Unusually, ash from these eruptions drifted gently like fine black snow to blanket its slopes. Now it’s the home of Nicaragua’s wildest sport: volcano boarding.
Combining the thrill of snowboarding with the jeopardy of an active volcano that’s overdue an eruption, its participants climb the volcano then descend on a board at speeds of up to 40km an hour. Nearby, it’s possible to swim Volcan Asososca’s crater lake and camp in a sinkhole on Volcan El Hoyo.
But I’m a hiking girl, which is why at Volcan Mombacho, on the outskirts of the pastel-painted colonial city of Granada, I forgo ziplining in its cloud forests or visiting its coffee plantations to trek the crater.
It’s quite the drive to get there. First, an easy half hour from Granada, then a 4×4, whose growling engine fights to haul it up 6km of rollercoaster-steep angles to the starting point of the trek.
Mombacho volcano at sunset (Photo: dimarik/Getty/iStockphoto)
Here, in thick, unruly cloud forest, each tree is visibly its own ecosystem: vines are draped over branches, which form an anchor point for spiders nesting in the trunks, which are eaten by birds hiding in the canopy. On the ground, bromeliads hold onto water droplets, keeping the forest fertile.
Eventually, the path opens to a stunning, silent plateau overlooking Granada and Lake Nicaragua, the region’s largest lake. The plateau is filled with plants and orchids endemic to the volcano. There’s birdsong all around, and a faint, faraway motorcycle-esque growl of howler monkeys. My shoulders drop. It’s bliss, exactly what I came here for. And there’s no possibility of mistaking where I am – the odd fumarole (tiny openings in the ground that spew sulphuric steam) reminds me I’m on a volcano, acting as a gentle warning that the ground is still alive.
My legs are given a rest on a boat ride on the colossal Lake Nicaragua. It’s twice the size of Essex, with 365 islands. One of the most visited is the backpacker’s hangout of Ometepe, home to 35,000 inhabitants, even more tourists, and two giant volcanoes: Concepción and Maderas.
Wild spider monkeys near Mombacho Volcano (Photo: Bkamprath/Getty/iStockphoto)
From the water – which stretches so far you feel as if you’re out to sea – I appreciate Nicaragua’s natural abundance, from regal herons surveying the waters to a family of bold spider monkeys keen to grab food from passing boats.
I also get to indulge my curiosity, ogling at the magnificent architecture of the one-property islands owned by Nicaragua’s entrepreneurs and politicians, which range from modest rustic structures to manicured gardens snaking up to extravagant villas.
Weeks after my visit, Concepción Volcano erupts, throwing up a mass of grey and black plumes that later cover parts of Ometepe Island. The message is received: we might be confident enough to hang out on the foothills of volcanoes, circumvent its craters, or sled down its sides, but we’ll always be at the mercy of Mother Nature.
Getting there
Connecting flights to Managua are available via the US on carriers such as United Airlines and British Airways/American Airlines.
Staying there
Hotel La Gran Francia in Granada has doubles from $92 (£69), lagranfrancia.com.
Selva Negra Hotel in Matagalpa, has doubles from $76 (£57), selvanegra.com/en.
More information
visitanicaragua.com
visitcentroamerica.com
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Publish date : 2024-10-20 18:08:00
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