Village Life at the Volcano Mombacho

You live in a cottage in the village "Nicaragua Libre", at the foot of Volcano Mombacho, where you can go on various excursions to see the exuberant nature and the lifestyle of the rural population of Nicaragua. If you wish, you can help out with farm work.

The village is near the Pan American Highway, about 40 minutes from the colonial city of Granada, at the foot of the volcano Mombacho, which you can also climb. In the village, there are ten Nicaraguan families, who live mainly on agriculture and the carpentry trade. The rural tourism initiative makes them somewhat less dependent on the income of agriculture.

The cooperative Nicaragua Libre operates a basic tourist accommodation at Finca, with 3 dormitories, and organizes the activities in the village, as well as the excursions in the area.

The Mombacho volcano is extinct. Its last eruption was in 1570 and is now, a nature reserve. The higher elevations are a cloud forest with endemic flora and fauna.

Nicaragua Libre

Full-day activities:

Full-Day Horseback Riding with Swimming in Aguas Agrias - During the riding excursion, you will see the natural beauty at the foot of the volcano Mombacho take a refreshing dip in the river.
Full day excursion to the volcano Mombacho. From volcano Mombacho, you have an impressive view of Lake Nicaragua and its islands (Las Isletas), which emerged after an eruption of the volcano thousands of years ago, and the colonial city of Granada.
Horse Riding in the Pueblos Blancos (white villages) with overnight stay. You will ride to San Juan del Oriente, which is known as Pueblo Blanco and famous for pottery. You will visit a workshop to learn how the pots are made and designed. You spend the night there, returning the next day.
Bake tortillas. The corn tortillas is a must for any meal for many Nicaraguans. Learn how to make tortillas from corn flour and bake delicious, warm flat bread. In the evening, enjoy Noche de las Leyendas (Night of Legends). Legends have a special tradition in Nicaragua and is narrated on many occasions. Look out for scary stories!
Daytrip to Granada, with a guided tour of the city and boat tour of Las Islets on Lake Nicaragua.

You can stay additional nights and help on the farm in Nicaragua Libre. The activities include helping Finca in building fences, preparing fields for planting, sowing, reaping and care for the animals. There are only boarding and lodging options.

Nicaragua Libre

Minimum Duration: 3 Days
Maximum Duration: 1 Month
Language Requirements: Spanish; a translator (in English) can be arranged at extra cost
Location: Province of Granada, Nicaragua
Accommodation: Dormitory in the Finca
Price: In Tab "Rate"

Extras

Other Projects That Might Interest You:

Cocoa Plantation in Nicaragua

These projects are suggestions for alternatives that may interest you or those that could be chosen as COMBINATIONS. The combination of projects in different organizations is often possible and usually cheaper than two individual bookings. Please contact us to know more! Check out our other listings in the areas of "World Learner" and "Active Travel" at your travel destination to make your stay even more interesting.

Learning Spanish in León!

Learning Spanish is always helpful, and you can choose the intensity of your lessons. We recommend, however, a maximum of 10 hours per week. These are individual lessons with a teacher. Sometimes, students of similar knowledge levels can take lessons together. The cost of lessons does not vary according o the number of participants though.

The cost for Spanish lessons: 1 Student 8 EUR

Check "Language Training Required" in the registration form and specify the number of hours desired (minimum 20 hours).

Travel Health Insurance

We recommend the following travel insurance that is meant specifically for participants of internships, volunteering, language study, working holiday, and courses abroad. It is available for travelers of all nationalities and usable for all countries, except your home country. You can also add a journey liability insurance.

Just click on the link, fill in the form and you will get a confirmation email.

Leon

Check out our video on León !

Philippa from Germany completed a 9-month internship in the kindergarten, "Los Ositos" in León, Nicaragua. In this video, she takes us through the city of León. We also meet the Spanish teacher Aura Cristina and our (former) supervisor, Ninoska.

León - Colonial City in Nicaragua

León (175,000 inhabitants) is an old Spanish colonial city, located at a distance of around 90 km from the capital Managua and the international airport. The attractive beaches of the Pacific coast are only 15 km away and are easily and inexpensively accessible by public bus.

The city has a special atmosphere which makes one think of its wealthy past. For a long time, the university city has been the country's intellectual hub. Particularly during the university terms, the city is full of young people and has a vivid student life. Tourism is not yet developed much, but is constantly growing.

Problems of the country that participants will face during their volunteering or internship placement are the lack of development, poverty, high unemployment and insufficient educational, medical and social systems, particularly in the rural areas. Many rural Nicas migrate to the cities or leave the country altogether. Around 20% of all Nicaraguans live outside their own country.

Coordinator in León

Our coordinator in León is Katherine from Nicaragua and Stefanie from Austria.

Recreational Activities in León

In León there are numerous bars and night clubs; almost every night one can find live music somewhere. There are cinemas and a theater. At the House of Culture one can take dance, music, drawing, ballet and taekwondo lessons. The Nicas love fitness; there is a gym at almost every street.

The beaches of the Pacific coast (Poneloya und Las Peñitas) are only 15-20 km away. It is possible to surf. Around León, there are ranches where you can do horseback riding. There are several small towns around León where you can visit colonial or Indian ruins and see local handcraft production sites. In a day trip, you can visit natural parks with crater lakes or mangrove lagoons where boat trips are possible, and where you can see many birds and alligators.

Throughout the year, there are many festivals which are often religious.

On a multi-day trip, you can see the less explored paradise, "Corn Island", on the English Caribbean coast of Nicaragua.

Getting There

Getting To León

You book your flight to the airport of Managua (MGA). Also compare airfares to popular holiday destinations in the Caribbean and southern United States (e.g. Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Las Vegas, Panama, Santo Domingo, Cancún), from where you can book a cheap flight at www.spirit.com or www.copaair.com to Managua. From Managua airport you will be picked up and brought to Leon.

In the case of other locations in Nicaragua, we give you detailed information about travel. In most cases, you take a bus from Managua Airport and then you are picked up from the bus station near your place of work.