Nicaragua walking tour vacation

COUNTRY:: Nicaragua
HOLIDAY TYPE:: Introductory walking vacations
DEPARTURES:: Daily departures until October
PRICE:: From £1995 - £2200 (15 days) excluding flights
MORE INFO:: Price per person based on two sharing. Includes accommodation twin / double; meals, activities and excursions as per itinerary; private transport; guides in Leon and Granada. Does not include international flights; tips; personal expenses. We can arrange flights from the UK.

photo gallery see previous photo

1of10

Nicaragua walking tour vacation

Small group adventure vacation

Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travelers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are traveling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travelers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.

How this vacation makes a difference

Environment

Nicaragua is one of the least visited countries in the Americas. This is a genuine pioneering destination. If you don’t mind patchy tourist infrastructure then you will be rewarded with a visit to a country yet to be spoiled by mass tourism.

Our tours are structured to create the least possible impact on local ecosystems. In Nicaragua you will generally be accompanied by a private guide which means more attention and therefore a richer overall experience. The guides we use for walks in the national parks are all trained naturalists and many live locally to the area. They are experts in the flora and fauna of the region and are incredibly passionate about passing on their knowledge, so clients have a greater understanding of local environment and the delicate balance of regional ecosystems.

Community

This itinerary has been designed to show the amazing variety of Nicaragua. We also work hard to ensure that our vacations here are sustainable and that all communities we visit benefit from our presence. During your vacation you visit biological research stations and breeding programmes. You also spend time in the homes of artists and artisans. Your presence contributes to the welfare & continuance of all projects.

For almost 20 years World Vision has been working hand in hand with the local communities in Nicaragua’s Chorotega and Northern Huetar regions to promote sustainable development practices. Among the schemes they have initiated are: the Economic Development programme, which generates sources of employment and agricultural funding in rural areas; the Prevention, Emergency and Rehabilitation programme which works in the area of emergency prevention and offers relief and rehabilitation to victims of disaster; the Promotion of Justice programme, which helps to foster respect for the rights of children and women through better education.

Check out similar vacation ideas

Nicaragua walking tour vacation

Reviewed 17 Dec 2005 by Rene McRogers

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?

The beauty of the country and the people. Some of the most warm and friendly people I have ever come across. Very safe in the areas we travelled and absolutely amazing art for very little money. Loved it!!

2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?

The only really extremely negative aspect of the trip was the experience with American Airlines, flying through Miami. Avoid this if humanly possible. People traveling to Nicaragua are either locals or family of locals bringing much desired American goods. Travelers pay for many large pieces of excess baggage. American does absolutely nothing to manage this and the result is many, many, many bags don't arrive with the flight. We were without our bags for one full week of our two week vacation and the "customer service" we received from American was dismal. We spent too many hours of our trip dealing with trying to recover our bags and failing that, shopping for things to hold us over.

I am told that the other airline, Continental, deals with this in a much more efficient and friendly way with much fewer lost bags and quicker recovery. None of the three of us traveling together received our bags, were treated rudely, given incorrect information, and ignored. If you must fly AA, bring everything you need on board with you and don't expect to get your checked bags! Also, the Customs at Managua airport leaves much to be desired, closing on Sundays and Vacations for persons claiming baggage arriving after they have.

The Ministry of Tourism should be given feedback that if Nicaragua is to become the next Costa Rica, Customs should increase their level of customer service. We BEGGED customs to let us get our bags on a day that they were closed for a vacation (six days after we arrived) because I had desperately needed medication in my bags. The begging fell on deaf ears, even though I, the customs agent and my bags were within 50 feet of one another. I spent serious money trying to get the medication I needed, and was not able to get the most critical things, as they simply were not available (insulin pump supplies).

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

I do.

Read the operator's response here:

I would like to point out that the flights don't form a part of this package - the clients themselves chose to fly with American.

Vacation Reviews

We invite every traveler who books a vacation via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the vacations they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same vacation can have different views!

Read our review policy