Mombacho Nature Reserve is just a short drive outside of Granada city center making it the perfect city break/day trip to move your body and ground yourself in nature. We visited in March which is typically a very hot and dry month in Nicaragua but due to the forest canopy providing mostly shade throughout our hike, the temperature turned out to be perfect. The cloud forest is full of beautiful flora and fauna, glass wing butterflies (one of the 130 different varieties of butterflies around Mombacho!), birds, sloths and so much more. 

There are three different trails - the longest being El Puma which is a 4k hike (and the one we did) and takes anywhere between 3 - 4 hours with an elevation of 1,344m. There are some pretty steep inclines but the views over Lake Nicaragua are stunning! 

We were there on a Tuesday and saw only one other couple there at the very end of our hike. I hear the weekends are pretty busy. I suggest bringing a small backpack to hold water, a camera and binoculars for birds and sloths (if you are lucky enough to see one which we did!).