Around Granada

Lava flowed from the 1670 eruption for more than 20 kilometres

Granada lies about 45km from the current capital, Managua, and on our journey here, half way between the two we stopped to visit the Volcan Masaya National Park. The Park is one massive volcanic crater. From one rim to the other is as far as the eye can see. Arguably this was perhaps once the biggest volcanic crater in the world. The

The far side of the cater is just visible below the horizon

smaller Santiago crater lies within the Park and is still active. Eruptions took place frequently during the 1900's until the crater eventually collapsed in 1985. Now bellowing sulphurous gases rise from the 200m deep crater and you can hear the

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sound of lava flows beneath the crater hole.  At night you can see the glow of the lava. Visitors are only allowed to stay here for 5 minutes and you must park your vehicle facing the exit for fear of the ejection of massive boulders from the crater.  We saw photos that proved this danger was to be taken seriously!


We spent a half day at the Laguna de Apoyo, a lagoon created 20,000 years ago by the Apoyo volcano imploding.  The lagoon is surrounded by steep walls covered in

lush vegetation.  The blue waters of the lagoon are warm all year round due to thermal ventilation and the water is extremely clean.  We hired kayaks and negotiated our way around the shore line. The wind was quite strong whipping up waves that made

progress difficult, although we both felt proud not to  have capsized when the young alpha-male venturing out after us rapidly came to grief!


Another day we visited the Mombacho Volcano.  This is the 1344 metre high volcano that towers over Granada and is visible in many tourism photographs. Depending on the weather, you experience

either fantastic views or a taste of the cloud forest. For two weeks the summit had been shrouded in cloud so we experienced the latter. The last serious eruption here was in 1570 spewing out a trail of lava that ran down the eastern side and spilled into Lake Nicaragua creating 365 small volcanic islands known as Las Isletas.

 Our journey to the summit of the volcano was by 4-wheel drive negotiating tracks too steep and pot-holed for an ordinary vehicle to attempt. We hiked the Crater Trail around the volcano and learned about the flora and fauna of the region. The cloud forest is like a giant sponge soaking up the water in the wet season and slowly releasing it through the year. Bromeliads and ferns cling to the tree branches and scramble upwards for the available light. 

Mosses cover the branches and orchids thrive on the forest floor. Coffee is grown extensively on the lower slopes of the volcano, and on the way back down we stopped to sample some of the finest coffee that Nicaragua can produce. I have to admit that as one who has not drunk coffee for 12 years, after a sip of this I was strongly tempted to break my abstinence.