Julio was a Wonderful Guide in Nicaragua! - Julio picked us up for the day on Dec 31st at the pier in Nicaragua. He had a driver and bus ready for our extended family of 18. We travel... read more the world alot and have toured over 85 countries. I give Julio my highest review because he genuinely cares for and loves his customers. You can feel the kindness of this man. We requested his help in doing a service project. He located a small school that need some painting. He purchased supplies before we arrived of a chalk board, food, pinata, candies, paint and paint supplies. We were so grateful because the children did a presentation for our group before our party started. We brought each child school supplies from home. It was a special day to do something kind for so many children. Julio brought us to other places to visit on our way back to the ship. It was one of the highlights of our 17 day panama cruise with Holland America. I strongly recommend hiring him and he is trustworthy. We wired him a small amount to buy the supplies before we arrived. This help us enjoy our day more rather than buy supplies when we arrived. He was alot of fun and all the teens in the group had some good laughs with him. On the tour he actually used a mic on the bus and individually talked to each person and asked them questions. It was very fun. Wow!!! We love you Julio. May God bless you my friend. We hope to visit again one day.

  Julio Tours provides excetional service! - I have lived in Leon, Nicaragua for seven years. I have found Julio Tours to be one of the most professional, reliable and attentive tours in all of Central America.... read more If you are looking for a tour for one or a large group, Julio is ready to accommodate your every need. Personal care and attention is given to everyone. You can book your special tour confidence that you will receive the best care available.

  Surprising country with great tour guide - This was our first trip to Nicaragua and we were pleasantly surprised. We stopped first at a plantain plantation and met the family that runs it as part of... read more a cooperative. Then we met the women owners of the cooperative. Very inspiring. We visited a school to which we brought gifts for the children and ended out tour with a great lunch in Leon. The story of Julio tours origins is quite amazing. Be sure to ask Cesar (julio's son and our great driver) or Denis, our wonderful tour guide.

  Our sincerest thank you for a fantastic tour of Leon. Such a wonderful region with amazing people. A country with such beauty, rich resources and great potential! ... read more Not enough time to absorb it all. Gave each of us a love for the country and people.
Thank you for keeping in touch with us, having the nice greeting at the dock with our names, a great vehicle and driver. Everything as you promised and more (like a great lunch!)
Our tour guide, Rydder was superb. Professional, friendly, very knowledgable and very proud of his country. The entire team was terrific. A special thanks to Julio Tours, Highly Recommend!

  We met Roger and Russell and our bus driver in Corinto for a day tour that was excellent. - Flexible and informative guides that really wanted to make our experience in Nicaragua a great one. They succeeded and I now have a heart for this country.
... read more /> Although we could have had another guest join us, we had what turned out to be a private tour with gracious and informative guides. Enjoyed the smoothie break in the afternoon and the sesame candy snack at the market along with the coconut drink and the coconut meat afterwards.

Would definitely recommend this tour.

  Absolutely Outstanding Tour with Julio Tours! - Cruisers, if you want an outstanding shore excursion, contact Julio Tours in advance if your ship is stopping in Corinto, Nicaragua. The agency gets an A+ rating from me. Julio... read more responded immediately to my inquiry, arranged a day tour to Leon, and provided all the information I needed to connect at the port. Upon arrival, we were met by Cesar, his charming son, and were transported to Leon in a spotless van. Julio Tours can handle all sizes of groups. On the day we went, it picked up 24 people from our cruise in a separate bus. The operation at the port, and upon arrival in Leon was super- organized. In Leon, we toured the central market, went to the Guardian Art Museum with its Warhol “Ten Marilyns” and 4 Basquiats!!! and much more, toured the cathedral, enjoyed lunch at a local, tourist-free restaurant, and sauntered around the plaza for a half an hour. The lunch was delicious and there was free wi-fi. Julio himself greeted us at lunch like we were old friends and wanted to make sure we were having a good time. Talk about going the extra mile! Our day with Cesar was wonderful. We learned so much about Nicaragua in a short time. His driving was careful, and his concern about getting us back to the port on time appreciated. Cesar treated us like we were visiting friends rather than cruise ship tourists. Truly an outstanding experience. Thank you, Cesar and Julio Tours!

  Leon City Tour from Corinto - My husband and I had a wonderful day getting to see and learn about Nicaragua with Julio and his company. The ride in to and from Leon was comfortable... read more and informative. We really enjoyed seeing the countryside, how people get around and a variety of living situations.

Julio himself is an amazing fountain of information and very personable. His English and that of the guide was fantastic so communication was never a problem. We enjoyed time at the central market and the art museum (which is housed in a series of traditional colonial homes that are as variety and interesting as the art itself) and a good, traditional lunch at a neighborhood restaurant. We couldn't have hoped for a better experience in Nicaragua. We highly recommend Julio Tours.

  Well done - Cesar at Julio Tours was terrific. From the start, they contacted me back almost instantly when I reached out, we discussed a half day itinerary in Nicaragua and worked out... read more a price.
Easily reachable by WhatsApp and email, we were in constant contact until the day of our arrival in late December.
We were a group of four, my husband and I, my 10-year-old daughter and 86-year-old mother-in-law. Cesar And Russell were absolutely perfect. The van was spacious and comfortable and had great AC. We went to the mud bubbles, and walked through the colonial city of Leon and had lunch at a place nearby. Lots of begging in this part of the world so be warned. There’s also a scary siren at noon which scared the heck out of us, being that we weren’t far from volcanoes. LOL We laughed when we found out it was just “The lunch bell”. Both our Driver and guide were professional and friendly and we really had a great day and tour!

  Cero negro boarding - It's been a while since we've joined Julio tours for the cero negro boarding, but it was a good experience.
Nice guide (who did drop our phone somewhere on the... read more descend, but we found it back )
Good option for a nice day out!
I don't remember the price we paid, but I assume it was acceptable.

  If you're looking for a great tour guide, you have to contact Julio. His knowledge of the history and culture of Nicaragua is exceptional. Whether you are looking to tour... read more the city and sights of Leon, or one of the many surrounding attractions like volcanos or Las Penitas beach, he does everything in his power to make your experience a memorable one! His rates are very fair and he is very friendly. He also speaks both English and Spanish fluently. When you are with him, he treats you like family.

  Julio was always on time, always supportive of anything we wanted to do. He toured us around Managua, Leon, Granada, tola, and San Juan deal sur. He became a very... read more good friend of ours over the course of time. Great food choices and wonderful tours. We will be going back. Thanks Julio

  Shore excursion from Corinto to Leon City - On Feb 14 we experienced an excellent shore excursion from our cruise ship in Corinto, to Leon City, a very colourful and interesting historical tour. Our guide Rydder was tremendously... read more informative and showed and explained to us so much about his country. The vehicle was clean, cool, comfortable and roomy. We did a superb walking tour of Leon City, which is fascinating. The cathedral is beautiful and the market absolutely amazing, full of exotic fruits and vegetables, meats and fish, people making tortillas and tamales, we loved it. Afterwards we were taken to a local restaurant for a very good lunch. Then on to an excellent art museum of Nicaraguan and Central American art, beautifully displayed in a series of cool, airy buildings around courtyards. We were enchanted. Julio himself met us at the art museum and thanked us for booking with them, a personal touch that added to the day. We would repeat this tour in a heartbeat!

  All That Could Be Done For Leon - As with the immeidately-prior review, the 6 of us also took Julio's private tour from Corinto Port to Leon on Feb 14 from a cruise ship. We have taken,... read more maybe, a hundred tours in places all over the world and I cannot remember a better-organized tour. The guide Wilbur and the driver (sorry, have forgotten his name) were also excellent. Wilbur was very intelligant and well-spoken. We saw the things that others have enumerated, particularly enjoying the market. And the excelent lunch. We were glad we went. However, I'll have to say that Leon (hot and somewhat tired and dirty) is not a place I would revisit. But, if you are going to go - - go with Julio Tours!

  Corinto to Leon City Shore Excursion - You can tell Julio is an experienced tour operator, communication by email was easy, we were greeted right at the port gate by name, and began our tour in a... read more clean, air conditioned vehicle. It only got better from there!
Our day included a drive to Leon while Julio described the country around us with interesting facts about life in Nicaragua. In the city, we toured the Cathedral and the Ortiz-Gurdian Art Gallery. We could tell both places have deep meaning to Julio by his personal descriptions of the interiors and artwork. We enjoyed walking in the city, especially through the large, very interesting and lively market. We had a great lunch at a local restaurant with our choice of meat and drink to go along with rice and beans.
It was a wonderful tour, Julio made it special with his knowledge of Nicaraguan life and history. You can tell he loves his family, friends, and his country. We highly recommend Julio Tours.

  Julio! He will take good care of you, I promise. - Julio is the most concientous and trustworthy guide you could ever wish for. If you want to enjoy seeing a beautiful country the right way, please contact him. He... read more has been a terrific help to me exploring Nicaragua in my real estate adventures. Nick Constant

  "Tour to Leon - Interesting and Informative " - We met Julio Tours off our ship the Norwegian Star as planned on 23rd February and headed off to Leon.
Our itinerary covered the Cathedral of León. Climbed the... read more tower for panoramic views of the surrounding city and fantastic photo opportunities. Also visited the local Market.
We then continued to the Ortiz - Gurdián Art Gallery, an art museum housed in two colonial homes, featuring world-class art from Central America and Europe.
Then had a nice lunch at a local restaurant and returned to our ship on time.
Pleasant walk around Leon between our visits

  Day tour  - We visited Nicaragua while on a panama cruise. Julio was recommended to us. He picked us up at our ship and spent the day with us. We had an... read more amazing tour of the Leon area of Nicaragua. We had a very thorough and informative tour. We saw many sites and had an amazing traditional lunch. Julio was so kind and friendly and made us feel very welcome in his country. We would definitely recommend Julio tours for anyone traveling to Nicaragua.

  Wow, wowflew down to Nicaragua on a business trip and asked Julio for guidancewhat a great ideaI HIGHLY recommend his assistanceso enjoyable, and what a great leaning experience of this... read more incredible country

  This was our first trip in Nacaragua. We had booked the Leon City Colonial Historical Tour with Cesar who was very helpful, as we were 22 people in our group.... read more Freddy was our guide and Vincent was our driver. First, we stopped to take pictures of the San Cristobal volcano, still active. When we arrived in Leon, we visited the beautiful Ortiz Gurdian Art Gallery, before doing a walking tour in the center of Leon. We visited the central park and the cathedral where Julio himself gave us a tour and we went to the colourful market. Then, we had a delicious lunch at Via Via restaurant. After lunch, we went through the Sutiava neighborhood before going back to Corinto. The driving distance is 75 min. both ways and, during that time, Freddy gave us a lot of information about Nicaragua. He is very knowledgeable and professional. This was a great tour and we would strongly recommend Julio Tours Nicaragua.

  Julio was phenomenal! I was interested very specifically in the Sandanista and revolutionary history of Nicaragua. He served his country as a young person and has endless stories that... read more are fascinating. He took me to all the key sites and I can honestly say it was one of the most amazing trips of my life. Julio can help you do anything you want in Nicaragua. He knows food, culture, adventure, and all the beauty and interesting features Nicaragua has to offer. He also is an expert in the revolutionary history. I’m into rebellion tourism and social justice and peace tourism, and it’s not easy to find tours that know those key pieces of history and politics. So I want to plug his service for that, but also note he introduced me to a lot of additional pieces I didn’t know I wanted to see, but am so glad I did. His price is reasonable and as a woman traveling solo, I felt completely and totally comfortable with julio. Go to Nicaragua and let julio show you how amazing his country is.

  HAL Panama Canal Cruise--Corinto to Leon City - We booked this tour independently before our cruise while talking with some other Cruise Critic members. They accepted cash in US dollars on the same day of the tour and... read more offered a price reduction when more people booked. The company was very easy to contact and responded quickly to e-mails. This was still a small group (maybe a dozen people or so) in a mini-van. We walked out of the port gate and found Julio and our guide, Ryyder waiting for us with clearly marked signs. (By the way, the people of Corinto gave our cruise ship one of the most warm welcomes, with music and dancing and small children dressed in traditional clothing giving us gift bags with maps and stickers as we got off of the ship.) The drive to the beautiful city of Leon was about an hour and was very interesting. There were horse drawn carts, bicycles, scooters, cars, and semi-trucks all using the same road-- it was like an obstacle course. There was an obvious police/security presence as well. We had a great driver and as mentioned a very kind, well educated, informative guide, named Ryyder. We visited an open air market; a beautiful cathedral (with some free time around the square) and Leon city art gallery. There were several street vendors, so bring some extra cash if you want a souvenir. We were treated to a lunch with rice, beans, choice of meat (pork, beef or chicken) and a drink. This was all included in the price of the tour. On our return trip, we learned a lot about the history, the landscape and the industry of Nicaragua. We even got a chance to stop and take pictures of the volcanoes and learn about a sesame seed field--very interesting. Great day!!