Granada in 5 days

About a month ago we had some very good friends visit us from the states. Prior to coming out here they questioned whether 5 full days would be enough to see the sites around town. Elise and I felt confident that it would be a good first start to Granada, so they came. Below are the activities that we did, of which are easily doable, while visiting this area. Most importantly, these guys are well-seasoned travelers and go all over, to places like Argentina to visit ranches, Guatemala for fishing expeditions, etc. So their honest opinion of Granada would mean a lot to us. And it did. They left feeling like they wanted more and struggled to explain why they hadn't come sooner. They were impressed with the locals, the natural settings, and felt at ease the entire time. Below are pictures from their stay and we hope they give you some ideas on your trip to Nicaragua as well:

Day 1: Tour Granada, restaurants, and relax

The first day is usually a day of orientation and making a game plan. Thankfully there are many excellent restaurants in Granada to help ease the transition. Granada is an easy walking town for adults but while traveling with kids maybe a horse drawn carriage is an easier way to cover larger distances.  

Day 2: Laguna de Apoyo and a lot more relaxing 

The unspoiled beauty of Laguna de Apoyo makes it a spot that we willingly keep going back to visit. There are several resorts along the lagoon that make it easy to enjoy the lake while having the conveniences of boats, restaurants and restrooms. 

Day 3: Donating to charity and ziplining 

We loved how our friends brought goodies to give to the children in the poorer barrios. They made it simple and effective when it came to their donations. They brought about a 50% toys and 50% clothing type materials. Seeing how their gesture brightens the day of others is what giving is all about.  

After the donations were through we went zipling. The kids obviously had a blast, but hearing the wives giggle and laugh with such joy while sliding down the cables is what I enjoyed the most. Ziplining is an easy adventure and since they are located at the base of Mombacho volcano, it's only a 20 minute drive from Granada.

   

Day 4: Butterfly garden and Masaya volcano

The kids definitely wanted to go back to the butterfly garden to see the latest action over there. Though the drive sometime feels sketchy the people along the way are just wonderful. In fact, My buddy, Kyle, remarked how the kids were playing with simple items like a wheel and were having the time of their lives. He went on to say that more parents in the U.S. need to see this, and how simple kid's needs can be 

After the butterfly garden we relaxed at home for a while than left at exactly 5pm for the Volcano. You don't want to leave much later than that otherwise the line at the park entrance gets too long. The night we were at Masaya volcano the lava was sloshing around more than usual thereby creating distorted images on the crater walls (like the first image below) also gas fumes were pretty intense so we only stayed a short while. 

Day 5: Party boat lake Nicaragua 

We went aboard the Bella Mar party boat for a private cruise for all of our friends. To say we had a blast is an understatement . I'll let the pictures of our friends do the talking.