Isletas de Granada: Boat or Kayak, Monkey Island, Fort San Pablo

An Isletas boat tour in Granada takes 2 to 3 hours on Lake Cocibolca, among small volcanic islands commonly counted as 365. Monkeys Travels & Tours runs it in a private wooden boat from US$35 per person (groups of 4 to 6); US$60 solo, or by kayak in 3 hours from US$40 per person (groups of 4 to 6); US$70 solo.

This guide covers what you actually see, how the boat and the kayak compare, and how to fit the islets into a trip from San Juan del Sur or Rivas. If you want the full Granada and Masaya day hour by hour, read our guide to Granada and Masaya in one day.

What you see on an Isletas boat tour

The islets sit off the southeast edge of Granada, scattered around the Asese peninsula. They are volcanic: when the Mombacho volcano blew out much of its cone into the lake, the debris formed the archipelago. One account dates that eruption to about twenty thousand years ago. The figure of 365 islets is the one most sources use.

Most islets are covered in trees and full of birds. Many are inhabited, some by local families who have lived on the islets for generations and some by owners of private vacation houses, and a few have small hotels. That mix is why the tour feels more like a ride through a neighborhood on the water than a visit to a nature reserve.

Fort San Pablo

The Fortaleza San Pablo stands on Isla del Castillo. It was built between 1770 and 1785 to defend Granada from pirate attacks, since pirates reached the lake by sailing up the San Juan River from the Caribbean. The fort is circular, follows the shape of its island and has walls about 4.5 meters high.

What you see today is partly a reconstruction. The fort was rebuilt in 1974 for the 450th anniversary of the founding of Granada, and part of an 18th century cannon battery remains inside. The boat route passes close to it. From the fort itself there are views across the lake to the red domes of the Granada cathedral.

Monkey Island (Isla de los Monos)

Monkey Island is the stop everyone asks about, so here is what it is. The monkeys did not arrive on their own. A visitor who wrote about the islets in 2015 was told by guides that they were brought by a veterinarian, and described a family of spider monkeys and one capuchin living on a very small island. Howler monkeys had been placed there earlier and swam away.

The same account notes that the monkeys depend on food from tourist boats and islanders. Boats stop next to the island so you can watch from the water. Please do not feed them or reach out to touch them; they are wild animals living in an artificial situation, and food from boats makes the problem worse. Howler monkeys also live in the trees of other islets, and you may hear them before you see them.

Boat or kayak: which Isletas tour to choose

Both tours are private and run in the same waters. The difference is pace, effort and how close you get.

	Granada Isletas Boat Tour	Kayaking Granada Isletas
Duration	2 to 3 hours	3 hours
How you move	private wooden boat with a captain	kayak and paddle, with a certified guide
Included	boat, captain, life jackets, 2-hour route through the islets, water	kayak, paddle, life jacket, guide, Monkey Island visit, water
Effort	none, you sit	moderate, you paddle the whole time
Wildlife	howler monkeys, herons, toucans, the fort	howler monkeys, birds, iguanas, Monkey Island
From (groups of 4 to 6)	US$35 per person	US$40 per person
Solo	US$60	US$70

Pick the boat if you travel with small children, older relatives, or a camera you do not want near the water, or if the islets are one stop in a longer day. Pick the kayak if you want silence, slower birdwatching and some exercise. In a kayak you usually cover less water, so you see fewer of the big houses and more of the narrow channels.

Prices by group size

Monkeys prices are per person and drop as the group grows. For 16 people or more we quote.

Group size	Boat tour, per person	Kayak tour, per person
1	US$60	US$70
2 to 3	US$45	US$52
4 to 6	US$35	US$40
7 to 10	US$30	US$34
11 to 15	US$28	US$28

Not included in either tour: hotel pickup (available from Granada), meals, tips and travel insurance.

How to do the Isletas from San Juan del Sur or Rivas

The two Isletas tours start in Granada. If you are staying in Granada, we arrange the pickup from your hotel. If you are staying on the coast, you have two practical options.

1. Take the 9-hour Granada + Masaya Volcano tour. It leaves from Rivas or San Juan del Sur and includes the Isletas boat ride, a walk through colonial Granada, the Masaya artisan market and the Santiago crater, from US$45 per person (groups of 4 to 6); US$80 solo.
2. Sleep one or two nights in Granada. Then you can do the boat or the kayak in the morning and the Mombacho cloud forest or Laguna de Apoyo and the Pueblos Blancos the next day. Our guide on getting from San Juan del Sur to Granada compares the ways to get there.

If you are crossing from Costa Rica, start with our page on Liberia to Nicaragua options and prices.

Tips for the day on the lake

• Go in the morning if you can. The sun on the open water is strong by midday and there is little shade in a small boat or a kayak.
• Wear a hat, sunscreen and a light long-sleeve shirt. On the kayak, wear clothes that can get wet and carry your phone in a dry bag.
• Bring a few córdobas or small US dollar bills if you want a drink on one of the islets with a restaurant; that is not part of the tour.
• Binoculars help with the herons and other birds along the shore of each islet.
• Combine it with something on land. The boat tour is short, so it pairs well with Granada on foot or with the Mombacho volcano, the same volcano that made the islets.

What Monkeys does

Monkeys Travels & Tours is a private tour operator based in Rivas, founded in 2018 by Everth Palma, who was born and raised in Rivas.

• Both Isletas tours are private. Your group only, never combined with other travelers.
• The boat tour includes a private wooden boat, a captain, life jackets and water.
• The kayak tour includes the kayak, paddle, life jacket, a certified guide, the Monkey Island visit and water.
• For trips from the coast, a private vehicle and bilingual guides born in Rivas.
• WhatsApp at +505 8506 1173, every day from 7:00 to 20:00, with answers in under an hour. Send the date, the number of people and your hotel in Granada, Rivas or San Juan del Sur.
• Written confirmation of price and inclusions. Free cancellation up to 48 hours before departure.