Nicaragua was colonised by the Spanish and has the old colonial buildings and cobbled streets to show; it has the oldest cathedral in Central America, and Granada is reputed to be the oldest city on the western hemisphere. Nicaragua has also had more than its share of destruction through earthquakes and revolutions. Managua, the capital was hit particularly hard by the 1972 earthquake which pretty much wiped out what was the centre of town.

This tour takes in the “best” of Nicaragua in 10 days. It is not a big country so everything is within easy reach and there is a reasonable bus system. Everyone seems to agree that Ometepe Island is the highlight of Nicaragua, followed by Granada. No one much seems to like Managua, saying it is a bit dodgy. You could do most of this itinerary as day trips from Managua, but the Beetle recommends that you get out of Managua – not such a great place – and stay over in different places.

Day 1: fly into Managua. Managua, the capital of Nicaragua is on the southern shore of Lake Managua. Settle into your hotel/hostel and explore. Managua itself is a bit of a sad city. Despite the new building boom, it is not hard to see that the centre is still astonishingly devastated from the 1972 earthquake, so it a curious place as there is no real centre any more, it is spread all over, wherever funding allows new building. The Intercom hotel is something of a landmark, it is built in the shape of one of the old Mayan pyramids, some consider this as the centre – it was the only building that survived the 1972 earthquake. The lake is brown and has waves and looks like the sea, but it is dirty and not nice. Things to see include the Plaza de la República, the newly renovated cathedral which is now a museum, the Peace Park where you can see the giant lighthouse, and the tank and thousands of guns mummified in spray-on concrete. Near the cathedral is the grave of Carlos Fonseca, the founder of the Sandinistas, the Palcio Nacional, and the new Casa Presedencial. There are several museums, including a Museum of the Revolution. There are some places to swim, in the lagunas that are volcanic crater lakes. People tend not to stay in Managua, they usually head straight out to Granada – note Granada not Leon. There is a good bus network though, so getting around is easy. If you have time, take a morning bus to the Laguna de Xiloá, a crater lake that is a popular swimming spot about 20km north west of Managua and have a swim. Return to Managua.

Day 2: do a day trip to Leon. Take the bus to Leon, north of Managua and not far. Leon allegedly has Central America's oldest cathedral that took over 200 years to rebuild. It has some large paintings of the 12 Stations of the Cross and also houses the tomb of Rubén Darío, the poet. There are monuments to the revolution and Sandanista murals all over Leon. Leon is smaller than Granada and will not take more than a half day to look around, have some lunch and return to Managua. You can wander the streets and admire the colonial churches and the whitewashed adobe buildings with red roofs. There’s plenty of info about the 1978-79 revolution too for those interested in some of Nicaragua’s past. If you find, like the Beetle, that there is not a lot to keep you in Leon, then take the bus back to Managua and then on to Granada.

Day 3: Take a bus from Managua to El Trapiche, 17km southeast of Managua. El Trapiche is a place where large outdoor pools have been formed by near by natural springs. It is quite pretty as there are gardens and restaurants. Have lunch and have a splash. You may meet some tourists here! From here, continue to another 5kms southeast to the Massaya Volcano Nat Park. It is only 23kms south east of Managua and also 20 mins drive from Granada. The volcano is still active and you can see (and smell!) the steam coming out of it. There are some hot springs, the usual sort of volcano stuff. There's also a big market at Massaya where you can buy hammocks etc. When you have had a look around, take the bus to Granada and overnight there.

Day 4: Granada is only around 45kms away from Managua. It lies at the base of the Mombacho volcano and is on Lake Nicaragua so it has a constant cool breeze. Granada has cobbled streets and you will see lots of Spanish style colonial architecture, the cathedral, the Colon Park and Mombacho. It took the Beetle less than a day to visit and explore Granada, although she did not go on the lake. Some say that Granada is the oldest city in the western hemisphere. If you are a bird watcher, there are over 350 volcanic islands in Lake Managua. The islands that people visit are called Las Islets de Nicaragua where you can see nesting cormorants etc. You can go kayaking here if that is your thing.

Day 5: take a trip out onto Lake Nicaragua and visit some of the islands. San Pablo has a small fortress built by the Spaniards to protect against British pirates in the 18th century, Isla Zapatera is a national park and has some old stone statues. Isla del Muerto also has tombs and rock carvings to see.

Day 6 and 7: From Granada take the bus to San Jorge, near Rivas it’s about 4 hours by bus and take the ferry out to visit Ometepe Island, the largest freshwater island in the world (complete with fresh water sharks!) Ometepe is the highlight for most people visiting Nicaragua. Once there, you can lie around on the beaches or if you are feeling slightly more energetic, you can climb up Volcano Maderas. Take the bus from San Jorge to San Juan del Sur on the Pacific coast.

Day 8, 9,10: laze on the beach at San Juan del Sur. Day 10 take the bus back up to Managua to fly back home.

Alternative: there is a five-hour boat trip down the Río Escondido to Bluefields, on the Caribbean coast. Most travellers reckon that this is not worth it and the Beetle has not seen many good reports about Bluefields….but, the Corn Islands in the Caribbean just off Bluefields are worth the trip. To get there, the best way is to fly from Managua – around $100 return. Little Corn Island in particular gets some rave reviews for sunning and swimming.

The Santorini Ferry or as it is lovingly called Mama Tanzania, is one of those amazing things that can only be found in Tanzania. This boat is an experience in itself. The Santorini ferry is a 1960’s Greek cruiser and is run by a Greek Crew. It is in good nick for its age and is certainly the most upper-class thing ever to hit Mtwara.

The boat takes roughly 18 hours crossing time. You leave Mtwara lunchtime on Friday and are in Dar-es-Salaam by the morning. On return you leave Tuesday lunchtime and arrive Mtwara Wednesday morning. There are five classes, A-F ranging from class A at 40,500 Tsh to class F at 11,500 Tsh. Class A, B and C all have cabins although only class A has an en-suite bathroom! If you are in the top three classes you have use of the two restaurants one which serves Swahili food which will set you back about 2000 Tsh and is self-service canteen style and another which serves European food and is waiter service. This cost me about 8,000 Tsh but I did have three courses and a salad, what can I say Mikindani makes you hungry! And a good bowl of mushroom soup followed by spaghetti bolognaise followed by fruit salad was a well-deserved treat, I thought! Volunteers must be warned, local eating habits do not apply here and attacking food hyena style is not advised, believe me, I know! When a man wearing a T-shirt saying “ABIBAS”(ADIDAS) looks at you in disbelief you are really put in your place.

Despite this you are made to feel quite comfortable in the top three classes on this mystery boat. The bar is well equipped with two satellite TV’s and and a DJ, as I suppose you could call him – the man who bangs out tunes for the entire journey. This is needed, as the majority of passengers use this room just to keep their bags in, this is a style adopted by our very own Emmanuel who managed to make it the whole 18 hours propped up at the bar so I was told by the stewardess ladies on board who all remember Mr Casanova very well! This is a lively place, not for the faint hearted. If you suffer seasickness or hate rap avoid this bar like the plague. I seemed to know a lot of people and like anywhere in Tanzania everyone is related somehow!

Class D and E are made up of rows of armchair seats inside with a small counter to by snacks and drinks. All classes A- E are air-conditioned. Class F is a plastic seat outside that runs down the hallways of both sides of the boat. On the top deck there are benches covered by a canopy. In rough weather these seats can be a bit difficult and on the top deck is very windy and the coldest I’ve ever been outside in Tanzania. If you want to cool down, clear your head and get a wonderful view of the stars then this is the place to be. All in all I would recommend using the Santorini as a reliable way to travel from Dar-es-Salaam to Mtwara. Especially for future volunteers, it is a cheaper alternative to flying and the 1960s décor is bound to keep you amused!

Update: our friends at Trade Aid tell us that the Santorini has been pulled from this route. We do not yet know if this is permanent or not.

For more information about Trade Aid, volunteers and their work, please visit their website www.mikindani.com