The western coastal plain of Central America holds a line of active volcanoes running north to south. Nicaragua itself has 19 volcanoes, almost all of them protected in National Parks.
Volcan Masaya, located about halfway between Managua and Granada, has a road to the edge of its crater. Visitors look over a stone wall and nearly 1000 feet straight down, into a rumbling smoking caldera belching acrid fumes. Folklore describes this place as the mouth of Hell. Yet, incredibly, flocks of vivid green parrots nest on the sheer walls of the crater, safe from predation. Tours can also be arranged to see a lava tube cave beneath the volcano, where three species of bats hang, and fresh lava glows in the dark.
Cerro Negro, a volcano near Leon, is completely different. The newest of Nicaragua's volcanoes, it began erupting in 1850. Visitors trek through a blasted moonscape of sharp volcanic rubble. The climb is steep, but not too long; it takes about an hour to climb Cerro Negro. From the lip of the crater, the green coastal plain is laid out below, and beyond, the sparkling Pacific. A chain of volcanoes marches into the distance, including Telica and San Cristobal, often with smoke drifting from their cones.
Hikers can continue on down into the crater, where the air is sulfurous and the ground too hot to touch. If arrangements were made ahead of time, it is possible to use a board to descend from the volcano, snowboarding or sledding on the ash. Some people even run down.
Volcan Mombacho, near Granada, offers a cabled canopy tour through rainforest. There is a cloud forest here, and a dwarf forest as well, but the trail to it can only be explored with a guide. Wild orchids bloom on Mombacho.
There are many more volcanoes and many more sights in Nicaragua, all waiting to be explored by adventure travelers who want to see and experience the best of this fascinating land.
The staff at Adventure Life made planning my family's trip to the Galapagos Islands as easy as possible. They listened to what we were hoping to experience and made thoughtful suggestions about how to accomplish our vacation goals while meeting the needs of travelers ages 17-76! They patiently answered questions and follow up questions in the months leading up to the trip. They helped us trouble shoot and customize the trip in every way possible. The logistics involved in traveling from Boston to the Galapagos are innumerable. The Adventure Life staff helped us arrange every detail and the team they assembled in the Galapagos was tremendous. I have never done a trip this big before and after working with Adventure Life this time--would not hesitate one second in working with them again.
Jennifer Howard Schroeder
1 day ago
Kevin got right on our request and had us booked within the week
Linda Cummings
2 days ago
The info on the website was laid out very well. I did some comparisons with other tours and found Adventure Life met a lot of what I wanted in an Antarctica trip at the cheapest price. Requested a quote on Claudia contacted me right away. She answered a lot of questions the I had via email even though she offered to discuss via phone call. I’m more of an email person so appreciated how she accommodated that and answered all my questions. And when I was ready to book, she quickly got the ball rolling with getting our spots reserved on the trip my friend and I wanted. Thanks again, Claudia!
Hazel Araza
2 days ago
(1) great information on the website and throughout all the "materials." (2) Jane Packer is great: knowledgeable, responsive, takes a personal interest and tone, seems to care about the customer as a person not a sale.
Larry Bethune
2 days ago
great people doing a wonderful job to make our voyages happen.