Top Nicaragua Nature Trips & Packages In 2025/2026

What travelers are saying

"Tour is advertised as an "active" tour. However, YMT sold the tours to seniors and others who were unable to walk more than 1/8 mile, unable to navigate stairs or had to walk with the aid of walkers. As a result, 80 percent of the "explorations" were to visitor centers, look out points, stores or washrooms, that were within 100 feet or less of the bus. This tour should be categorized as "relaxed". A big disappointment! The bus driver was friendly and accommodating and drove us safely from one site to another. He sold water to the guests in small bottles for $1 each. I think YMT should be more conscientious of the environment and at least offer bottle refills, especially since the guide practically demanded that each person drink one gallon of water per day. The tour guide was marginally knowledgeable about the area and spent too much time telling us about her private life and friends. She led one hike, but talked mostly about how the rains had changed the landscape. One day she left two guests at the hotel and wanted the people on the bus to take responsibility for not letting her know that people were missing. We were encouraged to find hikes to take on our own, which I felt compromised safety, especially when we had an hour or so to "explore" - there was no safety or backup plan, especially if something untoward happened on a hike. She opted out of taking us to the sunset tour of the Grand Canyon telling us that it was raining and we wouldn't be able to see anything. So a couple of us went to the site on our own and it was possibly one of the best experiences I had on the entire tour (and not a drop of rain!). I often felt bullied into purchasing lunches or meals "offered" by the guide, who made it sound like there were no other options. It was difficult to listen to her brag about how well she was doing and how happy everyone was, when many people were complaining that the tour was not what they expected - mostly because it was too active!!! The accommodations were mostly good - a couple of anomalies (one with a plugged sink and no hot water for a shower, another with a pervasive bad odor). The excursions offered at the time of booking were mostly unavailable later (except for the over-priced meals). Another disappointment because I booked the tour partly because of one of the excursions offered at the time of booking. I would not recommend this tour, because I don't think it is advertised correctly."

What travelers are saying

"Great job! The tour was better than we could have imagined. Your guidance by gesture and smile was perfect."

What travelers are saying

"Our trip started off with a lunch at Maya Gardens. We went to see the poultry in their pens while waiting for lunch, thinking it was a petting zoo. The poor birds did not have water or any indication that they ever had water. One of the turkeys was lying on it's side looking very sick. No one would give them water when I asked them to. The lunch was so awful I did not eat meat for the rest of the trip. I sent a video to Angela Bailey telling her this is not what we want to see when on a conservation trip and she acted like I was lying. Our guides were lazy and not caring about us. They took us to overpriced markets to get fleeced by the sellers there. At the anti-poaching farm tour, we had to walk over a bridge with wires on it, to keep wildlife in. One of our travelers, who was 65 years old, tripped over it and had to go to the hospital. No one warned her about the wires. Then, trying to get off the safari trucks, she was so very very sore and no guides helped her to get out of the truck. Completely appalling. The guides had very poor communication skills that worked for Discover Corps. I was forced to get vaccinated while in Kenya, because the laws changed while we were there. I asked if I could try to get out of the airport first and if I could not then get the vaccine. Discover Corps said "If you choose to do that, you are on your own". The conditions of medical in Kenya is not like the US and it was awful. The airport didn't even ask me for my vaccine card on the way out. DC could have worked with me on trying this first before forcing me to get this vaccine in a poor 3rd world country. Also, my vaccine card had the wrong date of birth and my name did not match what is on my passport. The doctor tried to get me to tip the nurse giving me the vaccine. The guides dropped us off curbside at the airport and left us there to navigate. I will NEVER use this company again. They did not have my back on anything that happened and Angela Bailey never contacted me to follow up about my experience after this trip was over."

What travelers are saying

"I just spent a wonderful week with the folks at Safari Surf School in Nosara, Costa Rica. From making arrangements to my actual time there, everything was perfect. The staff will make you feel like family and welcome you with open arms. Tim (the owner) is based in the US but don’t worry, you’re in more than capable hands. There’s a good reason these folks have been around since the late 90s. You’re going to have a blast!"

What travelers are saying

"I was very excited to support a Canadian company, but unfortunately, this trip was anything but blissful. The tour guide was unprofessional, incompetent, and inappropriate. He was reported in the middle of the trip because of how vulgar he was being with the girls on the tour. Guided tours are supposed to be a haven for young, solo travelers and, unfortunately, this tour was the nightmarish opposite. If you plan on booking a trip with this company, please dig into who your guide will be, how many trips they have done, and what kind of reviews they have had. Additionally, the accommodations, activities, and transportation included in this trip cost a sliver of what I paid. I completely understand the additional cost of paying the full-time guides, and the price of convenience that comes from a trip being planned for you, but unfortunately, I did not get my money’s worth with LBW. Following my friends and my dissatisfaction with the tour and the inappropriate guide, LBW’s customer support team was unfortunately slow to respond, disorganized, and inconsistent with their suggested solutions. Please, save your money, and book with another company."

What travelers are saying

"We went to a custom trip to Nepal with the Vacation Project in April and it was the best time of my life. Getting to know new people, traditions and culture was truly amazing. Our guide Rakesh was well prepared and made us feel like we were long time friends, which made the time in Nepal really special. Working with the children in Changu was amazing and all i can hope for is that i made an impact on their lifes, just like they made on mine. I can totally recommend a trip with TVP!"

What travelers are saying

"If you want your surf trip to be regimented and have everything booked for you and ready to go then it is a good service for you. However if you are like me and like to have flexibility with your trip it is really not. We were charged much more for transportation and lodging than we would have been. Also when I stayed another night somewhere else before even paying for my trip they still made me pay for the night I didn't even use. Also the local place wouldn't let me do anything without them which made it a hassle trying to communicate back and forth to the states. Overall it really didn't do anything for me and just was a hassle and more $$. Live and learn. Trip was great but really didn't need to go through them."

What travelers are saying

"I just spent a wonderful week with the folks at Safari Surf School in Nosara, Costa Rica. From making arrangements to my actual time there, everything was perfect. The staff will make you feel like family and welcome you with open arms. Tim (the owner) is based in the US but don’t worry, you’re in more than capable hands. There’s a good reason these folks have been around since the late 90s. You’re going to have a blast!"