Last month, I took a weekend getaway from Honduras to Somoto Canyon in Nicaragua. It was an adventure filled weekend, with a good group of friends, good food, and lasting memories. It was all thanks to an amazing company called Somoto Canyon Tours. The company organized the perfect activities and tours for a weekend I won't soon forget!
Location
Somoto Canyon is located about an hours drive away from the border between Nicaragua and Honduras. Driving there is simple and easy as they are located right on the Pan-American highway. The company provides detailed instructions on how to find them once you book a tour, including pictures for signs to look out for and a phone number in the rare case you get lost.
If you decide to stay for a night or two (which I recommend!), the accommodations are located just down the road from the tour office. This makes it easy to get help if you need it and also convenient for meeting before tours. Briefings about the tours are done at the office, where they also have a full kitchen to provide meals to those just visiting for the day and not staying overnight.
Accommodation
Somoto Canyon Tours has several different choices for accommodations based on the size of your group. Since I traveled with a larger group, we rented a larger house equipped for up to ten people. The house where I stayed was beautiful, spacious and airy with large floor to ceiling sliding glass walls on the first floor. There were three bedrooms and room to add extra beds.
Downstairs, the house had a pool table for entertainment as well as comfortable chairs and a hammock for relaxing. The first level also had a wide deck with a table and chairs for sitting outside and enjoying the temperate weather. The house was clean when we arrived, and the staff quickly dealt with any problems we had (one night, there was a problem with the shower leaking. It was fixed within the hour). The house had two full bathrooms as well as a half bath for guests to use.
Somoto Canyon Tours also has cabins available to rent for couples or smaller groups. For more information on budget accommodation options that Somoto Canyon Tours offer, click here.
Meals
Included in the price of the house was dinner the first night, breakfast, lunch and dinner the following day, and breakfast and lunch the final day. The menu was varied and guests had a choice at each meal for what they wanted to eat. Hooray for variety!
Lunch and dinner meals included sides of rice, beans and a salad with the choice of the main course. Guests had the choice of several mains, including vegetables, and chicken prepared in different ways. The second night, we enjoyed a barbecue with many different kinds of grilled meats and vegetable skewers for vegetarians.
One of the best things about the meals was the fact that ingredients were all locally sourced, such as fruits and vegetables grown right on the property. Each meal also came with a complimentary juice made from local fruit – they were delicious and refreshing! Local beers were also available for purchase.
The Canyon Tour
This highlight of my weekend was undoubtedly getting a tour of the canyon! There are a variety of tours available, from a short 3 hour to the longest 6 hour one. My group decided on the 6 hour tour, which sounds really long, but honestly didn't feel like it lasted that long.
Our group began shortly after breakfast and got a ride up to the tour office in one of their trucks. Once there, the tour company provided us with shoes that we could wear for the duration of the tour. Many of the shoes were beat up and used but in decent condition. Everyone in the group traded their shoes in for one of the tours, so that we wouldn't have to worry about getting ours wet or damaged. This is of course optional; all participants are welcome to use their own shoes. I do recommend wearing socks if you do choose to use the tour's shoes.
After we all got our shoes, we drove down to a trail that led to the river. Here, we met our guides for the day who would be taking us down through the canyon. We had two lovely local gentlemen who took extremely good care of us and made sure we were safe and happy the whole time.
At the river, we walked along the banks for a while before we came to the first place where we could float down. Lifejackets are required throughout the tour for safety reasons. They also made floating along quite easy and enjoyable.
Throughout the tour, there were several opportunities to jump from the cliffs of the canyon into the waters below. If any member of our group did not want to jump, the guides would show a way to avoid them. There were jumps as small as 5 meters and up to 20 meters! Again, none of the jumps were required and were up to the comfort level of each person. I did a few good sized jumps and enjoyed them all!
Near the end of the tour, after getting in and out of the water all day, I did feel a bit cold. The end of the canyon has very high walls, with little sun penetrating through to the water. This did not make the trip any less enjoyable – as soon as we began to feel really cold, we were at the end! Just a warning for those interested in exploring the canyon for the maximum 6 hour length.
Available Canyon Tours
Prices for the different tour lengths and a brief description of each are below:
- 3 Hour ‘Short' Discovery Canyon Tour: $25 per person. This tour explores the lower canyon (about 6 kilometers) and is a good option for those who do not want to swim or jump, and think a longer tour would be too challenging. Price includes lunch, entrance fees, boat fees, transportation, and equipment (life jacket, dry bag, and river shoes). Perfect for families with younger children!
- 4 Hour ‘Standard' Adventure Canyon Tour: $25 per person. This tour includes everything on the Discovery Tour but explores a circular route of the canyon that is less than 9 kilometers. The tour includes walking, swimming, jumping, wading, floating, boating – so a good level of physical fitness is best.
- 6 Hour ‘Long' Grand Adventure Tour: $30 per person. The grand adventure tour is the one that I did! On this tour, we did everything included on the Standard Adventure Tour, but got to explore and experience even more of the canyon. This tour also includes a light snack about halfway through.
Other Tours
On Sunday, we got a choice between two tours: A 3 hour horse back ride or a rock climbing and rappelling lesson. Each tour cost an additional $20 per person and provided something to do in the morning before we had to check out and head home. I chose the horse back ride, which took us up one of the nearby mountains to a few spots overlooking the canyon and surrounding views. The horses were well trained and friendly. They did not provide much problems for any of the riders and were easy to control for all of us beginners.
The group that did the rock climbing and repelling reported back that they very much enjoyed their tour as well. The equipment was all in good condition and the guides did a good job of making them comfortable throughout the climb.
Why Somoto Canyon Tours?
While there are several companies that offer tours through the canyon, Somoto Canyon Tours is special because of their commitment to the local community and focus on sustainability. The owners are people from the immediate area who hire locals as the guides through the canyon. Many of the locals rely on farming as their main source of income; by training and hiring young people from the area, Somoto Canyon Tours helps to bolster their own community. Booking and exploring the canyon with this company helps to support locals and provide funding to preserve the natural beauty of Somoto Canyon!
I had nothing but a good experience with Somoto Canyon Tours during my weekend visit. The staff was attentive to our needs and prompt in delivering food when promised or picking us up for tours. They answered all of our questions quickly, and the level of professionalism was notable. I highly recommend this company.
Large groups with 10 people or more, such as mine, are eligible for discounts on tours. Inquire about further details when you book. Another added bonus of traveling with Somoto Canyon Tours!
Company Info
Email: somotocanyontours@gmail.com
Telephone (English): +505 5791 9556
Telephone (Spanish): +505 8610 7642
Casa Huésped Soriano
Carretera Panamericana (Km 229.5)
Municipalidad de Somoto
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Have you been canyoning with Somoto Canyon Tours? Share your experience in the comments!
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.