Unforgettable Granada: Private City, Lake & Volcano Journey

We had more of a driver than a tour guide. He efficiently got us around from place but offered little in the way of local information or background on what we visited. On the boat ride, the driver translated to English the narrative that the captain was providing. Based on the lack of contribution from the driver, I felt this tour was overpriced.

What a great tour both tour guides were knowledgeable about the roads and history of the tour we got to each destination safely. Amazing tour had a great time!!!

Very good tour. Not what we expected though. We had Gilbert as our guide. The tour of the city of Granada was basically the main square and church, light on details and history. The boat ride through the islets was very informative and enjoyable. The Catarina outlook was breathtaking, with options to zip line and walking on a suspension bridge, we declined both. My favorite part was eating a huge meal at a local restaurant and watching the futbol match. I’m unsure of the name of the restaurant, but the food was absolutely incredible. We had enough food for a family and many beers for under $40. The handicraft market was just carvings and trinkets, not for our pleasure. If you love getting your picture taken Gilbert is your man. Overall a very good tour.

Great experience touring Granada and Masaya. The tour guides spoke great English and the driver was excellent! We had a great time with Kevin, Zahara and Cruz. I would highly recommend this tour!

We are in a very comfortable AC car. The driver and tour guide are professional. They take us to all the beautiful places.

I would’ve liked this tour more if they offered group tours bc it made no sense for me to have a huge van all to myself and pay $120. The price is extremely high to not have lunch and all entrance fees included AT LEAST. Get a smaller car so a solo traveler is not overpaying for something that is not her fault. The only reason I booked this tour was bc it went to all the main spots in one day and I was short on time in Granada. Know what I know now, I would skip the boat tour, it was $20 and we saw 2 monkeys. The views of the homes were nice however. Everything else can be done on your own terms either by taxi or night tour to see the masaya volcano which was cool. I was aware of the additional costs from reading reviews and the PDF I was sent via WhatsApp which confirmed the fees I would have to pay. NO WHERE in that did it mention that I would have to pay for the guides lunch as well. When the bill came, I told him I was going to the bathroom first and then coming back to pay MY meal. When I came back, the bill was still on my side of the table and he made no motion to see how much his meal was. If he had been more professional and been great conversation, I would have had no problem paying for his lunch. I’ve done it on previous private tours when the guide is great but I did not like the feeling of being forced especially under the circumstances that I have yet to mention. During the city tour, the guide asked for a selfie which is common bc I know sometimes guides are required to take pictures of guests interacting during activities. I had no problem with the first and second selfie until he kept insisting and it felt like I was on a vacation with my boyfriend taking selfies at every single location. After the second pic, I told him “NO that was enough” and he stopped. He then asked for me to take a picture of him and to send it to him. I was born at night but not last night and I knew this was a way for him to get my number. I took the pic in the moment but never sent it to him. I do speak very good Spanish so I think he may have gotten too comfortable and forgotten that this was a business transaction and that flirting won’t get him anywhere. When he dropped me off, he asked when he would see me again and I said “never” and ran to my hotel across the street. I have a strong personality so nothing he did ever made me feel uncomfortable, I felt more annoyed than anything. The tour company could benefit from getting a smaller car if there is a solo traveler and having all entrance fees, activities, and lunch included in the price. Do not recommend this for a female solo traveler.

This was an amazing boat ride that allowed us to tour multiple small Islands within 2hrs. The tour guide told us the history behind many of the islands. This is something great to do with a group of people.

Brisi Sr was my tour guide for the day. She was very informative, friendly, and bilingual. Highly recommend her and her driver!! If I had to take another tour I would request her

The boat ride was really nice and the volcano itself was interesting however the guide did not provide any information on what we were seeing or the history of each place we stopped. Her English was difficult to understand and she didn’t seem to have the knowledge or experience to be a tour guide. While there was also a driver basically they just drove us to each location with little to know explanation.

This was a private tour with hotel pick up by Show Me Nicaragua Tours. Hansell the driver & Shirlee(sp?) the guide picked our group of 3 from our Managua hotel at 11 AM in a Toyota Corolla. We first went for an hour boat ride at Lake Nicaragua. We paid $40 for our group of 3 for the boat ride. We saw a few monkeys & lots of birds among the islets of this huge lake as the boat guide pointed out who owned which islet. It was cute when the boat owner called out to Michael the monkey in one of the islets. After boating, we went to a church & a market where we bought a few souvenirs with cordobas we got from the airport when we first arrived. Vendors also accepted US$. We went to the chocolate museum where their short tempered guide explained the chocolate making process. We stopped at a Nicaraguan restaurant where Hansell & Shirlee helped us order local meat dishes & we all shared it. As we ate, they explained their traditions & holiday practices. They asked us if we wanted to visit another market but we said no as it was getting dark. We instead went to a volcanology museum where Shirlee explained plate tectonics. It was already dark as we drove into Masaya volcano. We paid $10 per person for admission. We got off the car & walked a few steps to the crater as we snapped photos of the churning lava. A thick cloud of smoke was above the crater. We enjoyed our tour & we think both Hansell & Shirlee of Show Me Nicaragua Tours did a great job.