Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Parque Nacional Volcán Masaya
The Spaniards said this was the gate to hell, and put the Bobadilla cross (named for the
priest who planted it) atop a now sadly inaccessible cliff.
Volcán Masaya
( 2528-1444; ad-
mission US$4, 3hr guided tour) US$15; 9am-4:45pm)
is the most heavily venting volcano in
Nicaragua, and in a more litigious nation there is no way you would ever be allowed to
drive up to the lip of a volcanic cone as volatile as the Santiago crater.
There's always lava bubbling at the bottom (you probably won't see it, though), and a
column of sulfurous gases rising above; in 2001 an eruption hurled heated rocks 500m in-
to the air, damaging cars and narrowly missing people.
But you have to go. Masaya is already inside the volcano, an enormous and ancient
crater called El Ventarrón, with a barely perceptible rim that runs from Ticuantepe to
Masatepe, and around the Laguna de Masaya. Try to arrive in the afternoon, when the
crater's thousands of
chocoyos
(parakeets) return to their nests in the crater walls, appar-
ently unharmed by the billowing toxic gases.
There are more than 20km of hiking trails. Shorter, mostly accessible treks require
guides
(per group US$0.70 to US$2), which you pay for with your admission (tips are ad-
ditional and you need at least five people to head out on the tour).
Sendero Los Coyotes
(1.5km) meanders through lava-strewn fields and dry tropical forest;
Sendero El Comalito
(2km) takes you to a smaller cone surrounded by fumaroles; and
Sendero Las Cuevas
(1½
hours) lets you explore the very cool lava tunnels of Tzinancanostoc, with bats.
There are also longer hikes (5km to 6km) to lookout points and large rocks that don't
require guides (although you could certainly arrange them for around US$15 for three
hours). If you speak Spanish, ask your guide to show you around the attractive
museum
(admission free) at the visitor center, with impressive natural-history displays and beauti-
ful murals, and the
butterfly garden
.
The park entrance is 7km north of Masaya. You pay for your entry and guided hikes at
the entrance gate, and you'll receive a handy brochure with a map and useful information
in Spanish and English. It's 5km of paved road to the crater and
Plaza de Oviedo
, which
honors the intrepid priest who went down into the volcano with a sample dish, to find out
whether or not the lava was (as he suspected) pure gold. It wasn't, but folks were still im-
pressed enough with the feat to name the parking lot after him. Park officials limit your
