Central America Grand Tour 
highlights of Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua
A 20 day trip taking in the diverse ecosystems of Panama and Costa Rica and the beautiful scenery and colonial aspects of Nicaragua.
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Itinerary summary
Panama: Panama City
Days 1-3: Spend three nights in Panama’s capital, staying in the historical centre, where you’ll have a short walking tour and visit the Panama Canal and its amazing system of locks.
The Chiriquí highlands
Days 4-5: Fly west to David and driven to the village of Boquete. Stay two nights on a coffee hacienda allowing time to explore the birdwatching trails of these verdant highlands.
Costa Rica: Tropical rainforest
Days 6-8: Cross the border into Costa Rica and spend three nights on the Osa Peninsula. A variety of excursions are included in the surrounding forest that is home to hundreds of species of birds and many amphibians and mammals.
Cloudforest
Days 9-10: Take a short flight to San José and continue your journey overland to Monteverde for two nights. Head into the cloudforest for an aerial tram through the treetop canopy and also the option to zipline or enjoy the canopy walkways.
Pacific coast
Days 11-13: Continue your journey west (around 3-4 hours) to the Pacific coast. Stay three nights in one of the bays in the very northern section of the Nicoya Peninsula with time to spend at leisure.
Nicaragua: Ometepe
Days 14-16: Driven north to the border with Nicaragua at Peñas Blancas (around 2 hours) and continue overland and by boat to Ometepe Island (a further 3 hours) on Lake Managua. Stay three nights at an island lodge with views of Ometepe's towering volcanoes, Madera and Concepcion. Enjoy a half day nature tour and then time to relax. Possible additional activities include boat excursions, volcano hikes, swimming in the lake, mountain biking and riding.
Granada
Days 17-19: Spend a final three nights in Granada, on the southern shore of Lake Nicaragua. Founded in 1524 this is the oldest city in the New World with many colonial buildings, churches and an impressive cathedral. A short city tour will give an excellent introduction to Granada and a boat trip on the lake, which is home to around 354 islands, is also included.
Day 20: Transfer from Granada to Managua (around 1 hour) for your flight home, or continued journey.
Go further
This suggested trip could be extended to take in even more countries of Central America, or indeed beyond into Mexico or Colombia. Or more places of interest could be included en-route, removing internal flights and doing more sections overland.
Gallery
Accommodation options
In the following section you will see our suggested options for possible accommodation.
The estimated flight cost included in this itinerary (assuming international flights from the UK plus any internal flights that are necessary) is £1,220 per person.
Standard - £6,750
Central Hotel
- perfect location for exploring the city's old quarter.
El Remanso Lodge
- a lovely property on the Osa peninsula, accessible from Puerto Jimenez.
Finca Lerida
- on a coffee plantation, close to Boquete.
Finca San Juan de la Isla
- a simple lodge on Ometepe island with beautiful lake and volcano views
Hotel Plaza Colón
- an historic building on the main square in Granada
Trapp Family Lodge
- a rustic lodge close to the Monteverde national park entrance
Price and validity notes
We have tried to give you as accurate an idea of prices as possible, including meals where appropriate (but not when there are good local options so you don't pay for a meal that you might not want), accommodation, transfers, and any tours we have included.
All prices are per person based on two people sharing a room and are intended as a guide (local high or low seasons can cause some variation). All prices were correct when published but may vary with exchange rate fluctuations, fuel surcharges, or changes in the general economic situation.