Nicaragua Full Day Tour from Costa Rica

A great experience. Excellent guide.

Very well organized tour, without any glitch, from pick-up until drop-off. Our guide in Nicaragua, Miguel, was very helpful and attentive. Granada is beautiful and probably deserves more time than this tour can offer. Crossing the land border is an experience in itself, wirh a relatively long walk through the no man's land, and offers a glimpse into the life of Nicaraguan migrant workers. Overall, a highly recommended tour.

Just book the tour

Great long daytrip It took us a long time to cross the border and we had to queue for over an hour Afterwards we heard of you pay $20 you can skip the line, Viator should just calculate this in the price or ask as our whole group would have gladly paid for this We saw many sights in one busy day and it didn’t feel too rushed Definitely recommend !

Long but beautiful day!

I really enjoyed this day trip to Nicaragua. Before going you have to understand and be accepting of a few things like the border process can be long (mainly on the way there). You have to get out of the bus and wait in line to get your passport stamped on both the CR and Nicaraguan side. It was a 3 hour drive to the border for us and then 2 hours at the border and after a lovely breakfast by the lake another 3 hours drive to the church, so it is a lot of time in the shuttle as others have said. However, all involved, especially Miguel our guide on then Nicaragua side tried really hard to make the experience a spectacular one. In one day, we saw a lot. In order to see a lot, it is a bit rushed. What we saw was beautiful and made me want to go back and visit again for a longer stay. Despite not being able to visit the volcano due to some activity there (we visited the Jesus en ti confio instead), I would highly recommend to those who understand and can appreciate what it takes to see so much in one day.

Very safe well worth it long day

The tour was very safe. Had a great activities. Was a very safe place. Did not feel unwelcome at any point. It's a long day but it was worth the experience. We are going to visit Granada again. The day trip was great you should go.

Great day trip

Great trip had a blast we highly recommend this trip. The tour guide Miguel was great he made the trip amazing!

Fantastic Guide!

Miguel is an amazing guide and loves showing off his country! I was skeptical if I would like this tour without the volcano, but I had a great time and saw a LOT of the beautiful country in a short time.

Nicaragua crossing from Costa

I’m going to start with the good first. Nicaragua is a beautiful country. We were able to see the volcanos, small island with beautiful homes, wild life, the 2nd oldest oldest town, and enjoy a carriage ride and the chocolate store tour. All was great once we got things going. Our tour guides and our driver from Costa Rica did all the could to make up for the mishap at the border and help us feel comfortable, while still enjoying our visit. They also made sure we did all that was listed. Here’s the not so good, not the fault of the tour company, but it’s the holidays and customs in Costa Rica was a nightmare. Fortunately our group of 7 were all very well travelled folks that understood things happen and we became a family as we work through our 3 hour boarder crossing. No, we didn’t stand in the line as we should have as there was a lot of collaboration with our group and the tour group. We’ll have stories to tell our families and friends. We did have to be flexible, calm, and prepared to do things the “Central American way”. Our driver did all he could to keep us as comfortable as possible and secure. He didn’t speak English but did what any human would want to feel comfortable in the situation and used his translator app on his phone to communicate with us. I sincerely appreciate that. He could have left us and he didn’t. Our tour guide in Nicaragua did what he could to make sure no matter what plan we came up with, we were comfortable with the decision. Would I do the tour again.? Yes, just not during Christmas border crossing. Oh and watch out for the men asking if you want to get a stamp. They just work to side-eye have you skip the line, while taking your money.

Long but amazing day

Fantastic experience this is a long day, so don’t make the mistake I did & do it the day after you have arrived in Costa Rica. Highly recommended this trip, another stamp on the passport

A great day at the colonial city of granada

Great day at the biggest lake of Nicaragua and a day trip in the colonial city of granada. Chocolate and cacao tasting .Had a ride in the horse carriage at granada and visited the beautiful cathedral.

Long day, but worth it!

I was in Costa Rica for the week and looking to do more than just sit at the resort pool. This was a great choice and I'm so glad I did it. We saw so much for only being in the country for 1/2 a day. The tour guides were excellent, breakfast and lunch were delicious, and the tour was kept to a smaller size which made it more manageable. We weren't able to get to the volcano because the crater caved in. That was a disappointment, but you can't control nature. While I enjoyed the Christ of Mercy statue and appreciate that they substituted something instead of just skipping a stop, it wasn't the same as a volcano. I also can't say anything about that stop as we didn't make it. Some things to note...it is an early and a LONG day. The estimate said 15 hours, it was closer to 17 and we were not the earliest pickup (Our time was 5:30am). As others have mentioned the border crossing from Costa Rica to Nicaragua took a long time, and was somewhat unorganized...not because of the tour company but just the way the line was set up. Again, nothing that was in their control. It was the Costa Rica side that took long, once we got to Nicaragua we crossed without any issues. The breakfast restaurant was right on the lake and allowed for some beautiful pictures, lunch was held inside a courtyard, and we enjoyed an optional horse drawn carriage ride around Granada (I think this was an additional $10/person). There were plenty of stops for photos and a few minutes allowed at various sites. More time would've been nice but then the tour wouldn't have been a day trip. Overall, highly recommended.

Frank the Tank day trip to Nicaragua

Booked the tour with Frank the Tank. Frank is wonderful and very responsive to Messenger communication and gives reductions for repeat or multiple tour bookings. The Nicaragua tour is interesting and the views spectacular. The guides and driver were excellent and very helpful, the equipment was clean and new and the food wonderful. Just be aware that crossing into Nicaragua is a very slow and painful process involving long lines, fingerprinting and multiple passport reviews. The trip overall takes about 15 hours and at least 10 of these are driving so I don't advise it with young kids, or if you're not prepared for the driving time. Return to Costa Rica is easier, but even the exit from Nicaragua is slow.

Good tour need longer

Long day. Very early start at 4.30am pick up from hotel. Transfer bus to our bigger bus to take us to the border. Bit chaotic there as the driver didn't speak English and left us to it. The tour guide on the Nicaragua side was fantastic though. Walked us across the border, went through everything with us. Very funny and knowledgeable. Breakfast and lunch were good. The horse and carriage ride was nice in Granada.As was seeing the old churches, very beautiful. We didn't get to go up the volcano as advertised as it was unsafe so we're taken to a statue of Jesus's instead. Bit disappointed in this to be honest. The boat ride around the small islands was ok. A bit choppy on the water! I think you need longer than a day here to see everything properly as it was very rushed.

Good tour overall

The actual time spent in nicaragua was awesome!! It was cultural, great food, great tour guides! The boarder crossing into nicaragua was less than desirable and long! And there was a LOT of drive time, but I would do it again!

An Amazing Day in Nicaragua

One of the highlights of our Costa Rica trip. It is an early start, and a late drop off but it was well worth it. Our Nicaraguan tour guide/driver, yep, one and the same, Claudio was FANTASTIC with us all day. We were a small group, just 4 of us. Just experiencing walking across the border, eating at local restaurants, visiting Granada. (Make sure you bring extra $$$ for a buggy ride.), the old churches, the boat ride, the religious statute, the horses on the side of the road eating, the chocolate and cigar factory. Soo many memories. Just a side note, you have to pay a minimal charge to use some public bathrooms. They will hand you sheets of toilet paper Some restaurants have the sink to wash your hands outside the toilet area. Amazing. I will remember the great memories of the day. Worth the money and time.

Perfect Day!!

Everything was perfect. Claudio was a great Guide and the drivers were very professional. The boat ride through the islands and seeing the monkeys was the highlight. Highly recommend this trip. .

No mention was made of the hassle to cross the Nicaraguan border and travellers should be made aware to be prepared

The border crossing at the Nicaraguan border not a good experience luckily it didn't rain that day People choosing to take this trip should be prepared

Fun but rushed

It was a fun trip! Mario, our guide was very knowledgeable about our sites. Breakfast and lunch were delicious! I felt a little rushed through the trip we spent a lot of time driving and not enough time at the individual sites. I think it was a great experience, but you should be prepared to stand in the immigration line - it took our group over an hour to get through. If you are looking forward to the monkeys, you should know that there are only two on Monkey Island and if another group is ahead of you on the tour, they will not interact with you.

EXCELLENT!

Armando was our tour guide/private transfer to the border of Nicaragua so we can travel there for the day. He was incredibly knowledgeable, personal and friendly! We will for sure be using Natives Way again when we come back!

Awesome trip!

Great trip, but its a LONG day!! We had very good drivers and a GREAT guide who were Friendly and very knowledgeable! So much information! I would definitely recommend!!

Long trio but we'll worth it

As everyone else says it's a well worth trip but a long day. The bus ride on the Nicaragua side was much more enjoyable as we had a large bus for a 10 people as opposed to the Costa Rican side. If you are only in Costa Rica for a few days I highly recommend checking this out.

Too rushed

What we saw of Nicaragua was cool but we were rushed in everything we did. They gave us 35 minutes to shop. Some people were upset we never stopped again to shop. Most of the day was spent driving. Most things we saw was from inside the van. I thought we would get out and walk around and go in buildings and churches but no that didn't happen. To spend $236 a person and waste an entire day driving and being rushed through things I would probably have to say I don’t recommend

Nicaragua Day Trip

This experience exceeded our expectations. It was a long day but worth it! Booking the tour was very easy and all communication with Viator was smooth.

Too much water.

Tour was canceled due to flooding. Traveled 3 hours in the van and then couldn’t continue because of the high water.

Great Day !

Really nice trip! Well organised and a lot of interesting places visited! Would definitely recommend. Well done to all concerned….

Our guide was Gustavo.

Our day trip to Nicaragua was amazing. : ) Thank goodness we had an awesome guide. Gustavo made the trip fun and educational. He and Julio took care of everything! We sent our passports in to the company ahead of time to help make the border crossing smooth and painless. We were educated about the people and the government and the beauty of the land. I hghly recommend Gustavo with Expedited Tours, and Julio with Destination Services for your outings and excursions while in northern Costa Rica. I can't wait until we get to go there again!!

Great tour guide, but the trip felt rushed

Tour guide was excellent, gave lots of interesting facts about Nicaragua and kept the trip entertaining. We covered lots of ground, but my only issue with that is a lot of the trip is spent on the bus driving. It’s also not the most comfortable bus. I understand there’s time restraints and it’s tough to see everything, I just wish the stops didn’t feel so rushed and we’d have more time to walk around.

Great

Great way of visiting two countries at the same vacation. Enjoyed Nicaragua to the fullest. It was a long drive from Tamarindo to Nicaragua so dress comfortably.

This tour and Claudio was the best ever!! Jimmy our driver from and back to hotel was the best!! We felt like family!!

That was the best tour ever. What a fun fulfilling day our guide Claudio. was amazing and extremely knowledgeable of CA!! And our driver was the best also. We had so much fun and we highly recommend this tour to everyone. It is a must do while you're in Costa Rica. With this group, they are amazing, professional, fun and entertaining. They hit the high bar all the way and over the fence!!!

Two great drivers and a beautiful country

We really loved Nicaragua! Our drivers, Ever and Diego, were excellent!! Our guide, Mario, had some opportunity to better inform us of things we saw along the way. Unless we asked he did not tell us what we were seeing.

Great tour

Miguel was a great guide he was very knowledgeable and personable. He did a good job of explaining the trip every step of the way. The only thing to keep in mind if you choose the peri supermarket as a pick up spot the lot is not owned by the tour company and is locked so you will have to park on the side street and yes it is safe to park there cause we drove 3 hours from San Jose.

Beautiful Country !

We enjoyed our trip very much. Such a beautiful country. The amount of time in the van is overwhelming but to be expected for what you get to see. Definitely recommend! getting another stamp in your passport and experiencing another country.

Do it, it’s totally worth it!

Do it!!! This was the only thing we rebooked for our 14 day trip to Costa Rica and totally worth it! Approx 286 miles total. Getting across the border was simple (although clearer instruction in English would have been helpful to reduce a little anxiety as we were dropped off on the Costa Rica side and walked to the Nicaragua side to meet our guide). The food for breakfast and lunch was amazing! The views of lake Nicaragua, the Pacific Ocean and crater lagoon were spectacular! The best part was feeding a monkey and the ride to monkey island! Our guide Mario was extremely knowledgeable on the area and history and was fun to chat with. Our driver Jimmy should drive for NASCAR 😂. Very friendly and attentive they both were.

really cool

“A fantastic full-day tour of Nicaragua! The guide was knowledgeable and made the experience memorable with a great mix of culture, history, and nature. Highlights included the visit to the active Masaya Volcano and the colorful streets of Granada. The pace was relaxed but packed with sights. Only minor downside was a long drive, but it was worth it for the incredible views and experiences. Highly recommended!”

Amazing snapshot day of Nicaragua

Miguel was an awesome guide providing great knowledge of culture, politics and way of life. As others have said, it's a long day but worth it!! It was warm and partly sunny so the weather was perfect for us. We had 2 kids, 9 and 7, with us and it was a lot of driving for them but the guide was great with the kids and they enjoyed the excursions.

Don't waste your money

Miguel the tour guide was very unprofessional, I didn't like anything except the driver joselito was very nice and professional. I won't recommend this tour to anyone, the restaurant food was not good at all.

Our family trip to Nicaragua.

Our guide did a fantastic job explain everything about our trip so we could understand. Our breakfast and lunch was just awesome. What a wonderful experience. The places we visited was authentic and extraordinary. This was a long day, but very worth it. Both vans were not so good, old and rough riding. Thanks for a great adventure we will not soon forget. Bill

Nicaragua is a must see country. Great excursion if you’re visiting Costa Rica.

The boat tour to see the many homes on the individual islands formed from the volcano is one of my favorite.. Loved the restaurant and food was delicious for both breakfast and lunch. City of Granada is beautiful. Architecture is great. Nicaragua is a beautiful country. I am pleased to have visited. Transport to and from the border was seamless. Drivers and tour guide made me feel safe and comfortable. Great experience. Definitely would recommend it to anyone who is interested.

Worth the long day to see Nicaragua!

I was worried about such a long tour day with so much time in the van, but it was worth it to see beautiful Nicaragua! We were escorted through the boarder and always felt safe with our guide. We got to see so much more than I expected - not just a hop across the border for a passport stamp. The boat tour and views of lake Nicaragua were stunning, as were views from Mirador de Caterina and the walk up to Cristo de la Misericordia. Grenada and the chocolate factory was a little underwhelming in comparison and would have loved to tour the volcano instead (which was closed for safety reasons), but we were able to buy some coffee souvenirs there. The WiFi in the van on Costa Rica side was great but we switched to a different van on the Nicaragua side which didn’t have WiFi and password posted. The van wasn’t overcrowded, but seats did become uncomfortable for such a long day of sitting.

Lots to see in one day!

We saw a lot of scenic views and learned about Nicaragua. Our guide Mario was great! Very knowledgeable and friendly. Welcomed questions and was watching for everyone’s safety.

Trip of a lifetime

We loved the boat ride to monkey island. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable on his country. We loved the breakfast and the lunch the food was very tasty. We also loved shopping in Niagara. It was a very long day, but we were so happy to experience it.

Beautiful Excursion

My friend and I truly enjoyed our day in Nicaragua!! They picked us up at 5:30 from our Airbnb and the tour went as scheduled. Keep in mind you are touring another country in less than 12hours. SOO MUCH TO SEE, so little time lol Everything was definitely speedy but nonetheless now I have to go back. This was truly a sneak peak of Nicaragua. - Food was DELICIOUS -Tour director and drivers were so nice -WiFi on the drive -Even let me charge my phone in the front of the van. -Small group (I like this)

Unmissable experience in Nicaragua!

Long trip, but well worth it. Going through the border was handled well, in my case they flagged taxes that wasn’t paid, it was handled promptly. The food included (Breakfast and Lunch) was local and excellent. There was no visit to the Volcano as this has been closed for quite some time but is still listed in the itinerary so should be amended as it is misleading. I would have liked more engagement during the ‘free time’ in Granada but I would still recommend this company and the trip 100%. Do it, you won’t regret it.

An incredible excursion! Do it.

This excursion is amazing! The tour guide is super knowledgeable and funny. The different site locations demonstrated a different culture, community, and story in Nicaragua. Our meals were also great, and I'm a picky eater. The most unexpected and slightly unnerving part, but the best story afterward, was crossing the border on foot when you've never done it. It's super smart to do and saves tons of time, but as a newbie, I had moments of "What's going on here?!" All in all, 5 out of 5.

Unmissable experience in Nicaragua!

Long trip, but well worth it. Going through the border was handled well, in my case they flagged taxes that wasn’t paid, it was handled promptly. The food included (Breakfast and Lunch) was local and excellent. There was no visit to the Volcano as this has been closed for quite some time but is still listed in the itinerary so should be amended as it is misleading. I would have liked more engagement during the ‘free time’ in Granada but I would still recommend this company and the trip 100%. Do it, you won’t regret it.

Nicaragua

Was a wonderful experience! Claudio and his team were great! A day well spent! We managed to see some great sites in one day.

Nice surprise

This trip was not planned but it's been one of the best things I've done while traveling Costa Rica. Nicaragua is a hidden gem: you get to see a huge lake, volcanos (at a distance), the mangrove, fields, villages and some settlements. You'll spend quite a while on the road so bring comfy clothes, fully charged devices, water and snacks, too. Weather keeps changing but mostly very hot, with fierce humidity. I'd love some spare time in Granada, a well preserved colonial style city. The guide wasn't very helpful. Only some basic facts on the way to every highlight, then focused on real state prices. Meal was simple and the place seemed dirty. Had some issues with muy lunch concerning allergies. Be careful and don't forget your medication. Had to administer mine in a rush. The guide couldn't care less. Stop at the chocolate factory was the typical tourist trap but OK.

A must do...

Our experience on the Nicaragua Full Day Tour with Native's Way was absolutely amazing! The transportation team was incredibly helpful and made the journey smooth and comfortable. Our tour guide, Claudio, was exceptional—informative, funny, engaging, and genuinely personable. He brought the history and culture of Nicaragua to life, making the tour both educational and entertaining. The country itself is stunning, with breathtaking landscapes and warm, welcoming people who made our visit even more special. A few helpful tips: bring comfortable walking shoes, pack an extra bottle of water, and take advantage of the bathroom breaks. Most importantly, listen to Claudio’s insights and soak in every moment. Support the local communities wherever possible—they’re the heart and soul of this beautiful country. This tour is a must-do for anyone visiting the region!

Go!

Absolutely amazing and worth the price! The views are spectacular, entry points and entrances are taken care of, and you feel totally safe. Great job Claudio for guiding us and answering all questions.

Great experience

Seeing some of the islands and the volcanoes, the old churches and buildings, the culture, food, street vendors, our tour guide was very knowledgeable, we felt very safe with our drivers.

Excellent tour

Although it was a rainy day in the morning, we were able to complete the itinerary in the schedule for the day. Tour guide was excellent and knowledgeable. It is a long day but it is worth it.