Nicaragua One Day Expedition from Costa Rica
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Liberia, Costa Rica
- 9 to 12 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Discover the natural beauty and heritage of Nicaragua with a full-day tour that travels round-trip from northern Costa Rica. Visit the active Masaya Volcano and the extinct Apoyo Volcano, view picturesque Spanish colonial architecture in Granada, watch monkeys in the jungle, and more. You’ll benefit from border-crossing assistance and hassle-free transportation that allows you to make the most of your day.
- Have more flexibility with a private tour
- Hear insightful commentary from your guide
- Includes breakfast and lunch so you don't have to worry about exhanging money
- Ground transportation in both Costa Rica and Nicaragua are included
What's Included
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Transportation In Costa Rica
- Transport in Nicaragua
- Bilingual guide
- All taxes, fees and border charges
- monkeys watching in the jungle
- shopping time
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- Horse Carriage
- Tips
- *Connections from the hotels out of Liberia city (ask for the extra pay in cash)
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Itinerary
1
Masaya Volcano National Park 2025
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
ChocoMuseo Granada
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Laguna De Apoyo Day Trip 2024
40 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
4
Marina Cocibolca
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
- A country on category B Must pay Nicaraguan Visa.
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- With the purpose in providing the best experience for your family, Kids are allowed only on the private option
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- Not recommended for those who are easily car sick
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 77 reviews
phillip_m, Mar 2026
Fun filled, action packed, well planned organized day!! Beautiful restaurants with great food! No brown bagging here! 8) Fear not, someone is by your side the entire trip! Everyone involved was first class!
Response from Host, Mar 2026
So nice to know it. And thank you so much for your review..God bless you!
Jasmine_R, Nov 2025
Great tour, highly recommend. We got a lot of stuff for a good price and our tour guides were great.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you so much for your review.
Carina_S, Oct 2025
I’ve booked many tours on Viator, but this one was by far the best! Everything was perfectly organized from start to finish - professional communication even before the tour and flawless coordination throughout the day. I can’t imagine how much time and stress it would have taken to cross the Costa Rica–Nicaragua border on my own. The tour in Nicaragua itself was simply outstanding, a masterpiece of planning and storytelling. If you want to see all the main highlights of Nicaragua in one day, this is definitely the tour you need!
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you so much for your review, it is so important for us and for future travelers to know about your experience around Nicaragua for the day.
Mia_K, May 2025
We had a fantastic day. Our guides Gustavo, Elmer and Elvis were organized and knowledgeable making for a very educational and stress free day. Thanks for the great day! Would highly recommend.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you so much for this wonderful review
Angela_S, May 2025
Gustavo was amazing and took care of everything so that we could just enjoy the experience. The food and the stops were amazing. Would definitely do this tour again!
Response from Host, May 2025
Thank hoy so much for tour reviews. God bless you
Amy_K, Feb 2025
What a great variety of items on the schedule for this tour! History- great food, beautiful scenery, knowledgeable tour guides, friendly drivers. Loved the boat ride and views - highly recommend- great way to learn about Nicaragua culture
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Thank hoy so much to pick ud for this experience
Cheryl_s, Dec 2024
We love the tour! Marlene was prompt with our queries and pick up was inclusive and on time.
We had an exciting custom crossing, fully assisted by Marlene ( at Costa Rica side ) and was smoothly passed over to her partner at Nicaragua ( couldn’t properly spell his name ).
As we were travelling during holiday season… Without their help with custom crossing, we could have been stuck for more than 2-3hours… we are really thankful we have got them!
Over at Nicaragua, we have a private tour, our guide was always around and we felt 100% safe all the time.
Will really recommend Marlene and her team!
Thanks to them .. we managed to have more time in Nicaragua…
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Thank you so much for this beautiful review, we were lucky...
Errol_D, Jul 2024
From beginning to end this tour was absolutely amazing! Thanks for the professional services, courtesy and passion of both of our tour guides Marlene in Costa Rica and Gasper in Nicaragua. We love your knowledge, passion, and people skills. The food, Granada city tour, lake island hopping tour chocolate factory tours were absolutely superb and exceptional! Thanks to Angel of the chocolate factory for educating us about chocolate in such a fantastic, fun and jovial way. Viva Nicaragua we would this tour again!
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Thank you so much for this wonderful review, all you guys are amazing
Julie_O, Jul 2024
We had an amazing trip! Marlene on the Costa Rican side and Gaspar on the Nicaraguan side were incredible. They took care of everything for us and we learned so much history and culture in addition to the sightseeing. Highly recommend!
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Thank you so much, you are amazing and thanks for visiting Nicaragua again
Viki_N, Dec 2023
Our guide, Gaspar, was knowledgeable, patient, understanding, and thoughtful! He gave us time to shop, to eat and to look around and nap! Our driver, Eric, was a considerate and safe driver! Pick up at our hotel was on time and Marlene, who set up our trip, was there to greet us and kindly gave us all the information we needed and kindly gave us time to gather our things and use the restroom before we left! She was an awesome communicator! The tour was worth all that we paid and the four of us had such a great time and felt for only a day in Nicaragua, we had a peek inside their beautiful country. We loved everything from the active volcano, tour of Granada, the delicious breakfast and lunch in Granada, there were options for lunch, chicken, beef, burrito and hamburgers! We had three of them and they were all delicious! The boat ride on the lake was so very beautiful and Lucy the monkey came down from her tree to say hello! We cannot think of anything we disliked! My tip is Bring A Waterproof Light Jacket, because it can rain at any moment! We highly recommend this tour❣️
Response from Host, Dec 2023
Thank you so much for this beautiful review. And that is a good tip my dear.. Very important. ;-)
Chalais_M, Dec 2023
Uriel and Marlene were so great that I am coming back to write this review in December after a trip in July. The small group made the experience so much more enjoyable and the conditions worked out great to see the magma! I bought a cool hat on top of the volcano and both Uriel and Marlene were super knowledgeable and easy to talk to. We ran into Marlene later in the trip and it was like seeing an old friend. Highly recommend visiting Costa Rica/ Nicaragua and taking this tour!
Response from Host, Dec 2023
So Glad to hear from you my friend, thank you so much for this beautiful review. Hod bless you
Chris_V, Dec 2023
Mirador in Caterina was wonderful! Very informative and enthusiastic guides, good food, good sites. Volcano was a definite highlight. Boat ride to see monkeys was great.
Response from Host, Dec 2023
thank you for your reviews. God bless you
Wayne_A, Nov 2023
The entire day. Great guide. Good food. Comfortable transportation. Beautiful views. Nature abounds. Once in a lifetime experience.
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Thank you so much for your review. Blessing.
Kim_J, Oct 2023
Marlene and Uriel did an amazing job to make our trip a memorable one. Marlene was our safe and courteous driver on the Costa Rican side and she was very helpful getting through customs. Uriel was so knowledgeable about Nicaraguan history and pretty much made us fall in love with the country. The tour to the volcano and Granada were amazing. The breakfast and lunch were delicious! I definitely recommend this tour.
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Thank hoy so much for your review. It is so important for us and the future travelers
Lourdes_A, Sep 2023
This experience was amazing! It exceeded my expectations on various levels. Uriel was an Amazing tour guide who gave us a glimpse of the beautiful country. I highly recommend carrying enough cash. If your currency is $USD, no need to stop by a currency exchange location. They actual prefer that over their own currency. We were in small group and we felt safe and welcomed in every aspect. If you love nature and site seeing this is definitely the place to be. We came during their tropical weather season and expected hurricanes and large amounts of rain but to our luck we were able to have a clear sky with amazing views. If you’ve been hesitant to book this trip, don’t. Worth every penny.
Response from Host, Sep 2023
Thank you so much for this amazing review. God bless you always
Lisa_R, Sep 2023
Amazing tour!! Both guides were great. Worth every penny. The Nicaraguan tour guide was informative and amazing.
Response from Host, Sep 2023
Thank you so much for your review, it is so important for us.
Charlsie_H, Aug 2023
Marlene was amazing getting us to the border and helping us to get accross. She was also amazing getting us back into Costa Rica. The guide on the Nicaragua side Edin was out of this world amazing. We took this tour on my birthday and they made sure my day was extra special. I will never forget this birthday.
Response from Host, Aug 2023
Thank you my dear, so nice to celebrate your birthday in 2 countries for the same day
Minnie_P, Jul 2023
I like seeing the erupted Masada volcano and the floating lava. Also touring the city of Granada, Nicaragua in a horse and carriage. The breakfast and lunch meals were delicious.
Response from Host, Jul 2023
Hi sweetheart, thank you so much for your review, it is a honor to meet you.. God bless you
Kori_M, May 2023
Rogelio and Marlene were awesome! Totally worth the money and time! I would definitely go again if I had the chance!
Response from Host, May 2023
hi sweetheart, thank you so much for let to other knows about your experiences
Lisa_P, Apr 2023
What an amazing day!. This was a once in a life time experience and I’m so glad we did it. We were picked up at our hotel by Marlene and driven to the border. She helped us thru customs and we met our Nicaraguan guide Urielle. He was incredibly knowledgeable about history, nature, and the many things that make this such a beautiful country. He spent all day with us and tailored the trip for things that were important to us. We could have never have seen so much or experienced so many different areas of southwestern Nic on our own. When the day was done, he brought us back to the border, made sure we got thru immigration again, and Marlene was waiting for on the CR side. She then drove us back to our hotel while we napped in her car. The entire trip was simply perfecto! I highly recommend this and the wonderful guides!
Response from Host, Apr 2023
Hi Lisa, thank you so Much for this amazing review, you both are so special. A big honor to be part of your experience. I hope you can relax the rest of your vacations.. Xoxo
Debbie_R, Jan 2023
Absolutely amazing tour! Nicaragua is beautiful. Great tour guides. Marlene even drove all the way back to Nicaragua border to get my friend's binoculars which weren't allowed to pass through immigration into Nicaragua. Great service all around.
Response from Host, Jan 2023
Hi sweetheart, thank you so much for your review. It is a pleasure to be part of your adventure
Terri_C, Apr 2022
If you are in the area you have GOT to take this tour and take it with Claudio. He was very knowledgeable, has a great sense of humor and anticipates your every need. (For example, he requested metal silverware without me asking for it, just because he observed the difficulty I was having cutting beef with plastic.) If you have a particular interest, he will accommodate you in any way he can. In my case, that was bending over backwards to help me get the photos I wanted and to help us with a small snafu at the border crossing.
You will drive through an agricultural area (rice, sugar, sorghum, mango etc.) see an amazing volcano in a national park and see a lot of beautiful green, along with some wildlife. I loved getting off the beaten tourist path under the care of an accomplished and seasoned guide. We were two women traveling alone and I felt safe whether we were driving or on foot.
Ever was our van driver in Nicaragua and he was friendly, drove safely and kept our belongings secure while we were out exploring.
We loved everything about our day including how Claudio thinks outside of the box!
Matthew_J, Mar 2022
I saw warnings that the wait at the border would ruin the day. We did wait an hour on the way in. (We had the bad luck to arrive just after a big tourist bus.) There was no wait on the return. Going on a Sunday may have helped. I would still recommend this trip even with a longer wait. The guides know lots of the border agents and make the process much smoother than it would have been for me on my own.
The trip has a wonderful mix of stops. I liked them all, but the guide was flexible about letting us choose what we wanted. We saw natural wonders (including looking down into an active volcano), ancient towns (including going to the top of an old church to see all of Granada), and a small chocolate museum. We had two shopping stops, but they were both combined with other visits (of a lake and for lunch), so you can decide how much time to spend shopping... the guides were no pressuring to spend any money. (I know sometimes guides collude with shopkeepers to get tourists to feel obliged to shop.) The day finished up with a boat ride through the lagoons of Lake Nicaragua.
Response from Host, Mar 2022
Hi Mat,
Thank you so much for this review. This is very important info for future customers. I am so glad you did this full day tour. God bless you
Brett_C, Jan 2022
I can’t say enough what an amazing tour company this is. They helped us through an emergency situation with class, dignity and professionalism. They followed up with us when we got home to make sure we were ok.
Response from Host, Feb 2022
Thank you so much for your review. God makes it possible. Hope you find well. Always in my heart
kmkolb, Jan 2022
This trip was super fun! Claudio was an amazing guide and took extra care to ensure our trip was special! He went out of his way to make everything smooth at the border crossings and completely stress-free. This trip makes for a very long day, but totally worth it! Both our teenagers and our 4 year old had a good time. Amazing experience that I highly recommend!
Response from Host, Jan 2022
Thank you so much for your review. So glad to know about your experience and share with future customers and friends
Bryce_O, Dec 2021
Great tour! Had so much fun with Claudio who was knowledgeable and took us to some great places. Could also do a later start like 6am instead of 4:30am since it’s better to stay later to see the Masaya Volcano at night.
Response from Host, Dec 2021
Hi Bryce, thank you for your review and advise. To do Masaya volcano at night you can leave later and pay only extra $10. Thank you to share your great experience.
Julissa_G, Dec 2021
I was interested in visiting Nicaragua as soon as I learned we would be in Costa Rica close to the border. I am a big fan of the road less travelled or off the beaten path. But my partner was concerned about safety and access. Frankly so was I. I was losing hope running into hurdles at border, due to COVID, no rental car, where to stay? So that is why this trip was everything!! They pick you up at your hotel and guide you through border/COVID testing and take you to 6 different places and 3 cities, 2 volcanoes. It was all amazing! Our guide Misael was so great, informative, responsible young man who loves his job and his country. Strongly recommend. Only issue might be for those who need rest because it is a long day. But if you can only be in a country for one day, wouldn’t it be worth it? :) For us it was
Response from Host, Dec 2021
Hola Julissa, muchas gracias por tan lindo comentario. Y compartir tu experiencia. Espero que tengas un buen viaje.
DrGregory_C, Oct 2021
The tour was informative and fun. We got to see a lot of the natural beauty of the country. The tour guides were knowledgeable. We also get to feed the monkeys. A long, but interesting day.
Tip: The breakfast and lunch were delicious, but did not sit well in my stomach. You will be encouraged to change USD into their currency. It's not necessary, as everyone accepted USD and it was a bit confusing trying to figure out the exchange rate. I would decline the offer.
Response from Host, Oct 2021
Thank you so much for your review and avises sfor future visitors.
Chantal_H, Oct 2021
This expedition was nice. It was well thought out and the tour guide knew a lot of information. However the reason I have this expedition 3 stars is because the driver stole money out of my purse. I know this because we were told at the boarder by the tour guide that we could leave our bags on board while we were being checked at the border. I specifically bought only $100 usd on this tour. $60 of those dollars I was using to give to the tour guide for providing a service prior to the trip. The tour guide asked me for the money before we headed into the boarder patrol, I explained to him in front of everyone that I left my money on the bus and he told me to wait until We got back to give him the money. He then shut the door and the driver locked the bus. When we arrived back to the bus, I proceeded to give him the $60 and that was all that was left in my wallet. No one else had been on the bus Bc we were all told to wait outside of boarder patrol until we were all checked in. The only person who had access to the bus and knew which specific bag was mine was the bus driver. My husband asked the tour guide about it and he asked the driver but the driver played as if he didn’t know anything. Ruined the beginning of my expedition, granted it was my own fault for trusting another human being with my belongings. I knew better. I just wanted to warn people so that this wouldn’t happen to anyone else.
Response from Host, Oct 2021
My name is Marlene Rivas, I am the general manager of Clamatour. The situation that you are expressing to us is very regrettable.
The guide send a report of what happened and we immediately made the pertinent investigations and I want to respond to your reviews based on the testimonies of the guide and the driver.
Before arriving at the border control, each client must get off the van to stamp their passport at the immigration offices. For this reason, the guide recommends only take the passport and leave the bags in the van. The next stop a few meters away, the guide tells all clients to collect their bags as they must change of van when they cross the police patrol to switch transport in Nicaragua side. The driver always checks the unit in case someone leaves a forgotten object and returns it immediately.
Very important points to mention:
1- The guide reports that you paid $ 120 from your purse in cash later put it in your bag, and upon reading your comment that was after you left your purse alone.
2- The guide reports that you discovered and reported that you did not have your purse at approximately 12:00 (at noon).
3- the driver has worked for 5 years with our company, and nothing has ever disappeared in his transport unit. On the contrary, many times clients have left cameras, telephones, glasses or hats and have always reported and returned to the original owner when possible.
4- There were several stops including shopping centers that you visited before reporting your loss. And it leaves open the possibility of misplacing something as small as a purse.
5- When consulting with another client we know that you made a public claim at the end of the tour, (7:00 pm approx.) And not at the beginning.
6- When customers book a tour to Nicaragua (another country) are always recommended to travel light, and in this way reduce the chances of losing valuable things.
Anyway, we really appreciate your comment regarding a good experience on the tour, we regret the loss of the remaining $ 40 to the $ 100. That you testify to have brought. However, there is not enough evidence to accuse an excellent employee of our team and we will not be able to fulfill your expectations.
Every day we continue learning from this kind of experience and we will continue working to improve the quality of the expedition and avoid any misunderstandings.
Jacob, Aug 2021
I had an absolutely amazing time on this tour. If you have an extra day in the Guanacaste/Liberia area I would definitely book a tour ( or even plan an extra day just for this tour). My tour guides were passionate about their country and show you some of the amazing experiences available in Nicaragua. The Masaya Volcano and the boat ride on Lake Nicaragua were especially memorable, and Granada was a great city to experience.
Response from Host, Oct 2021
Hi Jacob. Thank you for your review. It is very important for us to know about your guides. And your esperience
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