How was your Explore Tour Leader?

Jose was a really good tour leader. we liked him a lot

What tips would you give to someone else booking this tour?

Relax and enjoy this beautiful country and it's friendly people......I enjoyed every minutue

Do you have anything else to add?

The accommodation on Corn Island was very poor, it was run down and we had hundreds of large ants coming out of the wall in the bathroom all over the sink, most unpleasant and at pillow end of the bed........The window were boarded and too difficult to open. It was nice once but not now.

A very interesting trip; lots of variety from volcanoes to cities to backwater villages and sea.  Nicaragua is pleasantly underdeveloped for tourism, but our group of 18 was too large and at times we were split between 2 hotels.  Some accommodation was basic, with lots of cold showers, though in the same hotel other members of the party faired better with hot water and big rooms.   We got wetter on the boat trips, especially the crossing of Lake Nicaragua, (protect your passport and currency in polythene) than we did from the few brief showers.  Take lots of Deet, and sunblock, but walking boots AND trainers weren't both needed as suggested in the itinerary.  Walking sandals were the best option for vitually all days.  Wellies were available at Bartola, adequate unless you have tiny or huge feet. Just take socks to pad them out. Though dollars were a valid currency everywhere, the exchange kiosk @ Managua airport will change sterling, avoiding double commission charge.  ATMs gave dollars or local cordoba, and change in the country is always given in cordobas, which you need for market purchases.  A good trip if you don't mind roughing it a bit; no dressy clothes needed.  Not much fitness required as walking distances not an option.  Highlights of the holiday were looking down into the crater of a volcano, the peace and tranquility of Bartola, and relaxing on Corn Island at the end. All in all value for money and an experience not to be missed.

Nicaragua is well worth visiting for its wonderful variety of scenery, both natural and man-made. Any country with a lake big enough to contain an island (Ometepe) with two 5,000ft volcanoes as well as a over a hundred other islands is bound to be interesting and Nicaragua’s amazing history has provided a lot to see and learn about. Although my visit was in the low (rainy season) the weather did not interfere with enjoyment as showers, although sometimes quite heavy, rarely lasted more than half an hour and many days were entirely dry. Well in the Tropics, it is, of course, always very warm and mostly humid. So don’t make the mistake of taking unnecessary clothing or even light clothing that will not dry relatively quickly as the tour moves rapidly from one hotel or lodge to the next. The walking is easy except for the jungle trails at Bartola which are very muddy and if your feet, like mine, are too big for any of the gum boots provided you will destroy your hiking boots. For this reason persons of restricted mobility through age or injury would be advised not to undertake these trails but could then miss out on toucan, cayman and monkey sightings. Highlights of the tour are three days in beautiful Granada on Lake Nicaragua. Not to be missed are the visits to the active Masaya volcano and the truck ride to the summit of Mombacho. Then to the Island of Ometepe in the lake. We found the lake to be ideal for swimming and kayaking at Santa Cruz (although not mentioned as an option in the itinerary) was superb. The cheeky blue jays rely on their handsome and exotic appearance to get away with stealing breakfast from under your nose, but some eventually lose patience and try, unsuccessfully, to shoo them away.  Only a brief evening in San Juan del Sur on the Pacific coast but enough for a quick swim and a stroll around this old world holiday venue for Nicaraguans (before it becomes another Cancun or Acapulco). By now the trip has been so fascinating and varied that it feels like you’ve been away for a month but there is still a week to come with what many will find to be the most interesting part. Next is the trip across the lake (via a quick look at the Solentiname islands) to San Carlos at the point whera the enormous Rio San Juan leaves the lake on its way to the Caribbean sea. We head for quaint riverside El Castillo where we spend a night and then the Indio Maiz Reserve at Bartola where we spend two. After twoe days in the jungle (mosquito nets provided but the insects were not too troublesome) we came back up the river and drove from San Carlos the 120 miles to Juigalpa through the cattle rearing Chontales region to the East of the lake. After a night in a reasonable hotel with welcome modern showering facilities we drove to a steamily hot town of El Rama, half way to the coast and Bluefields. I clocked our 50 mile boat ride on the Rio Escondido at up to 34 mph. Quite exhilarating, especially when going around bends and over the wake of other speed merchants. Luckily there was only a very short shower as protection in this uncovered boat was by means of a huge plastic sheet covering all 20 occupants. From Bluefields in an ATR 42 twin turbo prop we flew the 50 miles to Corn Island. For two days of relaxation in a hotel right on the beach. Although I didn’t go on the snorkelling trip, most did and this turned out to be unsuccessful more because of unsuitable boats and lack of equipment than the slightly rough sea.  Then back to Managua and the picturesque but rather austere Hotel Bolonio.ready for a 5am start to get to the airport for the flights home.  A disappointment regarding the tour’s arrangement is that by the time we had left San Juan del Sur after the first week we had no further opportunity to visit any markets or shops where we could buy genuine Nicaraguan products to bring home. Had we known this we would have done all such shopping in Masaya Market on the third day.  In fact the only chance to buy rum or coffee at shop (rather than airport) prices was a hurried 10 minute visit to a supermarket on the last evening. It was generally considered that the long slow drive from San Carlos to Juigalpa was a waste of a day but this should improve for future tours as the road is being upgraded from a muddy track with rickety wooden bridges to quite a decent standard judging by the completed sections. (NI - 16th October 2010)

This was the first Explore trip I'd been on, and the first tour I'd ever been on, and the first time I'd been to Central America, so I really had very little idea of what to expect! We chose this tour specifically because it promised an exotic location with culture, rainforests and beautiful beaches - and it didn't disappoint in the slightest. Each new destination on the tour felt completely different to the previous places we'd been. Friends keep asking me what the best bits of the holiday were and I'm at a loss - there are just too many to choose from. Surfing in Rio de San Juan, then watching the sun set over the bay, snorkeling through corals on Little Corn island, zip lining through cloud forest near Granada, kayaking through the islettas of Lake Nicaragua; these were fantastic experiences, but for me, the most exciting thing about the tour was how adventurous we all felt. To reach Bluefields, the town with the airport you use to get to Big Corn Island, you have to travel by motor boat. If it's bad weather, the rain hits you hard and fast and there's no roof. Luckily, the boat drivers have a solution - a large piece of black plastic sheeting that all the passengers have to hold over their heads! Sheltering under this large piece of plastic that isn't quite big enough to keep all the rain out felt like we were all a team; passengers kept exchanging grins and it looked like most people were enjoying the experience, really. There were so many experiences like this, that weren't part of the planned tour in the same way that things like the kayaking or ziplining were, but for me they made the trip what it was. The tour was packed with amazing sights and activities and all you needed was the energy to do them. Having said that, once you reached the tour destinations it was all fairly flexible, so if you feel you needed half a day to relax or have some quiet time, that wasn't a problem. I would definitely travel with a tour group again as it was such a pleasure to meet new people who became new friends; everyone had a similar and positive outlook to new experiences. I would definitely return to Nicaragua too. The most important things to pack are high factor sunscreen, DEET insect repellent and plenty of money for tips. I don't know whether it was the fact it was my first 'big trip' or the fact it was Nicaragua, but this country felt very special (and more experienced travellers on the tour expressed similar feelings). To say that the tourist industry is so new and underdeveloped, we stayed in exceptionally comfortable accommodation and yet felt that we had experienced some of the 'real' Nicaragua too. I could barely place it on a map before booking the holiday but it turned out to be one of the best things I have ever done. Now the travel bug has bitten, I'm planning my next adventure for next year! (NI- 23rd July 2010)