Nicaragua Holiday Adventures | Top 4 Volcano Hikes

Nicaragua has some beautiful cities, but to get the most out of your holidays in Nicaragua you need to travel off the beaten path. Hiking  one or more of the  19 active volcanos (or even sledding down the face of one) are one of the most popular activities for Nicaragua adventures.

Not only will experience a stunning and unique landscape, but also maximize your vacation time with a physically rewarding adventure. When planning your Nicaragua vacations, make sure that you pencil in one of these incredible volcano hikes.

Number 4: Cerro Negro Volcano
This is one of the easiest of Nicaragua adventures, but also one of the most exciting. It is only one hour hike of often loose volcanic rock to the summit. The traverse of the crater affords great views of the interior of the cone and surrounding landscape.

Then for the brave hearts, you strap on the protective gear and sit on a custom made sled for your descent. Depending on how much you brake speeds of up to 60 km per hour can be reached.

Located one hour from Leon, the old colonial capital of Nicaragua it is a  must to visit Cerro Negro (and all Nicaraguan volcanoes) with an experienced guide. If you’d like a professional adventure operator to see the  Nicaragua vacation packages  available on-line.

Number 3: Masaya Volcano National Park
Few can take their holidays in Nicaragua without a visit to the country’s oldest national park, Volcán Masaya.

Actually, a 6-millennium old caldera filled with numerous extinct cones, it is the active cone of Santiago which draws people here on their Nicaragua vacations. For a physical workout, this is not a challenging hike. In fact, armchair enthusiasts barely need to step out of an air-conditioned van to see inside the spectacular active zone of Santiago.

Inside is a glowing lava lagoon, hissing, and bubbling below. Recent volcanic activity dictates that the Masaya Volcano National Park is closed at times for safety reasons, and when open, often only for 15-minute visits, but the visit is well worth it. The park is located 40 minutes from Granada and 25 minutes from Managua.

Number 2: Telica Volcano
What’s the most notable feature of volcanoes? Lava, of course! Unfortunately, most of the volcanoes you can hike in Nicaragua guard their lava pools deep inside their cones. Volcanoes like Santiago at Masaya are often too dangerous to really get out and hike.

The solution is Telica, located near León, this active volcano is a 1-3 hour hike to the summit depending where you start and your pace. From the summit, you can safely peer over the sharp edges and look down to the lava glow 1000 feet below you. Late afternoon hikes to view the crater at dusk are the most popular.

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The Best Volcano Hike in Nicaragua: Concepcion Volcano
If you want to complete the best hike in the country, you better come prepared. Concepcion is not for couch potatoes.

You’ll need to start at the crack of dawn because you’ll be riding up a steep elevation of over 5000 feet just to get to the top. It will take most about 5 hours to reach the summit.

Once you make it to the top, you’ll be rewarded with one of the most breathtaking views in Nicaragua of the Island of Ometepe and Lake Nicaragua.  The view from  the Concepcion summit is a moment you’ll remember for the rest of your life.

The volcano is accessed by all hotels on Ometepe Island, most located about 20 minutes away from the trailhead. It is required that you use a native mountain guide for this spectacular climb.

For more information about Nicaragua holidays, packages contact toursnicaragua.com or visit the Nicaragua ministry of tourism website.

Andy Higgs
Andy Higgs

I know what it's like to go from being a crazy backpacker without a care in the world, via being a vaguely sensible parent to being an adventurer once more. In other words, evolving into a Grown-up Traveller.

Like everyone else, I love to travel, have visited a lot of countries and all that but my big thing is Africa.

I also own and run The Grown-up Travel Company as a travel designer creating personalised African itineraries for experienced adventurers

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