Grand Tour of Nicaragua: Cities, Volcanoes, Islands & Caribbean

Today you explore Leon and its dramatic volcanic surroundings. You visit the great Cathedral of Leon, the largest in Central America and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, climbing onto its blazing white rooftop for sweeping views over a chain of volcanoes, and pausing at the tomb of the beloved poet Ruben Dario beneath its floor. You wander streets vivid with revolutionary murals, learning the moving story of the Sandinista uprising, and take in the black cinder cone of Cerro Negro, famous for volcano boarding, or the surreal ruins of Leon Viejo beside the smoking Momotombo volcano. The passion, history and volcanic drama are captivating. As the day ends, you return through Leon's animated streets. This evening, savour the city's convivial atmosphere. Rest well, for tomorrow you climb into the cool coffee highlands of Matagalpa.

Today you journey from the hot Pacific plain into the cool, misty highlands around Matagalpa, Nicaragua's cloud forest and coffee country. You travel north and up into the mountains, watching the tropical lowlands give way to cool, fragrant air, misty forested ridges and green coffee slopes. Reaching the highlands, you settle into a characterful lodge amid the coffee and cloud forest, breathing the refreshing mountain air. In the afternoon you might take a first gentle walk in the forest, spotting hummingbirds and listening for howler monkeys, or relax on your lodge terrace with a cup of rich local coffee and a view over misty ridges. The cool green calm is enchanting. This evening, savour a hearty highland dinner by the fire. Rest well in the mountains, for tomorrow you explore the cloud forest and coffee estates.

Today you immerse yourself in the cloud forests and coffee highlands of Matagalpa. With your guide you walk forest trails in a reserve such as Selva Negra, a lush, dripping world of moss-hung trees, orchids and ferns, spotting hummingbirds, toucans, trogons and, with luck, the resplendent quetzal, and hearing howler monkeys in the canopy. You visit a working coffee estate, walking among shade-grown coffee bushes alive with birds, learning how the beans are grown, picked and roasted, and tasting freshly brewed single-origin Nicaraguan coffee at its source, among the finest in Central America. The mist, greenery and flavours are enchanting. As the day ends, you enjoy the cool highland air. This evening, savour a final highland dinner. Rest well, for tomorrow you descend to graceful Granada and the great lake.

Today you descend from the cool highlands to graceful Granada, the jewel of colonial Central America. You travel south out of the mountains, watching the misty coffee ridges give way to tropical lowlands and the vast, shimmering expanse of Lake Nicaragua, to reach Granada around midday. You settle into a characterful hotel, perhaps a restored colonial mansion with a leafy courtyard, then spend the afternoon exploring, wandering the pastel streets to the central plaza dominated by the ochre-yellow cathedral, and climbing the bell tower of La Merced church for a sweeping rooftop panorama of roofs, lake and the Mombacho volcano, glorious at golden hour. The colour, warmth and easy elegance are captivating. This evening, savour Granada's relaxed atmosphere on the lively Calle La Calzada. Rest well, for tomorrow you cruise the islets and wonder at a lava lake.

Today combines a serene lake cruise with the fire of a volcano. In the morning you board a boat to glide among Las Isletas, a beautiful archipelago of 365 tiny tropical islands scattered off Granada, drifting past lush green islets, spotting herons, cormorants and playful monkeys, with the Mombacho volcano rising behind. In the afternoon you might visit the Masaya craft market, an old fortress full of hammocks, ceramics and colour, then, as dusk falls, drive to Masaya Volcano National Park and reach the rim of the smoking Santiago crater, where an incandescent lava lake glows and churns far below, one of only a handful on Earth, a rare and mesmerising sight. The serenity of the lake and the fire of the volcano make an unforgettable day. Rest well back in Granada.

Today you journey to enchanting Ometepe, an hourglass island of twin volcanoes rising from Lake Nicaragua. You drive south to the port of San Jorge, then cross by ferry as the twin volcanoes, the perfect cone of Concepcion and the cloud-wrapped Maderas, loom ever larger from the vast freshwater sea. Reaching the island, you settle into your lodge amid banana and coffee plantations, with the volcanoes towering above. In the afternoon you might float in the Ojo de Agua, a crystal-clear natural pool fed by volcanic springs, beneath shady trees, or seek out ancient stone petroglyphs carved by pre-Columbian peoples amid the plantations. The sense of stepping into a wilder, older Nicaragua is profound. This evening, dine beneath a canopy of brilliant stars at your lodge, the volcanoes silhouetted against the sky. Rest well on magical Ometepe.

Today you explore enchanting Ometepe at an unhurried island pace. You might hike the forested lower slopes of the Maderas volcano, climbing through jungle loud with howler monkeys to a misty crater lagoon, or kayak the tranquil Istian channel between the two volcanoes, gliding past turtles, caimans and abundant birdlife. You visit sleepy villages where ox-carts still trundle the lanes, tour a small coffee or plantain farm, float once more in a crystal-clear volcanic spring, and relax on a black-sand lake beach as the water laps gently. The island's plantations, wildlife and volcanic drama reveal a Nicaragua of a gentler age. As the day ends, you watch the sun set behind Concepcion, painting the lake gold. This evening, dine at your lodge. Rest well, for tomorrow you begin your journey to the Caribbean.

Today you leave enchanting Ometepe and make your way towards the coast. You take the morning ferry back across the lake, watching the twin volcanoes shrink behind you, then travel to the golden Pacific coast and the laid-back beach town of San Juan del Sur, a wide horseshoe bay ringed by green headlands and topped by a hilltop Christ statue. You settle into your beach hotel and head down to the golden sand to feel the warm, easygoing rhythm of the coast, swimming in the warm ocean and relaxing beneath the palms. As the day cools, you gather on the sand to watch the great sun sink flaming into the Pacific in a blaze of colour. The warmth and beauty of the coast are captivating. This evening, savour fresh seafood by the bay. Rest well, ready for the Caribbean tomorrow.

Today you cross the country to the turquoise Caribbean. You transfer to Managua for a scenic domestic flight out over jungle and lagoons to the Corn Islands, tiny palm-fringed specks in the warm Caribbean Sea, a world away from the colonial Pacific. Landing on Big Corn Island, you settle into your beachside lodge amid coconut palms, kick off your shoes, and feel the slow, laid-back Creole rhythm of island life take hold. In the afternoon you swim in bathwater-warm turquoise shallows, laze on the powder-white sand, and perhaps snorkel a coral reef straight off the beach, alive with tropical fish. As the day ends, you watch the light soften over the sea. This evening, feast on fresh Caribbean lobster and coconut beneath the stars. Rest well in Caribbean paradise, a glorious contrast to the volcanoes and cities you have seen.

Today you savour the turquoise beauty of the Corn Islands. You slip into warm, gin-clear water to snorkel or dive vibrant coral reefs alive with parrotfish, angelfish, green turtles, gliding rays and docile nurse sharks, some of the best-value, least-crowded diving in the Caribbean, or simply laze on deserted white-sand beaches beneath leaning coconut palms. You might take a boat to car-free Little Corn Island for the day, walk the island's sandy paths, join a fishing trip with a local boatman, or unplug entirely in a hammock to a soundtrack of lapping waves and reggae. You feast on lobster, coconut rice and rundown stew, and soak up the easygoing Creole warmth. The peace and beauty are blissful. As the day ends, you watch a final Caribbean sunset. This evening, savour a farewell island feast. Rest well.

After a final barefoot morning on the Corn Islands, perhaps a last snorkel in the turquoise shallows or a coffee overlooking the reef, you take the scenic domestic flight back to Managua, connecting to your onward international departure. You leave having experienced the whole of beautiful Nicaragua, revolutionary Leon and its volcanoes, the cloud forests and coffee highlands of Matagalpa, colonial Granada and its islets, the glowing lava lake of Masaya, twin-volcano Ometepe, the golden Pacific coast, and the turquoise Corn Islands. The images stay vivid long after you land, the great white cathedral of Leon, the misty coffee ridges, the emerald islets, the fiery Masaya crater, the twin volcanoes of Ometepe, the flaming Pacific sunsets, and the coral reefs of the Caribbean. Nicaragua offers colonial cities, volcanoes, cloud forests, lakes and two glorious coasts in abundance, still gloriously undiscovered, and you depart already dreaming of a return to this beautiful and welcoming land.