Nikaragua – Kraina Wulkanów

San José • Monteverde Forest Reserve • Ometepe Island • Charco Muerto Village • Mombacho Nature Reserve • Granada • San Juan de Oriente • Apoyo Lagoon • P. N. Masaya Volcano • Penas Blancas Nature Reserve • Somoto Canyon • Leon • Liberia • San José

Go with us on a unique journey, in which we connect two countries. Costa Rica, where the one-of-a-kind Monteverde Misty Forest Reserve awaits, and the exotic Nicaragua - an extraordinary country of volcanoes, wild nature and unknown beaches. Look down at the active Masaya Crater and see how liquid lava glows in the dusk. Descend the slopes of Cerro Negro. Meet the local Charco Muerto community, try your hand at fishing in Lake Nicaragua, and eat a delicious meal if your hunt is successful. Prepare a backpack for this trip! Experience an adventure and remember this holiday for a long time!

1. DAY. Flight from Warsaw to Costa Rica (San José). Meeting at the airport, getting to know the group and the departure leader. Transfer to the center of the capital of Costa Rica - San José, hotel accommodation. Optionally (for an additional fee on site) going to dinner. Overnight.
2. DAY. SAN JOSЀ Breakfast. Visiting SAN JOSЀ - the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. The plan includes a walk in the historic Barrio Amon district, next to the imposing National Theater, the main square - Plaza de la Cultura, Chinatown, the National Museum and the Central Park. Return to the hotel, check out and drive to the subtropical Monteverde Fog Forest Reserve. Foggy forests, also known as cloud forests, constitute only 1% of all forests in the world. This misty virgin forest is rich in exotic plants and a refuge for numerous wild creatures, including over 400 species of birds, including the quetzal. Accommodation and overnight in a guesthouse, near the reserve.
3. DAY. MONTEVERDE MOISTURE FOREST RESERVE Breakfast. Transfer to the MONTEVERDE MISTER FOREST RESERVE. Free time or optionally (one activity is included in the price): a selection of trips, both for people who want to observe nature and those who like to feel the adrenaline: 1) Canopy Tour - a visit to the park, observation of the surrounding nature while traveling by zip-line between the platforms. 2) Selvatura Park - a route leading through hanging bridges, in the treetops over the primeval misty forest. Optionally (at an additional charge on site): 3) Sky Tram - ride on a gondola lift called the sky tram in the treetops. Late afternoon horseback riding at a picturesque sunset. The route passes through forests and open spaces with panoramic views of the surrounding hills and valleys. At the end of the day, a visit to a local farm where the sugarcane liqueur is produced (tasting possible). Return to the guesthouse, overnight.
4. DAY. ISLAND OF OMETEPE Breakfast, check out and transfer by private transport (approx. 4 hours) towards the border crossing between Costa Rica and Nicaragua: Penas Blancas (after completing the formalities - we will cross the border on foot). Transfer by another transport to the first destination in Nicaragua, i.e. the OMETEPE ISLAND. Transfer (approx. 45 minutes) to the port of San Jorge and further ferry crossing to the island. The cruise on Lake Nicaragua will take approx. 1 hour. and will end at the port of Moyogalpa on Ometepe Island. Transfer to the place of accommodation (approx. 45 minutes), accommodation in cabins and overnight.
5. DAY. Breakfast. We spend the day enjoying the idyllic atmosphere of the island - this island - sanctuary, located on the largest lake in Central America (Lake Nicaragua), has been uninhabited for thousands of years and considered a saint by the Indians - rituals were performed here and deceased shamans were buried. Currently, a volcanic islet colonized by Europeans, attracts with its unique landscape. You can choose between two activities (a group of at least 4 people or an on-site surcharge): a canoe trip around the Rio Istian, among mangrove forests, an opportunity to see caimans, howlers and many native species of birds, or trekking to the San Ramon waterfall (length of the passage approx. 1.5-2 hours) combined with a tour of the local coffee plantation. Lunch during the day (in the form of a box lunch or picnic). Return to your accommodation and free time or rest on the nearby beaches. Overnight.
DAY 6. CHARCO MUERTO VILLAGE Breakfast, check-out and transfer to the ferry back to San Jorge Port. A short drive to the boat launch site on Lake Nicaragua. A wooden boat trip to the place inhabited by CHARCO MUERTO. Walk to the campsite near the village. The Charco Muerto community lives south of the city of Granada, facing the volcanic island of Zapatera - on the shores of Lake Nicaragua, at the foot of the misty forest surrounding the Mombacho volcano. These areas are characterized by great biological diversity. Most of the inhabitants are involved in animal husbandry, fishing, and the cultivation of plants such as bananas and yucca, and also help maintain forested areas under protection. The view from the campsite covers the island of Zapatera, the great lake of Nicaragua and part of las Isletas de Granada. Lunch during the day. In the evening, dinner by the fire, overnight in tents.
7th DAY. Breakfast. Spending time with the Charco Muerto community - a visit to a local village, local women will show you how to prepare "gallo pinto" (a typical Nicaraguan rice and red bean dish). Then, a boat trip on Lake Nicaragua, around the volcanic island of Zapatera. Amazing views of the Mombacho volcano, the Concepcion and Maderas volcanoes on the island of Ometepe, the islets of Granada. The nearly nine-hour excursion includes nets and fishing rods as well as green bananas, yucca and some other local delicacies needed to prepare the dish. If you manage to catch fish, they will be baked on the rocky shore of the lake (lunch prepared together based on the caught fish). Evening return to the camping, dinner and overnight in tents.
8th DAY. MOMBACHO NATURE RESERVE - GRANADA Breakfast. Transfer to the gates of the MOMBACHO NATURE RESERVE, change to 4x4 transport, which after approx. 30 minutes of driving up the slopes of the volcano, will reach an altitude of approx. 1150 m above sea level, from where the hiking trip will begin. This route is known as the "Puma Trail". It is the highest and most picturesque trail in this reserve. The path is covered with dense vegetation composed mainly of epiphytes (e.g. bromeliads, orchids). The job of this vegetation is to trap the wind laden with the moisture coming from Lake Nicaragua and transform it into rain, which means that whether it is rainy or dry season, Mombacho will always form its own rainfall. The local guide will point out medicinal plants and will look for sloths, monkeys, frogs and birds, as well as a viewpoint from which, in fine weather, you have panoramic views of Granada, Lake Nicaragua, Apoyo Lagoon and Masaya Volcano. Estimated walking time is approx. 6-7 hours. The highest point - the peak of the slumbering Mombacho volcano (1,345 m above sea level). Lunch at the top of the volcano. On the way back, stop by the crystalline waters of Aguas Agrias. It is the perfect place for bathing and relaxing. After trekking, drive from the gates of the reserve to GRANADA (approx. 30 minutes). GRANADA is one of the oldest colonial cities in Latin America. Check in at the hotel and go out for an evening walk around the city. Overnight.
9. DAY. SAN JUAN DE ORIENTE - LAGUNA APOYO - NATIONAL PARK OF MASAYA VOLCANO Breakfast. Transfer to SAN JUAN DE ORIENTE, a village famous for its traditional crafts, especially the production of ceramics. In a traditional way, preserving techniques passed down from generation to generation, residents create diverse and high-quality ceramic dishes at workshops and presentations. If you dare, you can take an active part in them! Then, continuation of the journey to the viewpoint on the APOYO LAGOON, where you can have lunch in a restaurant by the lake (optional for an additional fee on site). Lake Apoyo was created over 20 thousand. years ago, it is quite shallow and warm (due to volcanic activity). Time for a bath. Afternoon transfer to MASAYA NATIONAL PARK. The volcanic complex of Santiago, better known as "Masaya" after the name of the town and the crater, is one of the few places in the world where you can see a volcanic crater filled with liquid lava. Walk (approx. 20 minutes) to the viewpoint with a beautiful landscape. It is at sunset that you have a unique view of the active crater of Santiago, at the bottom of which is a lava lake. Transfer to GRANADA (approx. 35 minutes), return to the hotel and overnight.
10. DAY. PENAS BLANCAS NATURE RESERVE Breakfast, check out and approx. 4 hours transfer to the PENAS BLANCAS NATURE RESERVE. The reserve, established in the 1990s, covers one of the largest forests in Central America. We find here a tropical jungle and a misty forest. The rock formations are of volcanic origin, and the reserve owes its name to the white color of the moss growing on the cliffs (blancas in Spanish means "white rocks"). Check-in at the lodge at the gates of the reserve and local lunch. Going for a walk through a dense foggy forest to a waterfall. The estimated time to go to the waterfall is about 1 hour, rest, time for swimming, return to the lodge, dinner and overnight.
11. DAY. Breakfast, free time or optional selection of excursions in the area (1 activity included): 1) Coffee and Chocolate Plantation - different varieties of Arabica coffee are planted: Caturra, Maragogipe, Catimor and Maracaturra. During the tour, you can learn about every step of the coffee process and cocoa processing; 2) There are three routes starting from your accommodation, with different levels of difficulty. The routes run partly along the coffee plantation and partly in a forest declared a wildlife sanctuary, home to a wide variety of birds, butterflies and some sloths, as well as orchids and forest trees that are over 150 years old. One of the routes includes the El Edén waterfall, where you can take a refreshing dip; 3) Visiting the Butterfly Farm, where you can learn about their stages of development. There is a reproduction laboratory on the farm - after the adult moths hatch, 40% of them are released in the butterfly house (over 500 m²), and the remaining 60% into the forest. In the butterfly garden, you can admire a variety of species on a 100-meter-long internal route. Lunch, check out and drive to the Somoto Canyon (approx. 3.5 hours). Accommodation in cabins near the entrance to the canyon, dinner and overnight.
12. DAY. SOMOTO CANYON Breakfast. SOMOTO CANYON in 2006 was declared a national monument - the area of the canyon and adjacent areas (area of approx. 170 hectares) is protected. The trip around its area lasts approx. 6 hours. (the length of the route is approx. 14 km) and includes: hiking - the route between the rocks (time of passage approx. 3-3.5 hours), canoeing (approx. 1.5-2 hours) and for those willing to swim in the waters of the canyon and jumps which take place at designated locations on the Rio Coco (the longest river in Central America) and the Rio Tapacali (height from which to jump: 1 to 20 m under the right conditions). Then, the entrance to the bat caves and the opportunity to admire the bromeliads and orchids that grow here in great numbers. Lunch during the day. Return to the place of accommodation, dinner and overnight.
DAY 13. LEON Breakfast, check out and transfer to LEON (approx. 3.5 hours). Accommodation at the hostel. Free time. Afternoon drive to the foot of the Cerro Negro volcano - approx. 1 hour 4x4 transfer to the place where the trekking will begin. Cerro Negro Volcano is the second youngest volcano in America and one of the most active in Central America. It is the only active volcano in the world where you can try sandboarding, i.e. sliding down its slope. On foot from the starting point, it takes approx. 1 hour. On its top, there is a beautiful view of the area and the crater itself. The local guide will give you all the instructions on how to operate the board, then descend a 45-degree slope. Return to your accommodation in Leon and overnight.
14. DAY. Breakfast. Free time or optional (no extra charge): 1) City of Leon - entrance to the roof of the cathedral, from where you can enjoy a panoramic view, and a visit to the Museum of the Revolution. Then a walk around the city for approx. 2 hours. (for an extra charge on the spot); 2) Transfer to Las Penitas beach. This part of the Nicaragua coast is known for its good surfing conditions. Transfer to the beach approx. 30 minutes; 3) Hoyo Volcano - hike at sunrise (departure around 2:00 am, return around 10:00 am) or at sunset (from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm), reaching the crater takes approx. 2.5-3 hours, descent approx. 1.5–2 hours Return to the place of accommodation, overnight.
15. DAY. LIBERIA Breakfast, check out and drive to the border with Costa Rica (approx. 4.5 hours). Crossing the border, further drive (approx. 1 hour) to the lodge in the vicinity of LIBERIA. Accommodation, free time and overnight.
DAY 16. Breakfast, free time or optional (for an extra charge on the spot): 1) Rafting; 2) Tubbing; 3) Horse Ride. Check out and transfer to San José Airport for the evening flight. Departure to Poland.
17th DAY. Arrival to Poland.

BENEFITS:15 nights: 2 in a guesthouse in Monteverde, 3 in hotels ***: 1 in San José, 2 in Granada, 4 in cottages: 2 on Ometepe, 2 in Somoto, 2 in a lodge: 1 in Penas Blancas, 1 in the area Liberia, 2 in a hostel in Leon (2-person rooms with bathrooms) and 2 nights in tents with the satisfaction of Charco Muerto (2-person, 3-person or 4-person tents to choose from, ecological toilets available) • meals according to the program: 15 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 5 dinners • flights: Warsaw-San José-Warsaw • local minibus, taxi or jeep rides • care of an experienced Polish leader from San José airport to transfer to San José airport • entry tickets to national parks and reserves according to the program • KL and NW Itaka Complex insurance

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