Granada Trips & Tours

Founded in 1524 and still standing exactly where the Spanish planted it, this is the oldest colonial city in the Americas that hasn't upped and moved. Nicknamed 'La Gran Sultana', it has weathered pirates (yes, actual pirates – Henry Morgan among them), American filibusters who literally burned it to the ground, and centuries of political rivalry with León. Today, its rainbow-painted facades and marigold-yellow cathedral cluster on the shores of Lake Nicaragua, with the cloud-forested slopes of Mombacho volcano looming behind. Horse-drawn carriages clip-clop past courtyards hiding boutique hotels, whilst nearby, 365 jungle-topped islets await exploration.