Top Things to do in Granada
10 Tours in Granada That You Shouldn't Miss
Drawn by year-round warm weather, colonial-era architecture and the freshwater Lake Nicaragua, travelers from around the world are flocking to Granada. Eco-tourists will love visiting the dormant Mombacho volcano, sailing on the lake and ziplining through the trees. Fans of spa treatments and shopping will find plenty to do, too.
Restaurants in Granada
1. Night Tour to the Masaya Volcano
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 12 reviews
See the majestic Masaya Volcano and enjoy amazing and impressive views. Visit the viewpoint for no more than 20 minutes because of the risk of an explosion and the gases of the volcano. In a small group, you will look inside the crater mouth and observe the lava activity from a recent crater formed.
Inclusions: Certificated guide, Pickup and drop-off from designated areas
Exclusions: Food and drinks
Reviewed By stevencP6567CS
I needed to get to San Juan del Sur from Colorado. With no U.S. airline carriers flying into Managua, my only reasonable way was to fly Denver to Liberia, Costa Rica and then cross the land border into Nicaragua. I contacted Welcome to Nicaragua and worked with Pablo Lorenzen to arrange the necessary ground transportation. Two transfers: one from Liberia, C.R. to the border and another one from the Nicaragua border to San Juan. Both transfers were flawless. My first driver (Norman) greeted me at the Liberia airport and assisted with my luggage (I was traveling heavy with 140 pounds of supplies for my condo in San Juan) and we had a pleasant drive to the border. He even had good wifi in his vehicle! VERY professional. Norman assisted me with my excessive luggage across the border and met my next driver Michael who drove the second leg of the trip from the border to San Juan. All in all an extremely smooth and enjoyable trip. I'd recommend Pablo and Welcome to Nicaragua for private transfers as well as the many other services they offer. 5 Star rating all the way!!
2. Islets of Granada
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4 reviews
One of the most popular tour in Granada is the islets .These are a group of 365 small islands scattered about the Asese peninsula.
Inclusions: Transportation., Paseo en bote., Visita la isla de los monos., Visita el 1665 Español fortaleza.
Exclusions: Food and drinks
Reviewed By stevencP6567CS
I needed to get to San Juan del Sur from Colorado. With no U.S. airline carriers flying into Managua, my only reasonable way was to fly Denver to Liberia, Costa Rica and then cross the land border into Nicaragua. I contacted Welcome to Nicaragua and worked with Pablo Lorenzen to arrange the necessary ground transportation. Two transfers: one from Liberia, C.R. to the border and another one from the Nicaragua border to San Juan. Both transfers were flawless. My first driver (Norman) greeted me at the Liberia airport and assisted with my luggage (I was traveling heavy with 140 pounds of supplies for my condo in San Juan) and we had a pleasant drive to the border. He even had good wifi in his vehicle! VERY professional. Norman assisted me with my excessive luggage across the border and met my next driver Michael who drove the second leg of the trip from the border to San Juan. All in all an extremely smooth and enjoyable trip. I'd recommend Pablo and Welcome to Nicaragua for private transfers as well as the many other services they offer. 5 Star rating all the way!!
3. City Tour Granada & Isletas
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 54 reviews
Nicaragua Escapade is a Nicaraguan owned company that provides private guided tours where you will have a 100% local experience.
Inclusions: All Fees and Taxes
Exclusions: Personal Expenses
Reviewed By foreverdreamin
After reading all the reviews I decided to go with Rodolfo. My main concern was arriving by plane early in Granada I didn’t want to have to negotiate a taxi, however that’s exactly what I had to do. The timing wasn’t on his website so I asked if that was a problem, he said no. But when we arrived, he was nowhere to be found, I rang him, & he had been unwell & advised me to negotiate, which I did but not for his price. I then rang him again to make sure he was arranging our pickup to León. Calling is not cheap.I suggest if you are using his company only for transfers to email him the day before...unfortunately I was unable to do this. Emails before leaving home weren’t great, but I persevered. The good news, the company he deals with were prompt & dropped us in León & Managua at our accommodation
4. Apoyo Lagoon, Masaya & Mombacho Volcanoes
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2 reviews
Nicaragua is known as The Land of Lakes and Volcanoes. It has two enormous water bodies and more than 10 active volcanoes that are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. In this day tour, you will visit three these colossi Volcanoes: Masaya Volcano (Volcán Masaya): Ranked as one of the most active in the world. Apoyo Lagoon (Laguna de Apoyo): It’s an extinct volcano’s crater, with a beautiful lagoon. Mombacho Volcano (Volcán Mombacho): This colossal and stunning volcano´s cloud forest offers impressive panoramic views and it is also the home of hundreds of orchids.
Inclusions: Bilingual Guide, Transportation, Crater Trail on Mombacho, Lunch, Apoyo Lagoon Lookout, Masaya Volcano Entrance
Exclusions: Tour Guide gratuity, Services not listed on the itinerary
Reviewed By jennifer m
Next Adventure Nicaragua exceeded every expectation we had! They created an unforgettable experience for myself and 2 friends. We only had 1 day in Granada and wanted to see as much as possible. NAN put together an itinerary for us that included the islets of Granada, Volcano Mombacho, Laguna de Appoyo and Masaya Volcano night tour. We were all so impressed with this itinerary that we decided to free up another day to do the other recommendation of volcano boarding Cerro Negro. NAN even helped us pick a hotel to stay at in Granada and booked it for us! NAN went above and beyond with every request we had. NAN arranged transportation pick up for us from San Juan Del Sur and our driver, Julio, and tour guide, Gustavo, were the best! Gustavo even brought us snacks which included homemade brownies! Gustavo is very charismatic and we had a lot of fun with him. He recommended that we go to masaya volcano a little earlier than the itinerary said to catch the sunset and he was right. He brought us up the mountain to the most amazing views. I am so happy we chose to do a custom tour with this company. This would have been very difficult to plan on our own. There are certain vehicles you need to use to go to the volcanos and NAN took care of all of that. They even had an additional tour guide, Marjorie, meet us when we went volcano boarding. Marjorie was so knowledgeable about all the rocks and minerals on the volcano and she took the most amazing photos/videos of us while we were boarding! Also the equipment that we used/wore while volcano boarding was very high quality and included gloves and a bandana which I don’t think many other companies include. We had the expectation that we would be carrying our own boards up the mountain but when we arrived it was already arranged for our boards to be carried for us which was a wonderful surprise! At first we were hesitant to book with this company since there were not a lot of reviews, but do not hesitate! This company will take care of all your needs and exceed every expectation!
5. Boat Tour and Granada Sightseeing
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
They are located in Lake Nicaragua, just southeast of the city of Granada in Nicaragua. The islets are a group of 365 small islands scattered about the Asese Peninsula. The islets of Granada are of volcanic origin, they were formed when the Mombacho volcano blew much of its cone into lake Nicaragua thousands of years ago, thereby creating the archipelago. Most of the islets are covered with vegetation and rich with birdlife. Many of the islets are occupied. Some are privately owned and hold homes or vacation houses. There are facilities for the residents and for tourists. Hotels and shops are established on some of the islets, and boating tours are available. The Boat Tour around Islets of Granada takes 1 hour approx. and after the boat tour you will enjoy a sightseeing of the city with your tour guide, some of the historical sites you will see are: La Pólvora Fortress, Churches and Central Park, this tour will be over around midday.
Inclusions: Transportation from Granada, Boat Tour, Bilingual Guide, Sightseeing of the City
Exclusions: Tour Guide gratuity, Services not listed on the itinerary
Reviewed By Brandon A
My friend and I just went on a full day tour to Apoyo Lagoon Lookout, Masaya, and Mombacho Volcanoes with Julio Flores as our guide. Julio is probably the best tour guide I've ever had. He was early to pick us up, spoke perfect english, was extremely knowledgeable, answered every question we had, took us to an extra place we requested, knew where to find specific food and souvenirs, and most importantly was just so nice and fun to tour with which made this tour a great experience. This is also a well planned package that let's you see several amazing places in one day and is well coordinated with local parks and tour operators. I highly recommend this tour, and Julio as a guide for any tour in Nicaragua.
6. Lake Nicaragua Kayak Tour
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
in this amazing tour you will enjoy the diversity of flora and fauna that is found in this beautiful area of the lake Nicaragua.doing some exercise on a Kayak.
Inclusions: Chalecos salvavidas,Bolsas plasticas
Exclusions: Lunch
Reviewed By NicaCowboy
After visiting the Isletas in Granada, I was interested in visiting other sites in Nicaragua. Danny was very helpful in choosing Ometepe as my next tour site. Danny provided a customized tour package that included a rental car (automatic), route to San Jorge port where the ferry transported the passengers and rental car to/from Ometepe, route to the hotel, a 1-night reservation in the cabanas found in the Omaja resort, and 3 guided tours in Ometepe. Danny's knowledge and experience of Ometepe helped me to choose a customized tour package that allowed for a more personalized and enjoyable experience of Nicaragua. I highly recommend Danny's Tour to everyone visiting Nicaragua.
7. Isletas Sunset Tour
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 3 reviews
Nuestro sunset isletas tour te ofrece un recorrido por las calmas aguas del lago mas grande de centro america ademas podras disfrutar de un paisaje unico con un guia experimentado que te informara de cada detalle del recorrido y sus atractivos
Inclusions: Air-conditioned vehicle
Exclusions: Lunch
Reviewed By 909katyh
Danny is a great guide and fun to be with! I really enjoyed seeing the Masaya volcano with him. His English is perfect, he arrived early, he knows a lot about the area and the volcano, and he was flexible to let me adapt the tour to my liking - by climbing to the highest point with me!
8. Masaya classic tour (lava tour)
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 5 reviews
Our night tour to one of the most active volcanoes in Nicaragua is a unique experience where we can see the Santiago crater with its lava lake in addition to a visit to the park museum accompanied by a guide that will accompany you all the time with the explanation that you need to know ..
Inclusions: Private transportation
Exclusions: Dinner
Reviewed By NicaCowboy
After visiting the Isletas in Granada, I was interested in visiting other sites in Nicaragua. Danny was very helpful in choosing Ometepe as my next tour site. Danny provided a customized tour package that included a rental car (automatic), route to San Jorge port where the ferry transported the passengers and rental car to/from Ometepe, route to the hotel, a 1-night reservation in the cabanas found in the Omaja resort, and 3 guided tours in Ometepe. Danny's knowledge and experience of Ometepe helped me to choose a customized tour package that allowed for a more personalized and enjoyable experience of Nicaragua. I highly recommend Danny's Tour to everyone visiting Nicaragua.
9. Mombacho Volcano Cloud Forest
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
The Mombacho Volcano is one of the most famous volcanoes in Nicaragua due to several factors: its location just 10 km from the Granada city, its access infrastructure and, above all things, the mystical cloud forest that occupies much of its sides and top. The ride uphill only is an adventure by itself, the incredible steepness of the volcano guarantees a spectacular ride. You will see coffee plantations and later on the cloud forest next to the single lane road. The views are also spectacular from here.
Inclusions: All Fees and Taxes
Exclusions: Lunch
Reviewed By sashattang
My husband and I arranged a tour to Volcano Masaya. Oscar our guide picked us up at 09:00 am and took us to see the lava. We could not see much because there was so much gas in the crater but we got so much information about it. We were very happy Because we could see parrots in the crater,something very unusual our guide told us. The Market in Masaya was beautiful and the view at Catarina was amazing. We learned to make Pottery also. The service was fantastic,the price was fair and we highly recommend these guys we definitely received a VIP service.
10. Granada Colonial City Tour and Masaya Volcano
Overall Ratings
4.9 based on 14 reviews
In this tour, you will explore the colonial city of Granada and learn about its history,culture and gastronomy. You will watch the active volcano of Masaya and be impressed by its power. You will also get to shop at the local hand craft market in Masaya. The last activity will be a boat ride on Lake Nicaragua where you will be able to relax and enjoy nature.
Inclusions: 1-hour boat ride, Transportation with AC, One cold bottle of water per guest, Hotel pickup and drop-off
Exclusions: Meals, Gratuities, Alcoholic drinks, Snack
Reviewed By MikeMaynes
Duran Tours is everything you need in Nicaragua. Gerald and his crew are professional, knowledge, and provide excellent transportation pored with sight seeing. I had an amazing adventure and will use them again.
TAGS
