Granada is a city we absolutely adore, and across one we’ve spent several weeks in across two separate Nicaragua trips.
However, given the sometimes oppressive heat, and the frenetic nature that goes hand in hand with any Central American city or town, it was a welcome relief to be able to escape the busy streets and head into the hills, to the lakes, the countryside or - given this is Nicaragua after all - up a volcano or two.
If you’re spending time in the beautiful colonial city, you’ll definitely head outside of it on at least one day trip!
In this guide we’ve covered the most popular day trips from Granada, with advice on how to enjoy them as an independent adventure and recommendations for sourcing the best tours.
Spend the Day Laguna de Apoyo
There are a number of crater lakes in Nicaragua, but the beautiful Laguna de Apoyo is the largest, with by far the best set up for travellers.
Firstly, it’s one of few volcanoes in the country where there’s no mandatory hiking involved to get in / out and, on top of its proximity to Granada and Masaya, it’s very accessible with roads down to the shores of the lake.
This is foremost a recreation and relaxation destination, with a variety of beach clubs dotted along the western rim offering decent accommodation, with restaurants & bars, deckchairs, hammocks, and complimentary access to kayaks, rubber rings, and floating wooden pontoons. You can swim freely in the lake, whilst there’s even the chance to go diving.
We’ve written a complete guide to Laguna De Apoyo, and highly recommend taking a wee look before heading out to the lake.
Take A Tour | It’s super popular, especially amongst backpackers basing themselves in Granada, to take a day trip to Laguna de Apoyo with one the daily shuttles arranged by a number of hostels. These cost around $14 USD per person (including your transport there and back, as well as entrance to a beach club), and can be bought from your accommodation the night before.
Alternatively, if you’re simply wanting to see Laguna de Apoyo, enjoy the views and perhaps have lunch, consider visiting on a tour that combines the lake with other popular activities around Granada. You can see various options here.
Do It Independently | We’ve visited Laguna De Apoyo twice, and despite having a much less restrictive budget the second time round, still chose to arrive with public transport. For full details on how to get there without a tour or shuttle bus, read this post.
You will obviously have to pay for your beach club access, but it does mean that you will be able to decide which location suits your wants and needs better.
Hike up Mombacho Volcano
At just 10 kilometres from Granada, from whichever colourful colonial street you stand, Volcan Mombacho hovers in the distance.
Dormant for hundreds of years, it is its proximity to one of Nicaragua’s most visited cities that makes it such a popular popular day trip - that and the atmospheric cloud forest that climbs up and over its crater, transforming what was once only a cavern of rocks, into a verdant landscape.
It is also very easy to access, with a vehicle being able to drive right to the very top.
From here, there are several trails that can be followed in and around the crater, through the forest, and to various viewpoints:
Crater Trail | This is the easiest of the trails, and the only one that doesn’t require a guide. It’s 1.5 kilometres long, and takes between one to two hours depending on fitness and photo taking. Also includes two lookout points with beautiful views over Lago de Nicaragua and several surrounding volcanoes.
El Tigrillo Trail | This hike continues on from the Crater Trail above to two additional viewpoints, is 2.5 kilometres long and takes around 2.5 hours to complete. You need to pay for a guide to do this hike, as well as an additional entry fee.
El Puma Trail | This is by far the most challenging of the three hikes, through brings you to much lesser visited areas of Mombacho, across bridges and different lookouts. The trail is 4.5 kilometres long and takes around four hours to complete. You need to pay for a guide to do this hike, as well as an additional entry fee.
You can find full details of these differing trails, as well as all you need to know before planning your own visit, in our guide to Mombacho Volcano.
Take a Tour | We did this day trip independently with public transport and a lot of walking, but if you’d prefer the convenience, experience, and knowledge of a guided tour, then check out this highly-rated 5-hour 4WD tour from Granada.
Half-day tours are also offered at most agencies in the city.
Do It Independently | It is perfectly easy to visit Mombacho without a tour, but do note there are varying ways to do this independently, including a super budget option that includes a lot of walking and minimal costs, a spenny options that involves public transport part of the way but then a variety of mototaxis, jeeps and guides - or an option that lays somewhere in the middle.
For full details on how to visit without a tour, see our complete guide to Volcan Mombacho.
Stare into the fire at Volcan Masaya
Located in Nicaragua’s very first national park and known to the invading Spaniards as the ‘Gates of Hell’, the perennially active (but rather diminutive) Volcan Masaya is one of the most easily accessible in the country, with a road that leads right to the crater’s edge.
There have been no significant lava flows for at least 250 years, but every day there is constant bubbling below and thick smoke spewing from its crater.
It used to be possible to visit the park during daylight hours in order to hike the various trails, however it appears that due to safety concerns this is no longer allowed, and the trails are closed. For this reason, the vast majority of people choose to visit the volcano as darkness is falling, when you can stand right at the crater edge and watch the lava glow orange directly below.
We visited Masaya Volcano on our first visit to Nicaragua and, although you aren’t able to spend long at the crater edge due to the noxious fumes, it is quite an incredible sight!
Take a Tour | Day tours (like this one) from Granada usually involve a trip to Mercado de Artesania and a chance to explore Catarina, in addition to the volcano tour. This could be a great option if you’d like to check off a number of activities in one day. Find out more here.
As we mentioned above however, the vast majority of people join a night tour. These vary in price and duration quite considerably, depending upon the level of service. For example, backpacker-led companies with with tours arranged in their Granada offices charge around $20 USD, whereas highly-rated tours such as this one, booked in advance, can cost up to $50 USD per person.
Whichever you decide to take, be sure to check reviews as quality varies considerably (we wouldn’t recommend our company, and have heard others state the same about theirs).
Do It Independently | To begin with, take a microbus from Granada heading towards Managua and ask the driver to drop you off at Volcan Masaya (costs around 20 córdobas). From here, it's a 5km walk to the main entrance, although it is relatively easy to hitch a ride or jump in one of the many jeeps that wait at the bottom of the road.
The entry fee to the national park is $3 USD per person in the day, but in the evening you will need to join a guide and the fee increases to $10 USD per person.
As a sidenote, whilst it is perfectly possible to visit independently at night, many people will not feel comfortable leaving in the darkness to walk the 5 km back to the road (to be honest, we don’t think we would). So, strongly consider how much you want to save a bit of cash - for many, a tour will be best.
Take Boat Trip to the Isletas
365 little islands dot the surface of Lago de Nicaragua, created when Mombacho blew its cone thousands of years ago.
A beautiful constellation to view from atop the volcano, this archipelago is now home to small communities, verdant landscapes, wildlife and even the odd fancy resort - and one of the most popular day trips from Granada is to join a boat tour that passes around and through them.
Alternatively, you can also rent kayaks and explore Lake Nicaragua yourself.
Do It Independently | For reasons that should be obvious, taking a boat tour to the islets can only be done with, well, a tour. As an alternative, it’s possible to rent kayaks and explore Lake Nicaragua independently. Expect to pay around $15 per person, for 1.5 hours rental.
Take a Tour | Tours can be booked online, and in advance - such as this sunset boat ride - or alternatively you can arrange one yourself by popping down to the docks at the port (maps) - stand still long enough, and a tour operator will soon swoop in to offer you a ride!
Prices have become a little more negotiable given the lower numbers of tourists currently coming into the country, but make sure everyone gets a fair deal if negotiating.
If you’d like to combine a boat ride with a guided tour of Granada, be sure to take a look at this three-hour tour with numerous excellent reviews.
If kayaking sounds more up your street, this 2.5 hour guide-led kayak trip looks like a great way to explore the islands!
Peruse the Masaya Market
Whilst the guide books aren’t completely honest in their representation of Masaya’s artisan market (there are a a few too many mass-produced products and not nearly enough high-quality handicrafts), a couple of hours spent wandering amongst its stalls is still a pleasant enough day trip from Granada. This is especially if you’re only in the country for a short time, or looking to buy some last minute souvenirs before heading back home.
Just be sure to take a good look around before purchasing, and if possible, buy directly from sellers who have made the items themselves.
For a more authentic experience, be sure to also check out Masaya's Mercado Municipal. Selling similar items to Granada's, this market has the added benefit of being spread out over a much larger area and gives a wonderful insight into the city’s culture, the chance to interact with some friendly locals and somewhere to buy excellent ingredients for dinner!
Take a Tour | If you’re au fait with using public transport in Nicaragua, then you really don’t need to take a tour to visit the market. The exception to this would be if you’d like to pair it with other nearby attractions - for example, this full day tour which includes the market alongside Volcan Masaya and Laguna de Apoyo.
Do It Independently | Visiting Masaya Market is super easy! Simply jump in one of the regularly departing chicken buses that leave from the little station / car park hidden away just off the Parque Central de Granada - find it here on Google Maps. These will drop you at the terminal right next to Masaya’s Mercado Municipal, from which it’s and easy walk to the artisan market.
To return, there are super regular buses heading back to Granada.
