Why you should book a trek with Quetzaltrekkers León

Doing a tour with Quetzaltrekkers León was one of the best travel decisions I have made.

Finding the “best.”

Sometimes one of the hardest things for me when I’m planning a trip is the desire to find the “best” of everything. The best hostel in the area, the best tour company, the best restaurants, the best spot to watch the sunset. You name it, and I will feel anxiety bubble up while googling every option, reading every detail, and comparing to try to find the best of everything.

I realize this is futile. The “best” is subjective. We make our own experiences. I could be in the crappiest hostel room of all time, but if I’ve had an amazing day in a new city, I’ll think it’s great. And no amount of google searches is going to give you the full experience.

I am here to tell you that if you are looking for adventure in and around León, Nicaragua, you can have zero anxiety about booking with Quetzaltrekkers León. They are the bomb.

Backpacking group at our cooking shelter

Quetzaltrekkers León

Quetzaltrekkers is a non-profit in Nicaragua and Guatemala. Their proceeds go to disadvantaged youth. They have different projects that they donate to, using the money they make from tourists to give back to their community’s children. The projects include keeping kids off the street, teaching life skills, rehabilitating youth with drug addictions, education, and providing scholarships to children who wouldn’t be able to afford school otherwise.

Traveling through Nicaragua means you will be experiencing the poorest country in Central America. I have done a medical mission trip to Nicaragua where we set up clinics in the very rural areas that lacked medical care. For some, this was their only chance to see medical professionals. On our recent trip, we met a guy who takes a 2 hour bus ride to and from Managua each day to sell plastic grocery bags. Ya know, the ones we all have shoved in a cupboard in our homes. Their standard of living is much different from ours in the United States.

Visiting Nicaragua means you are contributing to their tourism industry. Visiting Nicaragua and booking a tour with Quetzaltrekkers means you’re contributing to their tourism industry AND helping their youth.

But their amazing-ness doesn’t end there.

The volunteers

The treks are run by volunteers. These volunteers live in a hostel-like community, are young people who love to travel, and they have a heart for adventure. Every volunteer we met was kind, happy, and spoke highly of Quetzaltrekkers León.

The treks

They offer many different adventures.

You can volcano board with them. I wrote a whole post about how unique and incredible volcano boarding is.

They offer 1, 2, and 3 day hikes. They’re inexpensive. Some of these include volcano boarding. We did the 2 day el Hoyo backpacking trip and LOVED it. They organize everything, have gear you can borrow, and they feed you. Nicaragua is a beautiful country, and they take you to some of the best spots. They have 12 different hikes, so head on over to their website to pick your own adventure.

I had never done a backpacking trip with a tour guide, and this experience spoiled me. I hope you enjoy the camaraderie with your fellow tour group, the kindness of the volunteers, and the beauty of the Nicaraguan wilderness.