Top 5 hiking trails in Nicaragua

Welcome to the top 5 hiking trails in Nicaragua. I’ve compiled what are in my opinion the best trails in the entire country.

If you have any favorite hikes around Nicaragua, feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of the page

Table of Contents

5. Volcano Telica

Difficulty: Moderate
How to get to Volcano Telica: Head North of León on Carretera León – Chinandega until you get to Interstate Highway 26, follow it until you see the trail on your left
Duration of hike: The average person takes roughly 4 and a half hours to complete this trail
Trail length: 8.2 miles
Elevation: 2,053 feet
More information: Volcano Telica

I must warn you, the sunset on this trail is of astronomical beauty
This may not be the easiest trail, especially in coordination with this list. However, I would still try it out with no expectations
Overall you are going to have a wonderful time on this trail and you will probably encounter a lot of interesting wildlife

Difficulty: Easy
How to get to Mombacho Crater Trail: Head to the South East of Masaya, and directly South of Granada. Go on Interstate Highway 4 until you reach Al Mombacho, follow it until you reach the trail which is directly no the Estacion Biologica Mombacho
Duration of hike: The average person takes around 40 minutes to complete this trail
Trail length: 1.2 mile
Elevation: 288 feet
More information: Mombacho Crater Trail

This in my opinion is the easiest trail on the list so if you are a beginner or do not hike very much I would highly recommend The Mombacho Crater Trail
The correlation between how easy this trail is with the included high-tier views makes this a formidable trail
When it comes to Nicaragua hiking, I feel as if you need to see this trail, come on over and dedicate half an hour to it
If you have kids, make sure to bring them here as they will love the trail

Difficulty: Hard
How to get to Volcan Maderas: To get to this hike you will have to go to the island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. Head East of Santa Cruz and it’ll be right beside Little Morgan’s Hostel, off of Interstate Highway 226
Duration of hike: The average person takes roughly 7 and a half hours to complete this hike
Trail length: 9.5 miles
Elevation: 4,363 feet
More information: Volcan Maderas

Yes you read that elevation correctly, this is definitely the most difficult trail on my entire list
I would advise against this trail if you are new to hiking. However, if you feel as if you want to take it on… feel free to try it out and see what you think. If you do end up pursuing it as a new hiker, let us know how it went
When it comes to Nicaragua hiking, Volcan Maderas does a grande job of giving you a fantastic challenge
One thing to watch out for when it comes to this trail is if it has recently rained. You don’t want to go on this trail if it has recently rained because it will be incredibly muddy
You will encounter some phenomenal wildlife on this trail, for example, monkeys and many varieties of birds

Difficulty: Moderate
How to get to Mérida Waterfall: Similar to the last trail you will have to visit the same island, except for this trail you will have to go on North of San Ramón. Go on Interstate Highway 226 until you hit Accesso Cascades
Duration of hike: You will most likely take around 3 and a half hours to complete this tremendous hike
Trail length: 4.5 miles
Elevation: 1,948 feet
More information: Mérida Waterfall

The name of the trail gives it away a bit but yes this trail indeed has a gorgeous lump of H2O rolling on top of some magnificent rock
The last part of this trail is the wildest, by wildest I mean be careful because it can get sketchy. However, this is the most important part considering that’s how you traverse the waterfall
There won’t be a lot of shade in the beginning but don’t worry it’ll get a lot better as the trail goes on… as long as you are careful of course
In terms of Nicaragua hiking, this trail is an absolute must, for its magnificence is off the charts

Difficulty: Easy
How to get to Charco Verde Trail: Similar to the last two trails, this is also on the island. However, this one is on the Northern part of the island South of San José del Sur. Head South off Interstate Highway 64, go towards Parque Ecologico Charco Verde and you will see it.
Duration of hike: This hike will take you roughly 40 minutes on average
Trail length: 1.9 miles
Elevation: 173 feet
More information: Charco Verde Trail

Welcome to my absolute favorite trail in Nicaragua, it’s also the second easiest trail on my list
On top of being the most beautiful and easy trail on my list… it’s also a marvelous loop trail
When it comes to Nicaragua hiking, you won’t find a better overall trail than this
I ultimately chose this for the number one spot on my list of top 5 hiking trails in Nicaragua because of its out-of-this-world views while also being a very doable trail
If I could only recommend one trail on this list, it would be this hike by far. One of the days you are here, come on over and form some beautiful memories

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Have any recommendations for specific hiking trails? Feel free to leave a comment below
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