was the best part. Rodolfo, our guide even placed the lunch order in advance so it is near ready when we arrive.

Souvenirs in Apoyo Crater Lake are less pricey compared in CR.

This tour made me want to come back and visit Nicaragua again, this time for a few more days!

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Posted On : 2024-03-10 09:12:54

Posted By : 503spikeh
Pura Vida VIP did a great job. My family rated it the best in Costa Rica, although in Nicaragua.

We went on Dec23 weekend where all the migrant workers are heading back to Nicaragua. Must be few thousand and there was no way we could have done it on our own. We must have saved 6 hours just by paying our way to the front. After crossing, a short drive to a lakeside restaurant for breakfast. Then off to the lake crater volcano and the "Gate of Hell." The Volcano is still smoking. We then did the $10/ppl horse carriage ride through the old Town of Granada. Well worth it. Then on to the cigar place that we skipped. We did go to the coffee and chocolate. A typical buy place but the presentation is very good so we end up buying. Then on to a local lunch which the cuisine is different than CR. Then we took a lake boat ride to these private lagoons and fed the poor monkeys stuck on an island. That is the end of the tour but we'll woth the 11 hours.
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Posted On : 2023-12-29 08:47:28

Posted By : JasonS1999
We enjoyed our trip to Nicaragua.

We are a 50’s couple who travel a lot. We are large people.

You will be transported to the border by one person, get in a bus from there with another person, and finally you will get to your tour guide in Nicaragua. You do this coming to the border and returning.

You must be able to walk briskly from the second bus over the border. It is busy and you will need to stand while your group os processed, both ways.

The tour starts in Nicaragua and it is a solid tour. Gaspar is informative and very good at his job. He speaks clear proficient English and explains things completely. You will eat breakfast in an outdoor restaurant by the water. The tour continues as stated in the itinerary. The volcano is magical to see up close. You will not see much of it is raining due to fog. The lunch meal was very good. The chairs at the restaurant have arms so they may not work for someone with a larger body. The boat tour of Lake Niagara is the last part of the tour. It was very cool seeing all the nice homes. We didn’t see much wildlife, but we did see some nice homes and Airbnbs. It is a John Boat with form fitted seat on each side. The seats are close together so balance getting in the boat and if your tall it could be a problem seating in the chairs.

Lots of great views and really nice local people. We went to a chocolate tour also. Lots of fun and high energy. We bought some rum and candy.

On the way back to the border there was a wreck which closed the road. The tour operator handled it professionally by updating us as to the status and keeping the bus running so we did not get hot.

The tour is long and it is for this reason that kids may not enjoy it. I think the tour is not overly active so it is a good option for people visiting Costa Rica who aren’t interested in thrill sports.
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Posted On : 2023-12-14 22:27:26

Posted By : rickiey2017
To be honest, the trip is what you would expect. You get picked up at your hotel, you go through customs, you go to Nicaragua, you have a breakfast (rice n beans and eggs), great coffee, then you go see a lake, then you go get a beautiful view of a crater type lake, half an hour for market time to buy souvenieers, then you go take a carriage ride through granada, stop at an old church, a city park, and then a chocolate n rum tour, then lunch (lunch was meh). Then to a short boat ride to feed some fuit to spider monkeys, then back to costa rica.

To be honest, it was a very typical "tour this small carribean/latin american country" tour.

So if you like those, you like this.

Be warned, there is more time travelling then the fun parts.
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Posted On : 2023-12-01 10:55:16

Posted By : sarahsoff
Excellent day with Claudio. I highly recommend. This is a great way to see Nicaragua in one day. The private tour was very well planned.
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Posted On : 2023-10-22 12:42:45

Posted By : 454adriennej
We were referred to Pura Vida VIP Tours and it was an amazing experience from start to finish. Claudio’s communication was prompt and efficient. He helped me organize our trip, seamlessly. He made suggestions on where we should stay to best accomplish my travel plans. He was clear and concise with cost and he did not waiver. There were no hidden fees and he went out of his way to make sure I understood and was comfortable.

Jamie was our driver for the entire tour. He was the kindest, most patient man ever! My teenagers chatted amicably with him and he even helped my oldest practice the Spanish he’d learned in school. He was incredibly accommodating to our schedule and always suggested delicious restaurants for us to try. I cannot say enough wonderful things about our time with Jamie and would suggest anyone request him for their trip to Costa Rica.

While w me were in CR, we took a day trip to Nicaragua. Pura Vida tours set this up as well. Jamie drove us to the border and coordinated our hand off to Gaspar, our Nicaraguan guide. He drove us around, showed us his beautiful country and returned us to the border to meet up with Jamie.

This was such a wonderful family vacation. If you are considering a trip to CR, please don’t hesitate to book this company!! You will not be sorry.
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Posted On : 2023-10-15 18:01:31

Posted By : 500jennr
Such a fun day, the tour exceeded my expectations! I fell in love with Nicaragua, it was so beautiful! We had a wonderful guide and driver, the group dynamic was good, overall just a really wonderful experience.
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Posted On : 2023-10-14 23:27:12

Posted By : Sunshine_Jocii
My words can't describe this amazing country. I was pleasantly surprised. I had the privilege of spending a day in Nicaragua and have an unbelievable experience. I was engulfed with music, nature, and history. One day isn't enough. I had the privilege of having Uriel as my tour guide.Since he was a local, I was able to witness Nicaragua through his experiences and knowledge. It truly was exciting,especially since I was able to have a taste of being a local with his help, of course. For the adventurous, or the curious,Nicaragua is your place. Experience this tour and see the Great lake Nicaragua,the unbelievable volcano Masaya and both the Colonial city of Granada and its beautiful pennisula. The description doesn't do it justice. I can't wait to go back and spend more time there. PLEASE GO!!
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Posted On : 2023-08-29 15:01:06