Somoto Canyon Day Trip: The Complete Guide (2024)

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Welcome to the Somoto Canyon Day Trip!

Escape the heat of Nicaraguan cities with a day trip to the beautiful Somoto Canyon! This day trip was an absolutely unforgettable experience and a highlight of our time in Nicaragua. Though you can do this day trip from León or Managua, we highly recommend using Estelí as your launchpad for this experience to cut down long travel times. From extreme cliff-jumping to tranquil horseback rides, Somoto Canyon has something for everyone!

We chose to do this experience as a day trip, which will be the focus of this post. However, if you plan on horseback riding, hiking, or doing any other activities than trekking through the canyon, staying overnight is a great option!

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Quick Overview of Somoto Canyon

Somoto Canyon, also known as Namancambre, began to form 2.6 million years ago due to erosion from the Coco River (Río Coco), the longest river in Central America. Río Tapacalí and Río Coman merge into Río Coco, and depending on what tour you do, you may trekking through one of these river in addition to Río Coco. At one point, we were only one kilometer away from the Honduras border!

Locals have tales of mysterious encounters with magical beings in the Somoto Canyon, from leprechauns to ghosts, so be on the look out! Because Somoto Canyon is so far north, not too many travelers make it here, but this definitely deserves its stop on your Nicaraguan itinerary. We only saw one other tour group during our 4 hours in the canyon, and there were only two other people in our group. There’s a good chance you’ll have the canyon to yourself!

Somoto Canyon Day Trip Nicaragua Swimming

What to Expect when Exploring Somoto Canyon

The typical trips consist of a loop through and around the canyon. You’ll be hiking, walking, wading through water, climbing rocks, swimming, jumping off cliffs up to 12 meters high (optional), and taking a row boat, all through the gorgeous Somoto Canyon. This does require a decent level of athleticism, but as long as you’re a bit in shape you should be able to handle the short tour.

With Somoto Canyon tours, we took a break every hour or so, and they provided Oreos and a banana during one of these breaks! The water is fairly cold, so make sure to check out our packing list for what to bring!

Somoto Canyon Day Trip Itinerary

This is a typical itinerary for a Somoto Canyon day trip from Estelí, specifically for the longer tour. We were told that we would be in the canyon for 5-6 hours, but we were only actually in there for about 4 hours. Here’s what our day trip to Somoto Canyon looked like:

6:30 AM: Get a delicious, large-portioned, cheap breakfast at Comedor El Quesito in Estelí, which opens at 6 am, and you can take your food to go.
7:30 AM: Take the bus to Somoto.
9:30 AM: Arrive in Somoto (city), where your tour guide will pick you up and transport you closer to the canyon.
10 AM: Change into water shoes, use the bathroom, eat your snacks, and get ready for a day of adventure!
10:15 AM: Get driven to the start point of your adventure.
10:30 AM-1:40 PM: Wade through the rivers, swim, cliff jump, and walk for about 3 hours downstream.
1:40 PM: A quick boat ride to get to the hiking trail
1:50 PM: Hike back to starting point
2:30 PM: Eat a Late lunch provided by tour
3:10 PM: Bus back to downtown Somoto (your tour may provide a ride back to the Somoto bus station)
4-6 PM: Take the bus from Somoto to Estelí

Somoto Canyon Day Trip Interesting Rock Formations in Nicaragua

Somoto Canyon Day Trip Packing List

We just took our small backpack (which you can get here) and filled it up with a few things we needed. You should also be able to leave whatever you don’t need with the tour operator prior to entering the canyon.

Swim Shirt/Long Sleeve Nylon Shirt: The water can get cold, especially in the shade of the canyon
Extra T-Shirt: you can put this in the dry bag the guide brings along, so you can be a little warmer for the hike at the end!
Sunscreen: You’ll covered by the shade of the canyon for most of this, but you’ll definitely get some sun!
Snacks: You’ll want to eat right before the hike so you don’t get to hungry during the adventures!
Water: The guide will bring a bag to keep your water bottles in.
Waterproof Phone Case: I couldn’t have gotten all these pictures with out the perfect case!
A Change of Clothes: You’ll want these after your river trekking!

Most tours will provide some gear – Somoto Canyon Tours provided sneakers that could get wet, a dry bag for our valuables, and a life jacket. In addition to this gear, they provided snacks and a lunch at the end.

How Much Do the Somoto Canyon Activities Cost?

There are a few tour operators who lead activities in Somoto Canyon, but they all seem to lead very similar tours. There are 3 options for tour length: one where you just show up at the canyon, take pictures and don’t do too much, one that can take up to 4 hours, and one that can take up to 6 hours. We went with Somoto Canyon Tours (where the prices below are from) and they were awesome!

Long Tour – Up to 6 Hours: $35
Short Tour – Up to 4 Hours: $30
Shortest Tour – Up to 3 Hours: $25
Horseback Riding to Lookout: Starts at $15

How to Get to Somoto Canyon

Most people do this as a day trip from Estelí, which is what we did. However, you can also stay in Somoto, or do this as a day trip from León through this tour.

How to get from Estelí to Somoto Canyon

The bus to Somoto from Estelí costs 46 Cordobas (about 1 USD), and takes 2 hours. You can check the schedules here. You can take this bus at 5:15 am, 6:15 am, 7:15 am, 8:45 am, 9:30 am, 10:30 am, 11:45 am, 12:30 pm, 1:30 pm, 2:45 pm, 4:15 pm, and 5:15 pm. Your tour operator might pick you up from the station (ours did), and drive you 25 minutes to the canyon. If your tour guides don’t pick you up, you can take the bus to El Espino and get off at Somoto Canyon Tours.

How to Get From Managua to Somoto Canyon

From Managua, the buses to Estelí and Somoto leave from the Mercado El Mayoreo, although we’re not sure what times they leave.

How to Get From León to Somoto Canyon

The buses from León to Estelí leave every 1-2 hours from the Terminal de Buses. We don’t recommend doing this as a day trip from León via chicken buses because of the length of travel time, but if you’re staying the night in Somoto, taking the chicken buses can be a great money-saver! After you get to Estelí, follow the directions above!

How to Get to Somoto Canyon by Car

You can rent a car, which will give you a lot of flexibility; however, just remember you may be pulled over if you look like a tourist, in which case you may have to bribe the police.

Getting From Somoto Canyon to Estelí

The bus from Somoto Canyon to Somoto bus station came at 3:10 PM and cost 15 Cordobas ($0.41). As mentioned earlier, your tour may bring you back to the Somoto bus station. From downtown Somoto, you can take the 2:45, 4, or 5 PM bus back to Estelí; 5 PM is the last bus.

Best Time to Visit Somoto Canyon

The best time to visit Somoto Canyon is December to April. The wet season is May to October, and the river can be flowing too fast to make this a safe journey during this time. November might still have higher chances of heavy rain, so it’s best to visit the Somoto Canyon after November and before May.

Do You Need a Guide For the Somoto Canyon?

It is not mandatory to go with a guide on your day trip to Somoto Canyon, but we highly recommend it. The guides know what is safe; what the best route is, and can show you things you wouldn’t otherwise see!

Keep Exploring Nicaragua….

Our Favorite Travel Resources

Accommodations: We use Booking.com for hotels and HostelWorld for hostels. We also use VRBO or TrustedHousesitters for longer stays.

Flights: We recommend using Skyscanner to find the cheapest and best flights.

Ground Transport: We use 12Go and Omio for buses and private transfers, and rentalcars.com and Discover Cars for rental cars.

Activities: GetYourGuide and Viator are the best websites for booking organized tours.

International Medical Insurance: We highly recommend SafetyWing for Digital Nomads and HeyMondo for those not traveling full-time, or who frequently engage in higher-risk adventure activities.

eSIM: We recommend Airalo or Holafly for getting data internationally.

Check out our Travel Resources Page for more of our favorite travel-related products and services!

Somoto Canyon Day Trip: Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting