Nicaragua

[laughing husky]

Took a Princess tour there a couple of years ago. Not sure what it was called but went to Granada, which is a wonderfully historic city...and then quite a long boat ride on Lake Nicaragua...we both fell in love with the country and yes, it was poor, but everyone had pride in there selves, and there homes, and their kids. We liked it so much better than Costa Rica...

[Floflegs]

Would certainly recommend a tour. We did not take one and the port was the poorest place we have ever been. So sad to see the people with nothing.

[Go-Bucks!]

We took the Rivas, Lake Nicaragua & Scenic Drive tour which was okay but nothing exceptional.

 

A drive to the small city of Rivas with an average church & small plaza. A quick dance performance next to the large lake with a free drink & a hazy view of the volcanoes. Next time I'd stay in San Juan del Sur although from what I saw of it there wasn't much to do there either.

 

There might be better things to do in Nicaragua but none of the other available tours interested us.

 

 

We took this tour and it turned out to be horrible and we were refunded 25% of the cost. The church was closed and locked up. It was pouring rain so we couldn't get out of the bus while parked on the plaza, but the driver wouldn't leave because we'd get to the next stop early. So we just sat there in a roasting hot and humid bus for an hour! Then we drove to the "resort" which was just a place to get a small cup of chopped fruit and a small cup of juice. We sat under a roof while it was still raining and the fog was too thick to see the volcanoes. The infrastructure is not good enough for supporting thousands of tourists and it was sad to see such poor living conditions.

 

After returning to SJDS, we walked around the town (not raining there), went into their quaint church, wrote emails at an Internet cafe, and had a very nice time at the bookstore/coffee shop called Gato Negro. It's where the many American ex-pats who live in SJDS frequently gather. Wish we had just stayed in town and not taken that lame excursion.

Edited July 18, 2015 by Go-Bucks!

[Colo Cruiser]

We took this tour and it turned out to be horrible and we were refunded 25% of the cost. The church was closed and locked up. It was pouring rain so we couldn't get out of the bus while parked on the plaza, but the driver wouldn't leave because we'd get to the next stop early. So we just sat there in a roasting hot and humid bus for an hour! Then we drove to the "resort" which was just a place to get a small cup of chopped fruit and a small cup of juice. We sat under a roof while it was still raining and the fog was too thick to see the volcanoes.

 

After returning to SJDS, we walked around the town (not raining there), went into their quaint church, wrote emails at an Internet cafe, and had a very nice time at the bookstore/coffee shop called Gato Negro. It's where the many American ex-pats who live in SJDS frequently gather. Wish we had just stayed in town and not taken that lame excursion.

 

 

Yikes! :(

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Would like to hear from anyone who has taken any of Princess Excursions from San Juan Del Sur. Interested in your views as we are still undecided on which excursion to take. Am not interested in any do it yourself tours only Princess Excursions. Thankyou

 

We took the Princess tour to Managua in March, 2015. It was an interesting tour to see the capital of the country. The city has not rebuilt large areas of the old part of town since the earthquake in 1972. There is a new area on the outskirts of town. Lunch was at a restaurant on the shore of Lake Nicaragua. It was good, and the place was clean. Our guide was very knowledgeable and well spoken. He is their main guide for Managua.

 

While we found the tour interesting, it is not one we would repeat. Next time we are in SJDS, We'll probably go to Granada.

[Crystabel]

Don't forget about private tours. We took a wonderful private tour listed on Trip Advisor! I'm not sure if I can list it here, but go to that site and do some research. There were four of us and the guide, so we were able to beat the buses to some of the more popular tourist stops. Our guide was more than happy to adjust the itinerary based on our preferences. We just loved Nicaragua and would go back in a heart beat.