Day 1 Granada:  Trip participants will arrive in Managua, Nicaragua and will go by shuttle to Granada, Nicaragua, which is a colonial town where they can enjoy the sights and sounds associated with being in this new country. There will be two shuttles, one for the people who arrive earlier, and another for people who arrive later in the day. Granada is a colonial-style city with many storefronts, restaurants, hotels, craft stands and monuments. We'll be staying in the townhouse of a friend of Amanda's.  Granada offers many activities so that the individual traveler will feel right at home.  The first evening, we'll try to eat dinner together at a local restaurant.  The following morning we'll volunteer with La Esperanza Granada, a great NGO that works to support the school systems in Granada.  The last two years we have worked to build irrigation canals in the school yards to prevent erosion.  We use a portion of the funding to buy the supplies for the project; this is a great way for us to give back with our work while we are in the country. In the evening people are free to eat in whichever restaurant they'd like.

Day 3 La Caterina, Artisanal Visit, and Laguna de Apoyo:  First, we're off to La Caterina, a small town a top an extinct volcano with a breathtaking view of the Lagoon that is below. We'll eat a lunch on the go while we head to the part of town that has fantastic crafts.  People usually like to spend about an hour looking around and deciding which souvenirs to buy.  Our final destination for this day is to again descend into a volcano crater, this time to spend our evening along the shores of a lagoon that has formed in the crater, Laguna de Apoyo.  Here we will enjoy a delicious buffet dinner together.  We have the whole house to ourself, and there is an infinity pool, two levels of patios that over look the lake, a couple of hammocks, wireless internet, and many floatie toys to use.  This location is a relaxing night after our first day of hard volunteer work.

Day 4 Ometepe Island: Today is a day of much traveling, as after having breakfast at the lake home, we'll get on our van and drive to San Jorge where we will catch a ferry to Ometepe Island.  We'll make a snack break at a gas station before getting on the ferry.  When we arrive to Ometepe Island, we'll go to Ojo de Agua, a natural spring which is great for swimming, especially after our day of travel.  Here there's a local restaurant cooking food for lunch, as well as some other tourists to meet. By late afternoon we'll head to Finca Magdelena, which is where we'll be staying.

Day 5 Ometepe Island: The whole day is reserved for exploration. The staff at Finca Magdalena lead various types of tours ranging for 1 hour walks to see petroglyphs to day-long volcano climbing trips. You get to decide what kind of a tour you will take that day.  All of your meals will be purchased individually from Finca Magdalena as they offer a great, affordable and organic menu.

Day 6 San Juan del Sur: The morning is dedicated to traveling to San Juan del Sur, the most popular Nicaraguan beach town.  Once we arrive and check into our hotel, which offers simple, family-run accommodations right across the street from the beach, you will have the day to explore San Juan del Sur, swim in the bay, buy souvenirs and take Spanish classes or yoga classes if you like. This will be a good night to walk get to know the local businesses that San Juan offers. There are many beach clothing stores, restaurants, internet stations, a market, and convenience stores.  So if you need anything, it's very easy to get in San Juan del Sur.

Day 7 San Juan del Sur:  SURF'S UP!  We'll all be surfing today with Arena Caliente, my surf shop for over 5 years.  You will get a surfboard, a rash guard, wax and a leash for a day.  I'll lead a group basics surf demonstration, then it's all you. The company will provide a ride to a beach with great waves, and we'll surf for hours. Upon returning to San Juan del Sur, there will be a free afternoon for lounging, yoga, or spanish classes.

Day 8 San Juan del Sur: In the morning we'll split up to do activities.  Some people may want to go surfing again.  Others may want to sleep in and relax. Another activities are horseback riding or kayaking. After lunch we'll meet at the hotel to go to Da Flyin' Frog's hilltop zipline canopy tour. It features 2.5 kms of great views of San Juan bay. If you like speed, you can reach a top velocity of 40mph!

 

Day 9 Traveling back to USA:

We'll take a private van direct from San Juan del Sur to the Managua airport. We'll have two shuttles leaving at different times to accommodate the different flight times.