Your Amazing Adventure Awaits! Relax and Enjoy Nicaragua… We’ll Take Care of Everything for You.
Meet experts and expats. Explore places no tourist will go. Make professional contacts and friends.
Get first hand information about residency, rentals, driving, language schools, volunteering, grocery shopping, hospitals, doctors, pharmacies, hairdressers, and all the other daily life things that are so familiar at home, yet so new in a foreign country.
And best of all… get a feel for this beautiful country. Let your head and your heart decide together if retiring in Nicaragua is right for you.
You are not ready to retire, and simply want to explore Nicaragua as a potential country to live in? No problem at all. Our tours are ideal for you, too. In fact, some of the expats you’ll meet are anything but retired!
Jump down to…
Itinerary
Tour Dates
Your Tour Guides
Price
Contact & Booking Information
Testimonials
What You Need to Know
New to Nicaragua? Explore our comprehensive Nicaragua section and then come back here, ready to go on tour with us!
Nicaragua Retirement Tours: Itinerary
Arrival in Managua (Thursday)
We pick you up at the airport and transfer you safely to your hotel in Managua.*
*If you wish to arrive one or more days earlier, please let us know. We’ll arrange pick up and additional nights at the hotel. One night at the Managua hotel is included in the tour price; additional nights would be at your own expense.
Day 1: Managua (Friday)
- 8:30 am: Group meets in conference room to discuss Tour Agenda (have breakfast before the meeting please!).
- Visit to local market
- Visit to “Loma de Tiscapa,” a historical park and museum with a fantastic view over Managua
- Lunch at a restaurant with typical Nicaraguan food
- Meeting with an attorney to discuss the residency process and any other legal questions you may have
- In the afternoon, we visit the Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas, the country’s best and most modern hospital.
- Bus drive to the nature reserve Laguna de Apoyo, where we’ll have dinner and stay overnight.
Tip: Click on any of the images on this page to start a slide show where you can enlarge the images.
❓ Questions about the tour? Ask us! ❓
Day 2: Laguna de Apoyo and San Juan del Sur (Saturday)
- We spend the morning hours at Laguna de Apoyo (bring your swim suit!)
- On our way to San Juan del Sur, we stop by the “Mirador de Catarina” to enjoy a breathtaking view over the laguna; shopping opportunity for arts & crafts.
- Lunch at a nearby restaurant
- Bus drive to San Juan del Sur (1.5 to 2 hours)
- Check into a hotel at Playa el Coco, one of the beautiful beaches close to town
- Dinner at a restaurant on the beach; enjoy the sunset with a freshly made fruit juice or cool “cerveza” in hand
❓ Want to know more about the tour? Contact us! ❓
Day 3: San Juan del Sur (Sunday)
- Enjoy a relaxed morning at Playa el Coco
- We head to San Juan del Sur to explore the town and have lunch
- After lunch, we meet with an expert about the property market in San Juan del Sur; you’ll get answers about long term rentals and how buying a property in Nicaragua works.
- Bus drive to Granada (1.5 to 2 hours)
- Check in at our hotel in Granada
- We’ll stroll down Granada’s popular “La Calzada” street with its many restaurants and bars
- Dinner
Day 4: Granada (Monday)
- 8:30 am: We leave for a guided tour to see some of Granada’s beautifully restored colonial houses.
- Meeting with an expert about the property market in Granada; discuss whether it’s best to rent or buy a home in Granada.
- Lunch
- After lunch, you’ll get to explore the biggest freshwater lake in Central America and its many tiny islands on a relaxing boat tour.
- Dinner with expats who live in the Granada area
Day 5: Matagalpa (Tuesday)
- 7:00 am: After an early breakfast, our bus leaves for Matagalpa (3 hours drive).
- Check in at our hotel in Matagalpa
- Trip to “Cascada Blanca,” a majestic waterfall in a lush garden setting; you can even walk behind the waterfall and enjoy its refreshing drizzle.
- Lunch at the eco lodge “Cascada Blanca,” famous for its delicious Italian pasta
- Free afternoon in Matagalpa; wander around in the city center and explore its shopping opportunities, parks and restaurants.
- Dinner with expats who live in the Matagalpa area
❓ Questions about the tour? Ask us! ❓
Day 6: Back to Managua (Wednesday)
- 8:00 am: Big farewell breakfast in our hotel in Matagalpa
- Discuss any further questions you have about relocating to Nicaragua
- Bus drive to Managua (2.5 hours), drop off at the Managua airport
Want to see more pictures of the tour? Click here.
IMPORTANT: If your flight back home leaves before 4 pm on Friday, you’ll have to stay another night in Managua. There’s a Best Western Hotel at the airport, just across the street. We are happy to make the booking for you (cost not included in the tour price).
Nicaragua Retirement Tours – Tour Dates
2020
For various reasons, there – sadly – will be no group tours in 2020. If you are coming to Nicaragua on your own, and would like some help in organizing your stay, we encourage you to get in touch.
Your Tour Guides
A Nicaragua native and passionate conservationist, Erico has years of experience working as a park ranger and tourist guide in Masaya National park. While working as an environmental educator for the ministry of education, he gave presentations and demonstrations on schools to create awareness for deforestation and the importance of conservation. Erico has assisted on a number of nature documentaries and has been a course instructor on several occasions.
Originally from the Netherlands, Ruth first came to Nicaragua in 2010 to learn Spanish and to work as a volunteer in hospitality services. Soon after her arrival, she fell in love with the country and decided to stick around. Since then, she has worked as a translator and assistant on several social and ecological projects. Ruth is fluent in English, Spanish and Dutch. In the past, she has worked as primary school teacher, camp counselor and junior hotel manager.
Together they founded “Tours Mas Por Menos,” where they offer a unique vacation experience with their fully customized tours.
Margit (or Maggie) is the owner of RetirePedia.com. As a Geographer she loves exploring new countries and cultures. Originally from Germany, she lived 3.5 years in Ireland before moving to Nicaragua in 2010. She came to Nicaragua with her daughter, two suit cases and not a single word of Spanish. She knows first hand what it means to move to a country so foreign to your own. She’d love to pass on her knowledge and help you make retiring in Nicaragua a smooth adventure!
Nicaragua Retirement Tour: Price
The Nicaragua Retirement Tour is an ALL-INCLUSIVE* tour. The low fee of $1,600 USD per person or $2,800 per couple staying in the same room, includes all ground transportation, all meals, all hotels and all entrance or local tour fees.
Coming on a tour with us is the best way to experience what life would “really” be like if you lived or retired in Nicaragua – in the city, on the beach, or in the mountains.
You can sit back, relax and enjoy Nicaragua’s scenery without the hassles of renting a car and driving in a foreign country.
Nicaragua Retirement Tours – Contact Us
Call me at (+1) 727-266-5827 or fill in the form below to reserve your spot or if you have any questions about the tour. Credit cards or electronic checks* are accepted (*U.S. customers only).
A $500 deposit per person is required at the time you book; the remainder is due 15 days before the tour.
Testimonials
Brad Majors and his wife Josselyn were on tour with us in February 2018. They share their impressions from the tour – along with some spectacular views – in the short video below.
“As a solo traveler, not knowing any Spanish, I found the December 2017 tour with Maggie to be safe, informative and stress free. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of discovering Nicaragua with Maggie.
I plan on going back to Managua and San Juan Del Sur in the spring of 2018, hopefully I can make my plans through Retirepedia. But first… I’m going to learn some Spanish, it would help!”
– Bruce Marsh, Vancouver Island, Canada
Joanie Nelson came on tour with us in May 2017. She had a fabulous time, as you’ll hear in her short testimonial. Joanie added a few days to the tour schedule to visit the active Masaya volcano (among other places). You can see the volcano in the background of the video, across Lake Masaya.
Listen to what these two tour guests have to say about their Nicaragua experience. Julie and Louise were with us during the February 2017 tour. We shot the video at the end of the tour, in Matagalpa.
“I had the good fortune to join Margit (Maggie) on her tour in Dec. 2017, and I highly recommend this for anyone considering Nicaragua as a retirement option. Quite simply, there is enough variety of locations, people and technical information that it will quickly point you in the right direction.
At the end of the tour you will know whether you need to learn more, or Nicaragua isn’t for you. And I think that is the purpose of going on such a tour.
You will meet a cast of interesting characters as arranged by Margit, including an extremely informative meeting with a lawyer. This is absolutely invaluable, and a great connection for anyone considering Nicaragua.
One of the most beneficial aspects of the tour is the other people that were on the tour with me. Although everyone came from vastly different places, backgrounds and professions, there was a common element which brought the group together in a very positive way: we were all investigating a place to retire outside of North America.
I learned much from each of the members of the tour, and made lots of great new friends. This was not something I was expecting, but it is a huge benefit.
The tour also exposes many truths about the country which tends to contradict much of the propaganda North Americans are fed through the media, which is based on the history of the country from 30-40 years ago during the revolution.
On the concept of safety: coming from Vancouver, Canada, a city of approx. 2.5 million, I was astounded as to how much SAFER Nicaragua is than where I live. I never felt even remotely unsafe. Not for a moment. I cannot say the same about Vancouver.
Take the tour, don’t hesitate for a second. It is well worth the cost. Margit was a great and caring host, going out of her way to make everyone feel comfortable. It is great fun, and you will learn a great deal. I spent a nearly a week in Nicaragua afterwards, which I also highly recommend. The tour will whet your appetite to learn more, and staying for a few days is ideal.
Thanks to Margit for providing enough information in order that I was able make a decision.”
– Tyler Madison, Vancouver, Canada
Nicaragua Retirement Tours – What You Need to Know
Included:
- Accommodation for 6 nights
- Tour as outlined on the itinerary
- English speaking tour guides
- All ground transportation with driver
- 3 meals a day
- Entrance fees and local tour fees
- Meetings with lawyer, property experts and expats
- Free copy of my eBook “Planning to Retire Overseas: Is Nicaragua Your Best Choice?”
*Not Included: International airfare, alcoholic beverages, excess baggage charges, hotel room upgrades, extras in hotels (laundry, telephone calls, room service). Should you decide to change your flights, you will be responsible for the change fees and you will need to contact a travel agent or the airline to make the changes.
Refunds: If you cancel 30 days prior to the tour, we will issue a full refund. If you cancel later than that, we cannot give you any refunds. Accommodation and most meals are booked and paid for prior to the tour. We can’t get a refund if there is a cancellation, so we won’t be able to give you one.
Change Tour Date: We can accommodate a change to a different tour date without extra charge if you let us know at least 30 days before your tour.
Baggage Restrictions: You will be limited to one carry on bag and one small personal bag per person – NO EXCEPTIONS. There will be laundry facilities at many of the places we will be staying. Remember that you’ll be responsible for getting your luggage on and off the bus and carrying it into hotels. Pack light!
Recommendation: Plan to stay an extra week so you can do some exploring on your own. If you plan in advance to stay an extra 3-7 days you won’t need to change your flight!
