This ecotour is now over.
**ITINERARY SUBJECT TO CHANGE**
| 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 | Coffee cupping | Travel to a nearby coffee farm for a demonstration of professional coffee tasting, called “cupping.” | |
| 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, San Pablo, which is supported by the ERUUF Youth Ministry 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 | Hike on the Red Trail | Medium intensity hike in the cloud forest with local guides- wear hiking shoes, and bring water and walking stick. | |
| 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. | |
| 10:30 AM | Arrive at SCSRN office | Exec. Dir. Anjie Price will receive you at the San Ramón office, give you a brief welcome and orientation, and will you receive you host family assignments.
You will be taken to your host family’s home for introductions and to settle in. |
|
| 11:30 AM | Crafts Market | SCSRN hosts a crafts market of all the artisans we support. This is your chance to support them by purchasing some of their work! | |
| 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 | Tour of town | You will meet a local tour guide in front of the Catholic Church and do a tour of the town of San Ramón to learn about a typical day in this small town. | |
| 05:00 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 | Cocoa Co-op | You will ride out to a Cocoa Cooperative and learn about the chocolate process, all the way from the tree to the bar. | |
| 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 | Dinner | With host family. | |
| After dinner | Free time | ||
| Day 6
San Ramón |
07:30 AM | Breakfast | With host family. |
| 09:00 AM | Los Pipitos | Visit Los Pipitos, a center for children with disabilities that SCSRN has supported since 2008. | |
| 09:40 PM | 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 host family. | |
| 02:00 PM | TBD | We leave this space open to plan an activity that is of particular interest to the group. For example, we may plan a visit to a health care facility, the local high school, or a talk with a local professional. | |
| 05:30 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 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.
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