Active People on the Move Ecotour 2022

We’re so happy you’re interested in this tour! Please keep in mind that the following itinerary is subject to change. The cost of this trip is $1,400 and includes all meals, lodging, activities, and transportation. It does not include airfare. Depending on travel regulations for re-entry to the U.S. at the time of departure, there may be an additional cost for a COVID-19 test. If you have any questions, please contact us!

DAY	TIME	ACTIVITY	NOTES
Day 1   Managua-FEV	02:00 PM	Depart Managua for Finca Esperanza Verde (FEV)	If travelers cannot find a flight that arrives before this departure time, they must fly in the night before. SCSRN can help with accommodations at the hotel Las Mercedes.
	05:00 PM	Arrive at FEV	Receive cabin assignments.
	06:30 PM	Dinner	FEV kitchen staff will have been made aware of any special dietary restrictions in the group. Food is made with fresh ingredients from the farm’s organic garden.
	After dinner	Meet the staff	FEV staff will introduce themselves, and you will learn a little about the history of FEV.
Day 2   FEV	06:15 AM	Bird watching	Bird watching tours are available each morning at FEV starting at 6:15am. These tours are optional.
	07:30 AM	Breakfast
	09:00 AM	Coffee Tour	Learn about how coffee is processed on the farm’s facilities.
	12:30 PM	Lunch
	02:00 PM	Guided hiking tour	Go on a medium-intensity hike with a local guide in the cloud forest.
	06:30 PM	Dinner
	After dinner	Free time	In the dining and resting area of FEV, you can find board games, books, and a Wi-Fi connection!
Day 3   FEV	07:30 AM	Breakfast	Bird watching before for those interested.
	08:30 AM	RSP Visit	Visit a rural primary school, Las Delicias, which is supported by the Barrett Family through our Rural School Partnership program. Play games and do crafts with children at the school.
	12:30 PM	Lunch
	02:30 PM	Cooking lesson	Learn how traditional corn tortillas are made, and artisanal coffee roasting.
	04:00 PM	Tour of the organic garden	Learn how the farm’s organic garden is used to create FEV’s delicious meals.
	06:30 PM	Dinner
	07:30 PM	Bonfire and music	Local musicians will play traditional Nicaraguan music.
Day 4   FEV- San Ramón	07:30 AM	Breakfast	Bird watching before for those interested.
	09:30 AM	Depart for San Ramón	You will say your goodbyes to the FEV staff and head for the town of San Ramón.
	10:00 AM	Visit to San Roque	Visit a rural community to learn about how local farmers produce coffee and see some of SCSRN’s current projects in rural San Ramón.
	12:00 PM	Arrive at SCSRN office	You will receive a brief welcome and orientation before being taken to your host family’s home for introductions and to settle in.
	12:30 PM	Lunch with host family.	Host families will have been made aware of any special dietary restrictions you may have.
	02:00 PM	Coffee dry mill	Travel out to a dry mill to learn what happens to coffee after it leaves the farm and how it is prepared for export.
	05:30 PM	Dance presentation	A local children’s dance troupe will perform traditional Nicaraguan dance for you at the public library.
	06:30 PM	Dinner	Dinner with your host family.
	After dinner	Free time	You can walk around town, go to the cyber café or SCSRN office to use the internet, or just stay home and relax. Your host families will expect you around 9pm.
Day 5   San Ramón	07:30 AM	Breakfast	With your host family.
	08:30 AM	Los Pipitos	Visit Los Pipitos, a center for children with disabilities that SCSRN has supported since 2008.
	09:30 AM	Indigenous weaving community	Ride out to El Chile, a community known for its traditional weaving practices. Visit some women’s cooperatives for a demonstration of different weaving techniques.
	12:30 PM	Lunch	With your host family.
	02:00 PM	Recycled paper Co-op	Watch a demonstration of this women’s group, and learn how they lifted their families out of poverty by making recycled paper products.
	03:30 PM	Seed Jewelry Co-op	Attend a workshop to learn how these women use local seeds to make jewelry to sell and support their families.
	06:30 PM	Cooking lesson and dinner	Learn how traditional nacatamales are made. Afterwards, enjoy a nacatamal dinner with live local musicians.
	After dinner	Free time
Day 6   San Ramón	07:30 AM	Breakfast	With host family.
	09:00 AM	Cacao Cooperative	Visit a cacao cooperative to learn about how small-scale farmers get their cacao from the tree to the fermented bean that is ready to be made into chocolate
	12:30 PM	Lunch	Travel into the city of Matagalpa to eat at a local restaurant.
	02:00 PM	Tour of a chocolate factory	Tour a local bean-to-bar chocolate factory to see the process of how fermented chocolate beans are turned into chocolate.
	03:30 PM	Tour of Matagalpa	Visit some of the local landmarks of this beautiful northern city.
	06:00 PM	Dinner	With host family.
	After dinner	Free time
Day 7   San Ramón- Granada	07:30 AM	Breakfast	With host family.
	08:30 AM	Depart for Granada
	12:00 PM	Arrive to Granada	Check in to hotel in Granada.
	12:30 PM	Lunch	Eat at a local restaurant on La Calzada, the famous pedestrian street in the middle of the city.
	02:30 PM	Isleta tour	Take a boat tour of the tiny islands that border Granada in Lake Nicaragua.
	04:00 PM	Free time	Walk around town, shop, or just rest at your hotel.
	07:00 PM	Dinner	Eat the best steak of your life in El Zaguan, one of Granada’s most celebrated restaurants.
Day 8   Granada-Managua	07:30 AM (possibly earlier, depends on flights)	Breakfast	Immediately after breakfast, depart for the airport in Managua.