By admin We kicked off our eight night Nicaragua trip in Granada. Just a 45 minute drive from the capital city of Managua (where all international flights arrive), Granada is a charming colonial town located right off of Lake Nicaragua. Between exploring the town and embarking on active excursions nearby, there is plenty to do to fill a three day itinerary.
Getting to Granada
Due to its proximity to Managua, Granada is the perfect place to start a Nicaragua vacation. Depending on how much driving around you plan on doing, you could rent a car and easily self-drive to Granada. We decided to rely on taxis for our entire trip and got a great recommendation for a driver from our guesthouse on Ometepe Island. He ended up being our personal driver throughout our stay–his car wasn’t anything fancy, but it had A/C, it was safe, and he was always very punctual and polite. He did not take credit cards, however.
Where to Stay in Granada
If you want to stay in a hotel, the best place in town is hands down the boutique seven room Tribal Hotel. And if you would prefer to rent a villa, the best options are one of the houses that are part of Tribal’s eleven villa development project. All of the properties are beautiful and quite affordable. We stayed in a Premium room in the hotel, which currently goes for $145-170/night, and includes a private terrace.
Upon check-in, we were greeted with a complimentary welcome glass of wine and shown to our room. Throughout our stay, Ezekiel, the receptionist/concierge/jack of all trades, was beyond friendly and helpful, providing recommendations and booking tours for us. Daily breakfast was included and it was always delicious. Hospitality was seriously on point here and punching above its class–but once I realized that the hotel was run by two NYC industry vets (Indochine/Acme), it all made sense.
Where to Eat in Granada
Aside from our delicious breakfasts at Tribal, a few places that we tried and liked in Grenada:
- The Garden Cafe – Charming cafe/restaurant with a courtyard and a lush garden
- Pita Pita – Middle Eastern restaurant, also with a courtyard
- Nectar – Okay, we didn’t actually eat at the restaurant, but Tribal helped us to order delivery from this eclectic spot one night since the hotel only serves breakfast
There is also a fun pedestrian street called Calle La Calzada with a number of restaurants and bars if you feel like doing a stroll/crawl in town. We walked through and weren’t in the mood, but I’m sure it could be a great time.
What to Do in Granada
Nicaragua is known as the “land of lakes and volcanoes” and Granada represents that description perfectly. With two full days we felt like we were able to do quite a bit. I’m sure we could’ve found even more, but I was happy with our decision to spend three days in the city.
Laguna de Apoyo
This beautiful blue lagoon is in the caldera of a volcano and everyone told us that the waters of the crater lake were the cleanest and clearest in all of Nicaragua. There are a number of beach clubs and guest houses located on the shores of Laguna de Apoyo; I wouldn’t call any of them luxurious, but there is still a range of offerings. Ezekiel recommended that we head to Laguna Beach Club for its chill atmosphere and serene gardens overlooking the lagoon. He also arranged a taxi to take us each way of the approximately 20 minute drive.
Upon arrival, we paid $6 each for a day pass, which gave us access to beach chairs, kayaks, paddle boards and wifi. There was also a restaurant where we could order food and drinks. While simple, Laguna Beach Club was cared for well–we even met the husband of the couple that owns the place as he was watering the lawn while we were enjoying lunch. Soon-to-be-expats, they were looking to retire from their lives in Seattle to settle in Nicaragua. Otherwise the scene was quite calm on a Wednesday afternoon; just us, a small group of backpackers and another couple. We did hear that it got a lot busier on the weekends, however.
Masaya Volcano
After checking off our first lake in Nicaragua, it was time to move on to the volcanoes. Our initial stop: Masaya. One of 19 active volcanoes in the country, Masaya actually has a lava pool that visitors can see from above. I was thrilled by the opportunity to see actual lava for the first time in real life. Once again Ezekiel arranged our plans for us: a sunset tour of Masaya with Danny’s Tours, led by Danny himself.
Honestly, we probably could’ve visited the volcano ourselves without much difficulty if we had our own car, but we did not, so Danny provided much-needed transportation at least. It was a pretty basic tour: a stop at the visitor’s center, an overview of the national park, a short hike up to a few viewpoints and a relaxed visit at the Masaya caldera so we could see how the views changed as the evening got darker–and get plenty of photo opps. If you have a car, you could easily go to Masaya on your own, but it was a very affordable, easy-going tour, so I have no regrets about going with Danny. Either way, I absolutely recommend going for sunset. The views were gorgeous and the lava pool grew increasingly more impressive as the sky grew darker.
Mombacho Volcano
For our last full day in Granada, we opted to check out another volcano: Mombacho. Unlike Masaya, Mombacho is dormant, and the best way to explore it is through one of three different hiking trails. Crater Trail is the easiest, Tigrillo is moderate, and the Puma Trail is the most difficult. Both Tigrillo and Puma require a guide, while Crater can be done as a self-guided hike. We opted for the goldilocks option of Tigrillo, still only 2.5 km long.
Again, Ezekiel arranged our transportation; a taxi picked us up from Tribal to take us to the base of the entrance to catch the truck that would take us to the visitor’s center. From there we were set up with a guide who took us on the hike and returned us to the visitor’s center a couple hours later. It was all pretty straightforward even though I really had no idea what to expect going into the experience.
The hike itself wasn’t all that challenging; there was one uphill stretch but it only lasted about ten minutes. Otherwise it was pretty flat and easy. Mombacho is also considered to be a cloud forest; depending on the time of year and time of day, the clouds may clear to reveal beautiful views, but because we opted to hike in the morning we were pretty much guaranteed to be shrouded in mist the entire time. No big deal–I thought it actually added a unique and mysterious element to the experience, especially when we reached the section of the trail known as the “dead forest.” It seemed like something out of a Tim Burton film: creepy yet beautiful at the same time.
Next Up?
After Granada, there are a number of places where travelers could go: north to the city of León, east to the Corn Islands in the Caribbean, south to the beaches on the Pacific Coast… We opted to head southeast to distinctive Ometepe Island, featuring two volcanoes in the middle of – what else? – a lake. Read more here.
