Las Isletas
Las Isletas
4
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7 within 3 miles
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30 within 6 miles
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4.0
101 reviews
Excellent
53
Very good
26
Average
16
Poor
3
Terrible
3
Erik García Conchal Beach
Playa Conchal, Costa Rica113 contributions
Sept 2022 • Couples
My wife and I ( Erik ) visited las Isletas on September 20222 and took the boat ride in the evening. The price was $15 each . The tour was private . The tour was fine until we got to the monkey island . The monkey named Lucy got on the boat and after finding no food it got hold of my wife and bit her couple of time . We had to go to the hospital and and a shot of vaccine . We then had to stay for 20 days in order to complete 4 shots of the vaccine . I recommend not to get close to the island .
Written 11 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
felixmatteo88
New York City, NY89 contributions
Aug 2014 • Couples
I went on a tour of Las Isletas with my girlfriend and another couple late one weekday in Granada. We took off in a tiny boat with a fun, interactive guide named Manuel, who happily described all the plants and wildlife we passed, from herons and insects to a gorgeous flower that looks like a little burst of fireworks. He explained that the islands range from small to large, with the larger ones supporting entire little fishing communities that rarely interact with mainland Nicaraguans. One of the larger islands also sports an impressive mansion owned by the family that produces Cerveza Victoria, a popular local beer.
The highlight of the boat tour is hands-down the visit to "monkey island", a smaller island with a community of Capuchin monkeys that will happily reach into the boat to grab food from tourists. The locals are OK with this because it is the monkeys' primary source of food - they can't swim, and were allegedly brought to the island by pirates, several centuries ago.
Our tour concluded on another small island with a bar/restaurant and a well-maintained freshwater swimming pool. We grabbed some beers here and hung out for another hour before Manuel and our driver took us to briefly see some colonial Spanish ruins, and then back to the mainland at sunset.
A tour that is well-worth the money, especially if you love monkeys! Try to shop around for a good guide, that also makes a big difference.
The highlight of the boat tour is hands-down the visit to "monkey island", a smaller island with a community of Capuchin monkeys that will happily reach into the boat to grab food from tourists. The locals are OK with this because it is the monkeys' primary source of food - they can't swim, and were allegedly brought to the island by pirates, several centuries ago.
Our tour concluded on another small island with a bar/restaurant and a well-maintained freshwater swimming pool. We grabbed some beers here and hung out for another hour before Manuel and our driver took us to briefly see some colonial Spanish ruins, and then back to the mainland at sunset.
A tour that is well-worth the money, especially if you love monkeys! Try to shop around for a good guide, that also makes a big difference.
Written 18 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rose L
Amsterdam, The Netherlands1 contribution
Sept 2013 • Friends
The boat trip was fine, but I was also (and after it happened I heard many more local people who were attacked) attacked by a monkey named Lucy. The monkey jump on our boat (after the boatsman said that "it was a very friendly monkey") and got a hold on my bag. The monkey though everything out of my bag. The monkey became very aggressive that it could not find any food in my bag. It then jumped on my head and pulled a lot of my hairs out and scratched my face (note: I did not pet the monkey or gave it any food or try to attract it in any way). The boatsman didn't do anything in the beginning. After a while he got some water and splashed it on the monkey (nothing happened). Then the boatsman got some sort of bucket and filed it with water and threw it over the monkey. Only then the monkey left the boat (it took maybe 10 minutes to get it of me). My face was scratched and blooded (and my head sore from all the hairs that had been pulled out) and I had to get to the hospital to get shots.
If they know it is dangerous they should not bring any more tourist near the monkeys.
So you can do the boattrip but don't let any monkeys on your boat.
If they know it is dangerous they should not bring any more tourist near the monkeys.
So you can do the boattrip but don't let any monkeys on your boat.
Written 17 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DaMarcanos
Norfolk, VA702 contributions
Aug 2015 • Family
Like Many in here I will say this is a must do in Nicaragua, we didn't see the Kayak rentals so we opted for the private boat coop taxy, and it was better I feel it would have taken way too long on the Kayak to see and maybe we would not have seen many of the Islets, so taxy boat is probably best you see more, we did pay almost double for more time but it was well worth it actually I would have paid more for more time if I could off, we saw around 200 of the 365 isletas, we did stop in a few of them and even play with the monkeys it was well worth the time and money.
Written 10 September 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mabel S
Stavern, Norway71 contributions
Oct 2014 • Solo
You hear Nicaragua is cheap, but I guess some stuff, as is to expected are not as cheap. I liked the tour of the isletas, but to be honest, paying USD$25.00 for this 2 hours tour did not make it for me. More like 10 dollars for one hour and half, or just one hour, would have been just enough
Written 2 November 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TripHappens_Couple
Sao Paulo, SP142 contributions
Mar 2014 • Couples
beautiful wild but fat monkeys hanging on an island... wild? Not really. Our guide said they don't like bananas, because "they prefer cookies and chips". Sad. This is the only reason we rated this tour badly... but its very interesting to know there are 365 islands, made by one single and huge volcanic eruption, and the history of the fort is pretty interesting. We payed US$19 each that included a free beer (or soda).
Written 29 March 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
yannaik
Oakland, CA165 contributions
Nov 2015
I did an evening boat tour of Las Isletas. The views across Lake Nicaragua and of the Masaya Volcano were very beautiful. About midway through the tour, they took us to an island where two trained monkeys came aboard and were fed cheese puffs by the crew. This was unfortunate, but the rest of the experience was good.
Written 8 January 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
smilenevafrown
Brighton, UK13 contributions
Nov 2015 • Solo
This is a treally good tour where you go around the lake and stop off at a few islands.
We went with Jerry, who is a local guide found around central parque. He usually wears a cap and holds a laminated card with tour info. Ask aroubd for him. He is well known. He is such a nice guy, knows what he is taking about and is a good kid. He is studying so the money helps him out. His English is great and he likes to practice with the group. He does the tours using his uncle's boat. He only charges 8$, which is cheap and great as you are supporting a local guy and not giving your money to the big tour companies.
I loved the monkey island, where you get to feed the monkeys. Jerry is the monkey's favourite guide. He has fun with them and they really listen to him. You also get to feed them.
Great tour by the amazing Jerry.
Thank you for an amazing day Jerry!!
We went with Jerry, who is a local guide found around central parque. He usually wears a cap and holds a laminated card with tour info. Ask aroubd for him. He is well known. He is such a nice guy, knows what he is taking about and is a good kid. He is studying so the money helps him out. His English is great and he likes to practice with the group. He does the tours using his uncle's boat. He only charges 8$, which is cheap and great as you are supporting a local guy and not giving your money to the big tour companies.
I loved the monkey island, where you get to feed the monkeys. Jerry is the monkey's favourite guide. He has fun with them and they really listen to him. You also get to feed them.
Great tour by the amazing Jerry.
Thank you for an amazing day Jerry!!
Written 22 November 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Coconut_Grove_Dave
Miami, FL27 contributions
Sept 2015 • Couples
We payed for a tour of Las Isletas (our second time) while staying in Granada recently. We made arrangements through Nahual Tours, one of several tour companies operating along Calle La Calzada. The 3 hour tour (3-6 PM) was made especially memorable because of the fantastic sunset viewed from the lake. Mario, our guide, was very knowledgeable about the area and the history of Nicaragua. His story about the infamous American William Walker and his role in Granada's history was fascinating! In addition to close-up views of some of the islands (and stories of their interesting owners), the boat tour included stops at Monkey Island, San Pablo Fort, and an island with a restaurant where food and drink is available. Mario was also very knowledgeable about the lake's flora and fauna and made several stops during the tour to show us flowers, howler monkeys, and aquatic plants. We were one of only two couples so it felt like a personalized tour with friends. Overall, this was a relaxing and educational way to enjoy Granada and is highly recommended anyone wanting to experience the natural beauty of the lake from a boat.
Written 12 September 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
drivermum
London11 contributions
Jan 2015 • Couples
If you have not explored any wetlands in Nicaragua, this is probably a good trip with a fair amount of birdlife and howler monkeys, good views and interesting different developments on the islands. However, it pales into insignificance compared with tours in the area around San Carlos.
We chose not to visit Monkey Island having been advised by our hotel that the monkeys had been put there simply for the tourists and that they are not in good health and display unnatural behaviour.
We chose not to visit Monkey Island having been advised by our hotel that the monkeys had been put there simply for the tourists and that they are not in good health and display unnatural behaviour.
Written 4 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Will the boats be running this Saturday, May 12th? I have a group of teachers in Matagalpa that need a break; something fun...
Written 11 May 2018
Will the boats be running this Saturday, May 12th? I have a group of teachers in Matagalpa that need a break; something fun...
Written 11 May 2018
¿Conoce alguien de un guia turistico o de un tour por las isletas? Contactos y precios se agradecen.
Written 12 March 2015
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