Our People
  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Liz Bonnin 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.

Little Corn beach, sunset, Corn Islands, Nicaragua

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.

Chestnut Mandibled Toucan, Nicaragua
Nicaragua

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.

Granada Cathedral, Granada, Nicaragua
Granada, Nicaragua

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.

Ometepe Island with Volcano, Nicaragua
Ometepe Island, Nicaragua

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.

Leon Cathedral, Leon, Nicaragua
Leon City, Nicaragua

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.

Morgans Rock Hacienda & Ecolodge, Two Bedroom Ocean View Villa Private Terrace, San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua

Stay in an Eco-Lodge

Tucked into the forest canopy, stay in an eco-lodge with views of the ocean below.

Suggested Holiday Idea

Turtles on the beach, Nicaragua

La Flor Wildlife Refuge

Visit La Flor Wildlife Refuge and watch thousands of turtles come ashore to lay their eggs.

Suggested Holiday Idea

Mantled Howler Monkey, Nicaragua

Hiking in Nicaragua

Hike through the forest where monkeys roar from the tree canopy.

Suggested Holiday Idea

Ash boarding down Cerro Negro Volcano in Nicaragua

Ash Boarding

Travel down the slopes of Cerro Negro volcano on an ash board.

Suggested Holiday Idea

Chestnut Mandibled Toucan, Nicaragua

Bird Watching

Trek trails for some superb bird watching opportunities.

Suggested Holiday Idea

Colourful Doorway in Granada, Granada, Nicaragua

Stroll the streets of Granada

Take a walking tour in Granada of the historic buildings.

Suggested Holiday Idea

Esteli Tobacco Plantation

Esteli Cigar Factory

Tour one of the cigar factories in the university town of Esteli.

Suggested Holiday Idea

Local Fishing on Lake Nicaragua, Granada, Nicaragua

Lake Nicaragua

Take a boat ride out to Lake Nicaragua and visit some of the many islets.

Suggested Holiday Idea

Ometepe Island

Ometepe Island

Visit local communities for an insight into life and work on Ometepe.

Suggested Holiday Idea

Hammocks, Nicaragua

Rocking Out in Granada

Visit the surrounding villages famous for hammocks and rocking chairs.

Suggested Holiday Idea

Ometepe Island, Nicaragua
Ometepe Island, Nicaragua, Nicaragua

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.

14 days

from $4,990 pp

See holiday idea

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.

More luxury accommodation

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
  • 1 800 571 2985

Frequently asked questions about Nicaragua

Is Nicaragua safe to travel around?

What is the time zone in Nicaragua?

Start planning your trip


Send us an enquiry

Complete our enquiry form and start your next journey.

Enquire

Very satisfied with all aspects of our trip. Steppes kept us fully informed of the progress of the arrangements and gave us various choices of hotels.

Nick

Why Choose Steppes?

Our knowledge and expertise set us apart. So too our curiosity. 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?


More about Steppes

F L E X I B I L I T Y P R O M I S E B O O K W I T H C O N F I D E N C E