Granada is the colonial city on the shore of Lake Cocibolca, founded in 1524. Masaya Volcano National Park is the active crater you can drive up to, on the road between Granada and Managua. Monkeys Travels & Tours combines both in one private 9-hour day from Rivas or San Juan del Sur, from US$45 per person (groups of 4 to 6); US$80 solo.
What to do
Walk the center of Granada
Granada was founded on April 21, 1524 by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba. It is one of the first European cities on the American mainland that still stands on its original site. The streets around the central park and the cathedral are the walk we do first, before the heat of midday. Coffee and lunch stops are paid in córdobas.
Take a boat through the Isletas
The Isletas are an archipelago of small islands in Lake Cocibolca, commonly counted as 365. Our boat tour runs 2 to 3 hours in a private wooden boat with a captain and life jackets. You pass howler monkeys, herons and a ruined Spanish fort. If you prefer to paddle, the kayaking version lasts 3 hours and stops at the monkey island.
Stand at the rim of the Santiago crater
Masaya Volcano National Park was open as of July 2026, with a day shift from 8:30 to 16:30 and a night shift from about 16:30 to 20:00. A local outlet, TN8, lists the night shift until 19:30. Time at the rim of the Santiago crater is limited to about 5 minutes, and you cannot walk up to the crater on foot. The park can close without notice when activity rises, and the lava glow is less visible than in earlier years. We tell you this before you book the night tour, and we confirm the schedule the day before.
Entrance for foreigners is US$5 by day (C$180) and US$10 at night (C$370), according to a July 2026 report (seen November 3, 2026). Monkeys includes the entrance in every Masaya tour.
Shop at the Masaya artisan market
The market sells hand-woven hammocks, black pottery, wood carvings and leather goods, often with live marimba. Purchases are not included, so carry córdobas or small US dollar bills. Our 3 to 4 hour market tour can be added to a Granada day or done on its own.
Hike the cloud forest on Mombacho
On Mombacho, a 4x4 truck takes you up to the cloud forest, where the trails circle the craters and the guide points out orchids and, with luck, quetzals. A canopy zip-line is optional and paid separately. This is a 5 to 6 hour tour and works well as a second day in Granada.
How to get there from Rivas or San Juan del Sur
Granada is north of Rivas on the Pan-American highway. We do not publish a fixed drive time because traffic between Rivas and Granada changes with the day; the 9-hour tour is built around it, with pickup at your hotel in Rivas or San Juan del Sur and return the same evening. You ride in a private vehicle, only your group, and the same vehicle takes you between Granada, the lake, the market and the volcano.
For comparison, private day tours sold online by other operators, combining Granada or the Apoyo lagoon with the Masaya volcano, cost US$135 to US$180 per adult as of November 3, 2026; most of the listings we reviewed start in Granada.
If you land at Managua airport (MGA), the drive to Granada is about 3 hours according to the usual times of the Monkeys team, and we can start the tour there. Our base is described on the Rivas page, and the hour-by-hour plan is in our guide to Granada and Masaya in one day.
Best time to visit
The dry season runs from November to April and the rainy season from May to October, with September and October the wettest months. Demand peaks from December to April, so book the night volcano tour a few days ahead in those months. During the first days of Semana Santa 2025 more than 1.3 million people traveled inside Nicaragua; if you come that week, reserve your Granada hotel early.
What to bring
- Closed shoes for the Mombacho trails and the volcano parking area.
- Sunscreen, a hat and a light long-sleeve shirt for the boat.
- Córdobas for lunch, coffee and the artisan market; lunch is an optional stop and is not included.
- A light rain jacket from May to October.
- A small flashlight for the night crater visit. With about 5 minutes at the rim, have your camera ready before you walk up.
- Your passport or a copy of it.
