Travel Guide to Somoto and Somoto Canyon Nicaragua (+ Map)
TL;DR
Travel Guide to Somoto Canyon Nicaragua including 10 things to do in Somoto.
While Somoto might not be the highlight of your Nicaragua trip, it is a lovely hidden gem. Somoto Canyon still flies under the tourist radar so you can have a private canyoning adventure without the crowds.
If you have the time, there are also more things to do in Somoto than the Canyon including old churches and pre-Columbian petroglyphs!
Somoto Canyon Travel Guide
Best Base to Explore Somoto Canyon
There are three possible bases to explore Somoto Canyon:
- Somoto
- Esteli
- Leon
Do You Need a Tour to Visit Somoto Canyon?
Personally, we recommend going on a guided tour. It’s affordable, you can securely store your valuables, and you’ll learn about the safe spots to enter, exit, and jump! Here are the best tour options for Cañón de Somoto:
- From Somoto: Hostal San José
- From Esteli: Luna International Hostel
- From Leon: El Perezoso
Here’s a report of a blogger who hiked Somoto Canyon without a guide.
Tour Options in Somoto Canyon
You can book three different tour options at Hostal San José:
- Short
- Medium
- Long
We chose the medium tour so this is the one we will describe in the following.
What to Expect on a Somoto Canyon Tour
We opted for the cheapest tour option which started with a joined chicken bus ride to the beginning of the Canyon.
After a quick walk, we reached the base, where we could store our clothes. This is also where we got our life jackets and a waterproof bag for the things we wanted to take with us.
From here, the hike to the actual canyon began. We couldn’t tell you how long we walked because time flew as our guide was explaining so much about the geology of the region and we loved it!
The actual canyoning was super fun. It included ample opportunities to jump and swim. While swimming is mandatory, crazy jumps are not. There is only a modest 1-meter (3-foot) jump which is easily manageable. If we can do it, so can you! For those more daring cliff jumpers, various optional jumps, ranging up to 12 meters (40 feet) or higher depending on your climbing skills, await!
The trip through the canyon ends with a short boat ride.
We chose the tour option including lunch and were served lovely local food at the end of the tour.
Afterwards, we walked back to our stored belongings and hopped on the chicken bus back to Somoto with our guide.
Our guide took a GoPro with him and we were sent the pictures the next day but we are not sure if that’s a regular part of the tour.
What to Wear for Canyoning at Somoto
We suggest to wear some light clothing. You probably want to wear more than just a bathing suit because there’s a bit of a hike involved and you also want to avoid chafing from the rocks.
We also suggest to wear waterproof shoes. We wore our waterproof sandals but you can also do the hike in your sneakers if you don’t mind them getting wet.
Somoto Travel Guide
Somoto Map
Is Somoto Worth a Visit?
Somoto is not on the typical “Gringo Trail” in Central America. Probably because it’s not chock full of highlights.
We did enjoy canyoning at Somoto Canyon very much though. Because it’s a little off-the-beaten-track, it’s much emptier than other canyoning experiences (we’re looking at you Badian Canyoneering in the Philippines 👀). In fact, we only met two other tourists.
Fun fact: The Cañón de Somoto is featured on the 50 Cordoba banknote.
We think if you have the time, you should include Somoto in your Nicaragua itinerary.
Here’s our Nicaragua itinerary including Somoto:
How to Get to Somoto
We enjoyed bus travel in Nicaragua. Buses run very frequently and are very affordable.
How to Get from Honduras to Somoto
Somoto is only 15 km/9 mi from the Honduran border. There are the steps to get from Honduras to Somoto:
- Take a bus from Tegucigalpa to Choluteca
- Change into a bus to San Marcos de Colon.
- A shared van will take you to the El Espino border.
- Cross the border on foot.
- Take a bus from El Espino to Somoto.
How to Get from Managua to Somoto
First, you have to go to Esteli. There are several direct buses per day from Managua to Esteli. They leave at Mercado Roberto Huembes and take around 3 hours. Buses from Esteli to Somoto leave from Cotran Norte roughly every hour during the day (around 2.5 hours).
How to Get from Leon to Somoto
First, you have to go to Esteli. Buses from Leon to Esteli leave roughly every 1.5 hours during the day and take around 3 hours. Buses from Esteli to Somoto leave from Cotran Norte roughly every hour during the day (around 2.5 hours).
We have written a complete Leon travel guide.
Where We Stayed in Somoto
We stayed at Hostal San José and could not recommend it more. The location is super central, the rooms are well equipped and cosy, and the included breakfast is delicious.
What sets this place apart is the lovely staff. We also booked our Somoto Canyon with the accommodation and it was great!
Where to Eat in Somoto
In our experience, Somoto is not exactly a foodie paradise.
We had some nice food and drinks at Fast Food El Bajon just around the corner from our accommodation.
There are also many comedors close to the main plaza but we got an upset stomach from one of them so we can only recommend them to a limited extent…
Infrastructure in Somoto
ATMs in Somoto
Somoto was our first stop in Nicaragua and we had no problems getting out cash.
Internet in Somoto
The WiFi at our accommodation worked well.
We travelled with a SIM card that worked in most of Central America (check out the Airlao Latamlink eSIM card) so we had no problem staying connected after crossing the border from Honduras to Nicaragua.
Shopping in Somoto
The only proper supermarket in town is called Pali. There are also several smaller local shops.
Is Somoto Safe?
Despite being a border town close to the border of Honduras, Somoto is quite safe. Somoto has a community policing initiative where residents keep an eye on who is around.
The town is very quiet after dark and we were advised to not walk around alone at night. We also wouldn’t really know where to walk at night because there’s not much going on…
10 Things to Do in Somoto
There are more things to do in Somoto than just going canyoning at Somoto Canyon:
- Santiago Apostol Church. This church was established in 1611, making it one of the oldest churches in Nicaragua (even older than the one in Leon).
- Somoto Clock Tower is a 26 m (85 ft) high clock tower.
- Parque Central is a beautiful treed plaza with some small restaurants.
- Rosquilla bakeries. Rosquillas, a torus-shaped pastry similar to doughnuts, are baked in clay ovens.
- Mercado Municipal de Somoto is the main shopping centre in town. It is a very clean market which is geared more towards locals than tourists.
Here are some more things to do in Somoto that our lovely host at Hostal San José told us about that we didn’t have the time to check out:
- Petroglyphs at Piedras Pintadas where you can admire pre-Columbian rock paintings.
- The Piedra Pintada Museum is a small room located inside the central park of Somoto (the Parque Zelaya). It showcases an interesting collection of pre-Columbian pieces in excellent state, found in Somoto and other regions of the country. There’s also a collection of ancient Somoto photographs, dating back to the 20th century.
- The Mirador offers a great panorama of the mountains that rise above the town.
- Santuario de Cacauli where a 13-year-old boy named Panchito claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary.
- Laguna La Bruja is part of the Rio Coco Geopark (like Somoto Canyon). It’s a small lagoon where you can enjoy nature and go on a boat ride.
How Much Time Do You Need in Somto?
Most people visit Somoto either as a day trip from Leon or Esteli. This is enough time to see the highlight which is the Canyon.
If you have the time, Somoto is a great place to easily base yourself and explore some seriously off-the-beaten-path places in Nicaragua.
Best Time to Visit Somoto
If you want to go canyoning, the best time to visit Somoto is the dry season (November - April). In the wet season (May - October), the current might be too strong to enter the canyon.
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