I booked 2 tours with a small company just 1 block from the cathedral on the street with all the bars and restaurants. Not sure of the name but maybe Mohamid Tours. They were very nice and bargaining made it really good value. Sorry my memory for names not the best but easy to find.

There are several resorts on the laguna and a few in walking distance. I stayed at Casa Marimba. The ones on the lakefront property will be much more expensive . I would look at all options and amenities before making a choice.

The main thing in Estelli is of course the fabulous cigars. I just got back inside from enjoying one each with a bud, we brought our limits back. Lol. It's nice enough area too, and we didn't have a lot of time there, but our perception was that if you want a town in the mountains Matagalpa was far more interesting and Jinotega was our favorite place to just chill in Nica that didn't involve a beach. Lol. But Nica is an amazingly diverse country, one you could easily spend months exploring imo

Get a cheap hotel and then search for a local house for rent with the local people. If you're planning to retire here I imagine that at least you speak Spanish fluently right ? So just walk around the small shops and sure enough they will put you in contact with the right places .

I recently dived there. Jeffrey McCrary is a scientist working with the Estacion Biologica. Jeffrey has been conducting a study of the fish in the lake. We dove just at the beginning of the breeding season. There are at least 100 pairs of fish nesting, most of them with tiny fry. Several species of fish have been discovered by them. By diving with them, you help them collect data to promote their protection. You can see photos of the fish and the lake at 8882-3992. In response to some of the other people here, the lake is about as clear as the Pacific Ocean, but without currents and dangers. The visibility on my dive was about four meters in some parts, eight meters in others. A dive cost 35 dollars.

Not aware of any cruises that go from any Nicaraguan ports..?