Costa Rican Connection

Art and History :: Art and Colonial Times
Lake Nicaragua, a paradise to discover

Art and History [4 days and 3 nights]
Painters Community of Solentiname, best Rainforest of the region and historic Spanish Fortress of El Castillo

Day 1 Los Chiles/Costa Rica - Solentiname
Pickup service in Los Chiles/Costa Rica. Transfer to San Carlos and Solentiname Archipelago in Nicaragua. After lunch we take a leisurely walk around the Hotel Mancarrón site and adjacent areas. You will see the local church with its decorations and paintings by "primitive" artists. The tour takes you to the artist's colony, El Refugio, and from there to an indigenous cemetery-where you'll encounter petroglyphs, and, finally to an exceptional overlook, La Reconciliación.

Day 2 Wildlife Refuge "Los Guatuzos" Excursions
We depart early in the morning. A motorized canoa or panga takes us to the Wildlife Refuge Los Guatuzos. This is the only internationally registered tropical wetland area in Nicaragua. We cruise across the Great Lake Cocibolca and up the Papaturro River. We always see monkeys, crocodiles, iguanas and lizards of many types sloths, turtles, toucans, and white herons-the guardians of this natural wonder. If you do not see animals in this tour, we will refund your money.
Afternoon free

Day 3 El Castillo Excursions
After breakfast, we start on an historical whole day tour along the San Juan River. We journey to the picturesque fisherman`s village of El Castillo, located at the bottom of a Spanish fortress. Founded in the 18th Century, it is now a national museum. This attractive museum houses the artifacts of human history along the river. It stands within one of the world's last remaining wet tropical forests.

Day 4 Solentiname - Los Chiles/Costa Rica
Return from Solentiname/Nicaragua to Los Chiles/Costa Rica

Services included
3 nights Hotel Mancarrón-Solentiname
3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners
Boattransport: Los Chiles-San Carlos-Solentiname-San Carlos-Los Chiles
Tours: Mancarrón Island Circuit
Wildlife Refuge "Los Guatuzos" Excursions
El Castillo Excursions
Tour guide in English, German, French, Russian or Spanish

Art and Colonial Times [4 days and 3 nights]
Painters Community of Solentiname, best Rainforest of the region and oldest colonial city of America

Day 1 Los Chiles/Costa Rica - Solentiname
Pickup service in Los Chiles/Costa Rica. Transfer to San Carlos and the Solentiname Archipelago in Nicaragua. Lunch. In the afternoon we take a leisurely tour of the Hotel Mancarrón site and adjacent areas. You will see the local church with its decorations and paintings by "primitive" artists. The tour takes you to the artist's colony, El Refugio, and from there to an indigenous cemetery-where you'll encounter petroglyphs, and, finally to an exceptional overlook, La Reconciliación.

Day 2 Wildlife Refuge Los Guatuzos Excursions
Early in the morning we take a motorized canoe (or panga) to the Wildlife Refuge "Los Guatuzos". This is the only internationally registered tropical wetland area in Nicaragua. We cruise across the Great Lake Cocibolca and up the Papaturro River. We always see monkeys, crocodiles, iguanas and lizards of many types sloths, turtles, toucans, and white herons-the guardians of this natural wonder. If you do not see animals in this tour, we will refund your money. Afternoon free

Day 3 Volcan Masaya - Granada
Boat transfer from Solentiname to San Carlos and flight from there to Managua.
Visit to the active Masaya Volcano to marvel at the expansion of the Santigao Crater. Learn about Indian and colonial history and discover the animal life and vegetation that grow on the lava fields. Later, we visit the National Arts and Crafts Market of Masaya and then we travel to the colonial town of Granada.

Day 4 Granada City Tour and Departure Managua
After breakfast, we visit the main plaza with the Cathedral and Episcopal Palace, the central park and public colonial buildings. At the Plaza of Independence, we find the remarkably restored Casa de los Tres Mundos, and then we walk to the historic Church of San Francisco-site of the pulpit from where the friar and historian Bartolomé de Las Casas preached. Here we also view the most important collection of indigenous art found on the island of Zapatera. The Tour finishes with a horse-drawn coach ride to the historic port.
Transfer to International Airport Managua. Return to San Jose/Costa Rica

Services included
2 nights Hotel Mancarrón-Solentiname
3 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners
Boattransport: Los Chiles-San Carlos-Solentiname-San Carlos
Air-Transport: San Carlos-Managua
Groundtransport: Managua-Granada-Managua
Tours: Mancarrón Island Circuit
Wildlife Refuge "Los Guatuzos" Excursions
Volcan Masaya Tour
Granada City Tour
Tour guide in English, German, French, Russian or Spanish

Lake Nicaragua - A paradise to discover [5 days and 4 nights]
Los Chiles - Solentiname - Ometepe - Granada - Masaya - Peñas Blancas

Million years ago the great American Continent was connected. Lake Cocibolca (Lake Nicaragua) is the navel of the same. Meeting point of the indian culturas of the north and the south. The Spaniard valued also these richness and created the today oldest colonial city on the soures of he lake: Granada. Within the same lake is found the Ometepe island, a simbol of harmonie with it`s two volcanoes Concepcion and Maderas. One a active fire volcano and the other one an dormend one with a fresh water lagoon on the top.

Nature and art complement each other in an exceptional way on the islands of the Solentiname Archipelago and in the Los Guatuzos Reserve. Painters, sculptors and artisans are inspired by the natural beauty that surrounds them in this tropical paradise

The Solentiname Archipelago, with 36 islands, is the result of a volcanic eruption. From pre-Columbian times, it was a sacred place for the Nahuatl Indians. The Indian cemeteries and religious vestiges decorated with multiple engraved petroglyphs give evidence of their history. The unique flora and fauna of the Archipelago, along with its sunsets, transmit their harmony to each visitor.

Discover this mistic world with the Day Cruiser "Solentiname". The Cruiser ship was constructed under a dutch licenses in 1985 in Nicaragua and was rebuilded in 2001 for to offer now touristic services in the Lake of Nicaragua. There are diferent services offers at a First Clase (A/C) and a Economy Clase area. Solentiname Tours runs the restaurant and bar in the Cruiser and our guides are all time around you, with an interesting animation program.

Day 01: (-/-/D) Boat transfer from Los Chiles (Costa Rica) to the Archipielago of Solentiname, overnight at Hotel Mancarrón
Day 02: (B/L/D) Tour at the Mancarrón island, visit to the villige of painters and artisans and a very interesting indegeounos cementary. In the afternoon a tour around the islands of the Archipielago. Overnight at Hotel Mancarrón.
Day 03: (B/L/-) Tour with the Cruiser "Solentiname" to the island Ometepe (visit to the town of port Moyogalpa) and to the colonial city of Granada. Overnight Hotel Alhambra
Day 04: (B/-/D) City Tour to the historic center Granada. In the afternoon visit to the handycrafts market of Masaya and National Park of Volcano Masaya (activ)
Overnight Hotel Alhambra
Day 05: (D/-/-) Transfer with bus (A/C) Granada - Penas Blancas

Services included
2 nights Hotel Mancarrón-Solentiname
2 nights Hotel Alhambra
4 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 3 dinners
Boattransport: Los Chiles - San Carlos - Solentiname-San Carlos
Cruiser Tour: Solentiname - Ometepe - Granada
Groundtransport: Granada- Peñas Blancas
Tours: Mancarrón Island Circuit
Artisan and Painters Excursions
Volcano Masaya Tour
Granada City Tour
Tour guide in English, German, French, Russian or Spanish