Coffee Farm Tour Nicaragua: Matagalpa, Jinotega and Selva Negra

A coffee farm tour in Nicaragua means the northern highlands: Matagalpa, 125 to 128 km north of Managua, Jinotega, at about 1,004 m, and the Selva Negra estate between them. Monkeys Travels & Tours runs three private full days there from Rivas, from US$55 per person (groups of 4 to 6); US$95 solo. The picking season peaks between December and February.

Why the north grows the coffee

Coffee became Nicaragua's main export by 1870, according to Wikipedia, after large plantations started in the 1850s. Today it is grown mostly in the north. A June 2026 summary of the USDA's annual report by Daily Coffee News says more than 85% of arabica farms are in North Central Nicaragua, primarily Jinotega, Matagalpa and Nueva Segovia, and forecasts a 2026/27 crop of 2.44 million 60-kg bags.

The two towns split the work. The Spanish Wikipedia page on Jinotega says the department produces 65% of Nicaraguan coffee and that about 90% of it comes from small and medium growers. The Matagalpa page says nearly all the coffee of both departments is processed in Matagalpa, where coffee milling is the largest industry and employer.

When the harvest runs

Period	What you see
November to March	Harvest months per the IICA Nicaragua coffee guide (2007)
December to February	Harvest season per Wikivoyage's Jinotega page; the safest bet for seeing picking
April to October	No picking; the tour covers the plants, the mill, drying and the tasting

The sources do not fully agree, so we give the range. If watching the pickers is the point of your trip, aim for December to February, and mention it when you write to us with your date.

The three Monkeys coffee tours

Tour	Duration	Difficulty	Included	Price
Matagalpa Coffee Farm Tour	Full day	Easy	Guided farm tour, tasting, lunch at the farm, a bag of coffee to take home, water	US$55; US$95 solo
Jinotega, Coffee & Cloud Forest	Full day	Easy	Farm and highland tour, tasting, waterfall visit, water (lunch not included)	US$60; US$105 solo
Selva Negra Cloud Forest & Bird Watching	Full day	Moderate	Certified birding guide, entrance, binoculars, trail map, water	US$55; US$95 solo

Prices are per person for groups of 4 to 6, then solo. All three include private transport from Rivas. Tips and travel insurance are never included.

Matagalpa: from tree to cup

This is the classic coffee day. You visit a working shade-grown farm and follow the beans through picking, washing, drying, roasting and tasting. Lunch is at the farm, and you leave with a bag of coffee. Wikivoyage describes Matagalpa as the "Capital of Coffee", and the Spanish Wikipedia page gives the town an average elevation of 680 m.

Jinotega: higher and cooler

Jinotega is called the City of Mists because clouds often sit over it, per the Spanish Wikipedia page. The tour adds highland scenery and a waterfall to the farm visit and the tasting. Wikivoyage places Lake Apanás, a reservoir, about 5 km north of the city. Lunch is not included; we stop where you can buy it.

Selva Negra: the old German estate

Selva Negra began as La Hammonia, a shaded coffee farm set up by the German immigrant Hans Bösche in the 1890s, according to the estate's own history page; Wikipedia gives 1891. It sits at kilometer 140 of the Matagalpa to Jinotega highway, about 11 km from Matagalpa. The estate says its coffee area grew from 47 manzanas when the current owners bought it to 380 manzanas in 2025, all under shade and half organic, and it lists Rainforest, Biolatina organic and Bird Friendly certifications. Wine Spectator put the property at 3,500 to 5,000 feet.

Our Selva Negra day is a bird watching walk in the cloud forest next to the estate, with binoculars and a certified birding guide. Combine it with the Matagalpa farm tour if you want both coffee and forest.

Prices by group size

Group	Matagalpa	Jinotega	Selva Negra
1 person	US$95	US$105	US$95
2 to 3	US$70	US$80	US$72
4 to 6	US$55	US$60	US$55
7 to 10	US$48	US$50	US$46
11 to 15	US$40	US$42	US$38
16 or more	Quoted	Quoted	Quoted

Getting there from Rivas

Matagalpa is 125 to 128 km northeast of Managua (the Spanish Wikipedia page gives both numbers) and Jinotega 143 km by the northern Pan-American Highway. From Rivas or San Juan del Sur you drive through Managua first. Wikivoyage lists about 2 hours 30 minutes from Managua's airport to Matagalpa by bus or car, and about 3 hours by direct bus from Managua to Jinotega.

A full day from Rivas is possible, and our tours are built that way, but one night in Matagalpa or Jinotega makes the morning at the farm calmer. Bring a sweater: Wikivoyage gives 13 to 21 °C on the highland road toward Jinotega. The Government of Canada recommends avoiding road travel at night and notes poor cell coverage in mountain areas; our departures run in daylight. See our travel advisories guide for the official levels.

The north also has tobacco. Estelí is on the same highway, and our Estelí cigar factory tour guide explains how to fit a cigar day into the same trip.

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.

• Private tours: your group only, never mixed with other travelers.
• Bilingual bilingual guides born in Rivas, in a private vehicle.
• Daytime departures from Rivas or San Juan del Sur; we can add hotel nights in the north.
• Price and inclusions confirmed in writing. Free cancellation up to 48 hours before departure.
• WhatsApp +505 8506 1173, every day from 7:00 to 20:00, answers in under an hour. Send the tour, your date, the number of people and your hotel.