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Heroes and Heroines Corn Islands
Once a haven for buccaneers these islands offer white-sand beaches and turquoise waters alongside a cultural experience.
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![Amy Waters snow biking]()
Our Team Steppes Travel is made by the people who work here. Incredible holidays are made possible because of their vast travel experience and the great enthusiasm they bring to their work.
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![William Dalrymple]()
Our Tour Experts We carefully select our experts based on their knowledge, companionship and influence, ensuring that you can travel with the most knowledgeable leaders in the field.
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Heroes and Heroines The people who lead the way when it comes to those things which matter to us: exploration, the environment, women’s empowerment and education.
Nicaragua Holidays
A fresh face on the travel scene – but one that you cannot afford to miss. This relatively untouched culture is overflowing with rare and wonderful wildlife, colonial architecture and an ample sprinkling of luxury hotels.
Our aim has always been to identify new and exciting destinations encouraging our clients to take the bold step before others. Nicaragua is one of those countries.
We believe that over the next few years you will hear much more about holidays to Nicaragua. Just remember we were the first to urge you to go.
Granada
Granada, or the "Gran Sultan", is one of Latin America's most beautiful colonial cities.
Leon City
Leon is a maze of cobbled streets, intricately carved doorways and wrought-iron balconies.
Northern Highlands
Several cloud forest reserves are found at higher altitudes, most notably the Reserva Natural Miraflor.
Ometepe Island
The majestic peaks of the Conception and Maderas volcanoes rise out of the horizon creating a spectacular approach for visitors.
Pacific Coast
Dubbed the Emerald Coast, Nicaragua’s Pacific coastline is vividly beautiful.
Why we like Nicaragua
We tend to like places that are not overrun by hordes of tourists and where the local culture remains an integral part of daily life, not just displayed for visitors. Nicaragua is just such a place and we think it is wonderful. With gorgeous beaches, superb snorkelling, varied birdlife and fabulous colonial architecture in the charming cities of Granada and Leon, a holiday in Nicaragua is a must.
What to expect on your holiday to Nicaragua
Nicaragua’s infrastructure has not really gathered pace yet and the typical Central American somewhat delayed response time means that most things happen – eventually. If you can accept that way of travelling, you will find a very beautiful country with not only a rich plant and wildlife but also the impressive faded, grandeur of Spanish colonialism.
Bounded by two great oceans, Nicaragua is the largest Central American country. It has over 400 volcanic islands including several active volcanoes, sparkling rivers, rainforest, dense mangrove and some beautiful islands both in the Caribbean and also in the huge inland sea of Lake Nicaragua. You will also find some excellent hotels, a few of which have won international awards. Rather bizarrely, but charmingly, there are no street names and addresses are found through a complex system of landmarks.
Rural villages dot the beautiful landscape and horses or oxen pulling carts are a common sight on the rambling roads. The old colonial towns of Granada and Leon groan under the weight of colourful history, timeless architecture and unique period churches. This is a unique country where real nature and an unmolested culture emerge to offer a fascinating and varied holiday destination.
Explore Nicaragua
- Corn Islands
- Granada
- Leon
- Reserva Natural Miraflor
- Ometepe Island
Experiences
Tell us what you love doing and we’ll curate a journey that’s perfect for you.
Cultural Holidays
Need Inspiration?
Browse our Nicaragua holiday ideas.
Our experts have created and curated these holiday ideas to get you started. Take the time to search through them and find something to spark ideas for a unique adventure.
Where to Stay
Every captivating tailor-made itinerary needs a perfect base. Our team has handpicked this collection of properties to give you luxury options in styles to suit any adventure.
Meet our experts
A passion for travel runs right through every one of our experts - meaning they're always ready with first-hand insight about their specialist countries.
John Faithfull
This volcanic country offers an epic landscape of smoking cones, and one of John’s recommendations is to climb the young cindercone of Cerro Negro before tumbling down a vertiginous slope of light and (fairly) forgiving pumice scree.
Talk with our experts
- 01285 880 980
Is Nicaragua safe to travel around?
There has been an increase in crime in Nicaragua in recent years. Although the country remains fairly safe, it is best to be careful in urban areas. We advise that you leave valuables behind, take care in crowds and avoid wandering around after dark. Furthermore, when travelling by private car or taxi, keep the doors and windows locked at all times. For more information, visit the FCO website (https:// www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/nicaragua/safety-and-security).
Can I use my mobile phone in Nicaragua?
Mobile phone coverage is good in Nicaraguan cities, but can quickly disappear in rural areas. As always, roaming charges will apply and these can be quite expensive. However, it is cheap and easy to obtain a local SIM card, which will offer far cheaper rates.
What is the international dialling code for Nicaragua?
505
What is the time zone in Nicaragua?
Nicaragua is six hours behind GMT. It does not observe daylight saving time.
Haven’t found what you’re looking for?
Let’s chat
Why Choose Steppes?
Our knowledge and expertise set us apart. So too our curiosity. A curiosity of the world and of you, and your passions. It is this that drives us to create a journey that is really bespoke to you, all the while ensuring we travel and operate sustainably.
Are you ready to discover extraordinary once again?
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