Nicaragua Motorcycle Tour: Volcanoes & Lakes

Your Nicaragua motorcycle tour begins with arrival in Managua. A transfer takes you straight to the colonial town of Granada, the starting and later finishing point of your tour. Here you pick up your rental motorcycle and meet your travel group and multilingual guide before the stages through volcanoes and lakes begin the next morning.

On this guided Nicaragua motorcycle tour you leave Granada and ride to the crater of the active Masaya volcano, where smoke and fumes rise into the air. Sandy tracks and quiet villages with ox carts lead onward toward Mateare, past Momotombo volcano, until you reach the colonial town of León.

A free day in León invites you to explore the colonial town, or you can use your Nicaragua motorcycle tour for a loop along the volcanic chain. Excursions to the rum town of Chichigalpa, the nearby beaches, or a boat trip through the mangroves of Isla Juan Venado are also possible.

This stage of the off-road Nicaragua motorcycle tour follows unpaved tracks along a chain of extinct volcanoes toward La Pancha. You ford a river where locals and animals cool off, eat the national dish Gallo Pinto in El Sauce, and reach the cigar town of Estelí via good dirt roads.

Your Nicaragua motorcycle loop follows scenic country roads to the dusty town of San Juan de Limay, known for its stonemasons and ancient rock carvings. The highlight of the day is the impressive Somoto Canyon, one of the oldest rock formations in Central America and the source of the Coco River.

This stage of your Central America motorcycle tour leads into the remote mountain region in northern Nicaragua, far from the usual tourist trail. A panoramic route takes you through Telpaneca and San Juan del Río Coco, across the Coco River, to an ecolodge in La Dalia for the night.

From La Dalia this stage of your Volcanoes and Lakes motorcycle tour takes you along a scenic route to Matagalpa, passing a waterfall. Surrounded by cloud forest, your hotel lies within a nature reserve, where guided hikes and insights into coffee farming are available.

A day trip around the Lago Apanás reservoir awaits, with fresh fish straight off the fire for lunch. Alternatively, the Peñas Blancas massif in the Bosawás reserve beckons with one of Nicaragua's highest peaks. If you leave your rental motorcycle parked for the day, explore Matagalpa and its coffee museum on foot.

Your Central America motorcycle tour today leads out of the cloud forests and coffee plantations into cowboy and rodeo country. On a mix of paved and unpaved roads you visit a colorful market before reaching authentic Juigalpa, set on a plateau above the valley.

On this stage of your Nicaragua enduro trip you leave the green hills behind and ride through open, hot lowlands. A ferry carries you across the Río Tipitapa, and you continue along Lake Nicaragua, past Mombacho volcano, to the port town of San Jorge with views of Ometepe Island.

Early in the morning, this Nicaragua volcano motorcycle tour crosses by ferry to Ometepe Island, shaped by the twin volcanoes Concepción and Maderas. The island has a rich pre-Columbian history and ranks among the world's most important regions for rock art and petroglyphs.

On the relaxed island of Ometepe, this Ometepe motorcycle tour gives you a free day for plenty of activities. Rent a kayak out to offshore islands, go cycling, hike, ride horseback, or circle the island on adventurous unpaved tracks by motorcycle. If you'd rather unwind, simply spend the day at the beach.

Heading further south near the Costa Rican border, this stage of your Volcanoes and Lakes motorcycle tour follows a little-used gravel road to the Pacific. You pass secluded beaches and quiet fishing villages as well as two important sea turtle nesting sites before reaching San Juan del Sur.

Plenty of free time for more beaches such as Playa Maderas defines this day of your Granada Nicaragua motorcycle tour. The coast is world-famous for good waves yet stays pleasantly quiet. If you leave the motorcycle behind, you can surf, sail, dive, fish, or take a canopy tour through the treetops.

From the viewpoint at the Christ statue you take a last look over the bay of San Juan del Sur before reaching the village of Catarina, with panoramic views of Laguna de Apoyo, Granada, and Ometepe. Along the lake, your rental motorcycle carries you back to Granada, where you return the bike.

To close out your Central America motorcycle tour, a transfer takes you to Managua airport for your individual flight back to Europe. Granada, founded in 1524, will stay with you through its colonial architecture, churches, and the lively Parque Central.