Timeline:
Sept. 29 - First Interest Meeting, 3:30pm in Woods Hall History
Oct. 5 - airfare deposit due on my end
Oct. 14 - First payment due
Jan. 10 - Second payment due
Feb. 10 - Tip payment due
Feb. 15 - Depart from CLT to Managua, Nicaragua
Itinerary:
Day 1 - arrive in Managua and make our way to Leon
Leon city tour, where you can appreciate the colorful colonial architecture of the town's center, which includes the imposing cathedral and facades of their churches.
Day 2 - Cerro Negro is the youngest volcano in Central America, and it is located in the outskirts of León (1 hour drive.) You hike up the 728 meter high volcano to reach the top and sandboard down! There are two different ways to sandboard down the volcano: you can stand up like on a snowboard, or you can sit down like on a sled. Then the fun really continues as you will slide or surf down the slope in less than 3 minutes! After this amazing experience, you will spend the afternoon at the beach, sipping a refreshment, watching the sunset or swimming in the ocean.
Day 3 - Today you drive north to Matagalpa: located in the north highlands that make the water shed division of the Caribbean and Pacific rivers. It’s a perfect spot for mountain hiking, bird watching, horseback riding, wildlife watching, eco-tourism and wildlife photography. It has a nice temperate climate, from the hotter León.
Day 4 - Selva Negra cloud forest, home to almost 200 identified bird species. Besides these abundant birds, you can also encounter small mammals like howler monkeys, reptiles and amphibians. This private wildlife refuge has over 300 acres, strictly reserved as the refuge, but there are other 400 acres as secondary forest, in the form of shaded coffee plantation.
Day 5 - Transfer day to the colonial city of Granada. Before reaching it, you will explore Masaya: the artisan’s market is not only a beautiful place in an old 1900’s structure that is located near the center of the city, but also a great place to buy nice souvenirs! Then, if mother nature allows, you will visit the Masaya Volcano National Park: it comprises an area of 54 km2 and includes two volcanoes and five craters.
Day 6 - Today you will visit one of the most popular volcanoes in Nicaragua, the Mombacho. Its 4 craters are covered with cloud forest. You can walk around one of the craters, or hike around several craters. Besides lots of different trees and plants that thrive because of the cloud forests humidity you can also observe howler and white face monkeys, as well as snakes, deer, reptiles, birds, and insects. The views to the Managua Lake and its Ilsetas are amazing.
Day 7 - Transfer back and return to States.
