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Nicaragua
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Managua Department
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Managua
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Tours & Activities
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Masaya Volcano and Handicraft Market Day Trip from Managua
5 h
Full Day
Instant confirmation
About this activity
Meet your guide at your Managua hotel and drive out of town on an air-conditioned coach. First stop: Masaya Volcano National Park. This 5-hour tour combines the volcano visit with a trip to a handicraft market to give you an insight into the culture of Nicaragua.
Masaya Volcano, located about 13 miles (20 km) from Managua, is the only volcano in the Western Hemisphere where one is able to drive to the very rim of the crater. Stand at the edge, looking down at the inside of the volcano. Learn about the history of the volcano and its many eruptions from your expert local guide and at the Ecological Museum here.
Afterward, drive to the town of Masaya and visit its popular handicraft market. Taking up an entire city block, the market is the richest source of handicrafts in the country. Shop for locally made items such as hammocks, colorful baskets, folksy paintings and intricately decorated vases. You’ll also find clay ceramics and sculpted masks. When your visit at the market ends, enjoy the drive back to your hotel in Managua.
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Masaya Volcano, located about 13 miles (20 km) from Managua, is the only volcano in the Western Hemisphere where one is able to drive to the very rim of the crater. Stand at the edge, looking down at the inside of the volcano. Learn about the history of the volcano and its many eruptions from your expert local guide and at the Ecological Museum here.
Afterward, drive to the town of Masaya and visit its popular handicraft market. Taking up an entire city block, the market is the richest source of handicrafts in the country. Shop for locally made items such as hammocks, colorful baskets, folksy paintings and intricately decorated vases. You’ll also find clay ceramics and sculpted masks. When your visit at the market ends, enjoy the drive back to your hotel in Managua.
Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Local guide
- Transport by air-conditioned minibus or van
- Entry/Admission - Masaya Volcano National Park
- Entry/Admission - Masaya Crafts Market
Not included
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks (available to purchase)
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Features
Tourism
90%
Cultural
60%
Sport
35%
Reviews
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As a native Nicaraguan, I have visited the Masaya Volcano dozens of times. But, nothing prepared me for this visit. The crater of the volcano had always emanated smoke, and sometimes you could catch a glimpse of lave at the bottom of the crater. But due to the recent volcanic activity, for the first time ever, I was able to see the lava lake boiling and bubbling at the bottom of the volcano. You can also hear the volcano roar underneath the voices of the visitors who crowd the crater. I was mesmerized by the terrifying beauty of the volcano. Please be aware that the Masaya Volcano is an active volcano. As you drive to the top, you are able to park at the top of the volcano and view directly into crater. Although, the visit is perfectly safe, the risk of a volcanic eruption is very real. Before going to the top of the volcano, our guide named Marlene, took us to the visitor center of the volcano, which includes a small museum about the history of the volcano and its flora and fauna. After the volcano, Marlene took us to the city of Masaya, which is the center of Nicaraguan handcrafts. Marlene gave us the option to visit historic marketplace or the newer marketplace. The historic marketplace is more popular with tourists, but everything is much more expensive. We chose to go to the newer marketplace because it was cheaper. However, if this is your first time at a Nicaraguan market place, I recommend going to the old one instead. The newer market place can be extremely chaotic. Luckily for us, Marlene was able to navigate the market place very quickly and we were able to buy everything we wanted. Due to the proximity of Masaya to Nicaragua, we were able to complete this tour in about 4 hours. So, we still had plenty of time left in the afternoon to do other activities. I definitely recommend this tour for anyone who is interesting in admiring the breathtaking and terrifying beauty of an active volcano. Later we found out that it is also possible to visit the volcano in the evening, where the entire crater is illuminated by the glow of the lava. You may also want to look into that as well. I know I definitely will.
the trip to the volcano and the handicraft market was very good except that they did not have any water available like the trip description said
Not much to see and do other taking a hike. The handicraft market was huge and worth spending. I found one hour was not enought.