Why Pay to Volunteer with VAYA?

Why Pay to Volunteer?

VAYA does not charge our clients to volunteer whatsoever. Our costs and fees are all associated with our all-inclusive travel package. This includes airport pick-up and transportation, accommodations, three meals a day, 24/7 in-country support, history and walking tour, informational packet, and volunteer training.  Any and all volunteer placement and work is absolutely free - as it should be!

What Volunteers Receive Pre-Trip!

Our volunteers are prepared for their volunteer experience!

Pre-volunteering training and education is provided. Volunteers are sent a pre-departure packet that contains important information about our program, travel requirements, packing list, travel tips and information about Nicaragua. 

What Volunteers Receive Pre-Volunteering! 

On-site orientation including a briefing of the city, explanation of volunteer requirements, safety / health advice, and cultural / historical facts. 

Free walking tour that visits important sites in the city and practical places you’ll need to know (ATMs, pharmacies, supermarkets, etc.). Entrance into the Matagalpa Museum with exhibited about the history of Matagalpa and the coffee industry.  

Your volunteer experience will be organized and impactful! VAYA provides you with all the materials and support you’ll need to teach fun, educational lessons. 

VAYA provides teaching tips and strategies, a teaching journal containing previous lessons the class has had and continual support along the way. We are with you in every lesson to assist. 

Don’t worry if you don’t have any teaching experience.You may opt for a day of assisting with the class before you teach in order to get acquainted with the students and familiarize yourself with the materials. 

What Volunteers Receive Throughout the Trip! 

VAYA is concerned for our volunteers’ safety and well-being. We realistically prepare you for your trip! We have first aid on site and our staff is trained in basic first aid.

We are in contact with excellent clinics and doctors in town as well as helpful pharmacies that can get you what you need. 

A member of VAYA staff is in contact with the volunteers at all times. We know where our volunteers are at and when to expect them back.  We know that traveling to a foreign country can be scary. We provide the peace of mind for you and your family that can take a lot of the stress out of traveling.

Our staff is available 24/7 to your family members back home in the case of an emergency or just to maintain contact. 

VAYA maintains contacts all over Matagalpa and throughout the country. We can help organize reliable, trustworthy transportation, Spanish classes and reservations for hotels and tours. 

At the end of your trip you will have a final meeting with the directors to receive your letter of recommendation and certificate of completion. During this time you can provide feedback about the program and suggestions to help us continue to improve our program. You can reflect on your experience and evaluate your work and impact you made in the students’ lives. 

Experience the rewards you will feel after stepping outside of your comfort zone and doing something so challenging and worthwhile! 

Travel from Matagalpa to Masaya

Although it has a huge cultural center, incredible nightlife, and a volcanic national park, Masaya is often overlooked for its neighbor to the East, Granada. Granada is one of the cities at the top of most tourists’ lists when they come to Nicaragua because of its architecture and it being the oldest colonial city in the country. Because of this, it can feel overwhelmingly touristy - the kind of place where you can’t sit down on a park bench without 10 separate people coming up to you trying to sell you something.

Masaya has managed to stay (at least for the moment) under the radar of many tourists entering the area, which gives it a much calmer feel. This may not be for lack of trying on their part, however, because Masaya boasts the largest artisan market in the country. Craftsmen and artists come from all over to sell their handmade creations here. This essentially has drawn day-trippers from Granada to visit Masaya solely to purchase souvenirs and trinkets and then be off again.

What they are missing is exactly what is worth staying for. Unknown to many tourists is that just a short distance away from the market is Masaya’s baseball stadium, as well as its beautiful municipal park. Here there is a lookout point where you can gaze upon the Laguna de Masaya, and the Volcano National Park directly behind it.  

 Following the boardwalk, you can enter the park. Here you can find people playing chess on tables with newly painted chessboards, families playing with their children on playscapes, couples out for a jog, or people exercising on the built-in ellipticals at the exercise station. Not to mention, there are several restaurants in the center where you can grab a bite to eat. The best thing about this park for tourists, however, is the fact that it is well-lit and there are security guards around every corner. It feels very safe here.

Masaya also has a thriving nightlife. There are several dance clubs close to the park, and a variety of different bars in and around the central park.  One bar in particular called Zona Alf’s, (Del Cuerpo de Bomberos Una Cuadra al Este) located a few blocks from Calle Central has Karaoke, a pool room where yes, even women are welcome to play, and a disco. 

Day-trips outside of Masaya are pretty incredible as well. The Volcano National Park is just 20 minutes away by cab. Here you can either take a tour of Masaya’s active volcano and bat caves in the surrounding areas, or just check it out for yourself. 

Laguna de Apoyo is also a must-see destination. Located between Masaya and Granada, this fresh-water lagoon was formed by a crater and is situated in the middle of lush forest and vegetation. For $6 per person, you can enter Laguna Beach, a beautiful resort with a restaurant, wifi, picnic tables and lounge chairs. Your admission also covers all-day rental of stand-up paddle boards and kayaks. 

You can make the trip by catching a bus at 9:30 in the morning from the bus station in Masaya. The cost is around C$10 cordobas and it will drop you off at the triangle where Laguna Beach is just a short walk. Make sure to catch the bus back at 4:30 in the afternoon because this is the last bus of the day. If you want to stay longer, you can always take a taxi. 

GETTING TO MASAYA FROM MATAGALPA

There is one direct bus from Matagalpa to Masaya that leaves daily at 3:00 pm. The cost is C$70 cordobas and it is 3 hours. You will leave Matagalpa from the South Bus Station, and arrive to Masaya at their Central (only) Station. One detail worth noting, however, is that the direct bus does not run on Thursdays or Sundays.

If your travel plans dictate that you need to leave on a Thursday or a Sunday, or if you would like to leave earlier than 3:00 pm, there is another option - you will just have to have do a bit of fancy footwork and change busses.

First, you will need to take the EXPRESS BUS to MANAGUA. This bus leaves every hour from Matagalpa at 20 minutes past the hour starting at 5:20 am. (5:20, 6:20, 7:20, 8:20, etc.) Unlike Ruteados (normal chicken busses), on Express Busses, you need to buy your ticket in advance and will be given a seat assignment. You can buy your ticket at the ticket window in Matagalpa’s South Bus Station - the cost is $76 cordobas. 

You will travel almost all the way to Managua, but get off at Tipitapa - La Gallera. Plan on it being almost a 2 hour trip. When the attendant comes to check your ticket, just let him know that you are getting off at La Gallera in Tipitapa and he should be able to advise you when it is time. This is a big stop, and many people should be getting off the bus at the same time as you are.

After you disembark, stay at the bus station and look for a chicken bus that says TIPITAPA - MASAYA. One comes every 30 minutes so you shouldn’t have to wait long. This bus will cost C$11 cordobas and will take you all the way to the bus station in Masaya. Plan on this ride taking approx. 45 minutes.

A trip to Masaya is definitely worth the effort if you have time enough to make the treck. It is the perfect weekend getaway after a week of volunteering with VAYA Volunteers!