Best tourist experiences in Granada
 

We are going to be in Granada for 10 days on a mission with an eye surgery group at the end of November/beginning of December, so we will be very busy during the week, but we might have two days on a weekend to do something. We will not have a car, so will have to rely on taxi, bus or whatever for transportation.

We are thinking about something active, a hike, maybe a kayak trip, volcano or other beautiful sight. If you had two day trips to make, what would they be? And who could we contact to make arrangments for transportation, etc. We are staying at the Hotel Granada.

Thanks for your help.

Cindy

Cindy,
I just got back from Nicaragua last week. I really loved Granada. There are so many great things to do.
We used Oro travel. They are very helpful and quick to reply.
My favorite hike was the puma trail. It just a beautiful peaceful hike although it's a bit challenging. It is on Mombacho volcano which is also offers a lesser hike. It's really an adventure just to get there. There is a coffee farm on the way where you can purchase some coffee although the same coffee was cheaper in town. You can also do a canopy tour after your hike.
I also really loved going to San Juan Oriente to look at and buy pottery. It would only take a couple of hours to do this though.
If you contact Oro travel they can send you some information about the different tours that they offer. Have fun

I went to the Oro Travel webpage and it is "under construction." A little frustrating. I did send them an e-mail, so hopefully I will hear something, but would like to have looked at their offerings online.

Could you give me a little more information about the volcano tour you took. Is there also a lake nearby where you can swim?

The trip will be coming up soon and I'd like to be able to offer some alternatives to our group within the next week or so. Hopefully they will respond quickly.

Anyone else know of another travel website that might have some information?

Thanks for your help.

Cindy

Yes, their site is under construction - they are working on it to list more tours & info etc, they said it would be done soon but no exact date. Rodolfo is most helpful, I just used them last week and was impressed. When I was picked up at the airport they had a huge folder filled with Granada & Nicaragua info, plus a 2 page sheet typed out for my personal tours with them for the next 3 days.

You could do a trip to Mombacho or the isletas, both take up a few hours, or Masaya/Catarina/San Juan del Oriente which takes up most of the day. Oro was most accomadating, so I'm sure they could tailor to your needs. I really enjoyed Mombacho, the huge truck going up the steep drive there is part of the fun.

Cinday,
Roldolfo from Oro travel usually gets back to you right away, almost always the same day.
Since their website is under construction you could always look at another agents websites to get some ideas about what you might want to do.
There are two different volcano's that you can visit from Granada. Mombacho which is green, peaceful and has some great hikes.
Masaya volcano is more desert like, some short hikes but is interesting to see. The sulfur smell can be bad from what we hear but the day we were there we couldn't smell anything.
There is a nice lake to go swimming in, the water warm and the views beautiful. I believe it's lake apoyo.

I did write to Oro and Rodolfo sent me a pdf file with their tours within a day, so I'm really happy with that. It's just deciding what to do. The canopy tour? Is that spectacular? If you could only do one volcano, which would you do? Can you really hike along the edge of the volcano? I'm not sure what to expect. We can probably only do one tour. Which is the most spectacular for scenery? We are active people, not much for shopping. I think we could do the puma trail. Is it worth it? I'm thinking we could pick up some things in Granada. I'd love to swim in the lagoon. How to make a decision?

I realize it becomes personal as far as interests, but is there any standout?

Cindy,
I am also an active traveler and we always like to keep busy when we travel. I would have to vote Mombacho as my favorite volcano between the two. It's green and has great trails. If you hike the puma trail the guide will explain to you about the different parts of the volcano. You can't hike the trail without a guide. It's very steep in some places but our group of four didn't have any problems at all.
I didn't actually do the canopy tour although my three friends did. They loved it. They had done one earlier this year in Costa Rica and they were completely different, not as strict, but still safe. They had a blast.
If you go up to Mombacho the day starts early so you will still have time after doing the canopy tour to go swim in the lake, and then go visit San Juan Oriente to purchase some amazing pottery.I am not much of a shopper either but I did fall in love with the pottery and would have loved to buy more. I just couldn't carry anymore home.
It is a hard decision.
A previous poster, look under the Nicaragua posts I believe it's called Nicaragua for all senses or something like that wrote up a great report of Mombacho. I believe he has since posted some photos. That may help you with your decision.