Central America Tour of Granada, Nicaragua (Video)

Granada, Nicaragua - Bohemian Travelers Image

We had the opportunity to spend about a week in Granada, Nicaragua. We crossed into Nicaragua by car from Costa Rica.  The power was out at the border so long lines of people waited to be processed.

After some light-hearted negotiation, a local "usher" took our passports to the express lane (don't ask) and brought them back stamped within 10 minutes.  These border ushers don't have a set fee, so discuss what you'll pay them upfront.

Once over the border the road was clear sailing most of the way to Granada, save for a few cows in the road.  Beautiful scenes of Lake Nicaragua and Volcanoes Concepcion and Maderas engulf the right-side view almost all the way to Granada.  The ride took about an hour and a half.

On the surface, Granada seems like a throwback to the '50s with horse an buggies and well-maintained colonial architecture.  It is indeed a charming old-school Central American town, yet it has many enjoyable familiarities like pancake and pizza joints, high-end restaurants, many hotels and hostels, good grocery stores and quality internet access.

The people are very sweet yet abundantly desperate. The poverty level was noticeably much higher than in Costa Rica.  The people were gracious but also aggressive when selling trinkets or begging.  We obliged when possible and never felt threatened in any way.  All products and food seemed noticeably cheaper than in Costa Rica, but Costa Rica is noticeably more modernized.

The main draw to Granada Nicaragua is the beautiful Colonial architecture and distant views of the lake and volcanoes.  National parks are nearby for day trips of volcanic craters and bat caves...again with stunning scenery.  Bring your nose plugs though as you can taste the sulfur in your mouth for a couple of hours after visiting the volcano. Watch our Granada tour Below: