Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(El Transito beach, 100m N of village center; r US$60, 7 days all-inclusive US$945)
This is about
the only place to stay in El Transito. It runs all-inclusive surf and yoga camps. The owners
promise us that the surf near El Transito is good for beginners. The rooms are pretty basic
(with dorms underway), but you have a cool beachfront patio for hanging out and are
miles away from the crowded waves of the southern beaches.
Getting There & Away
Buses to Managua (US$1, 1½ hours) leave at 5am, 6am and 7am, and return from
Managua's Mercado Oriental at 1pm, 2pm and 3pm daily. You can always catch a ride in
a pickup (US$0.50) from out the front of the church up the hill; they leave hourly from
8am to 5pm for the 30-minute ride out to the Carretera Vieja a León, where buses pass en
route to Managua, León and points in between.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Volcanoes
The Maribios chain is the epicenter of one of the most active volcanic regions on earth.
Park management is split between two Marena offices:
Marena León
( 2311-3776; mare-
leon@ibw.com)
manages Reserva Natural Volcán Momotombo, Reserva Natural Telica-
Rota and Reserva Natural Pilas-El Hoyo, which includes Cerro Negro;
Marena Chinan-
dega
( 2344-2443; lider@ibw.com.ni)
keeps tabs on Reserva Natural San Cristóbal-La Ca-
sita and Reserva Natural Volcán Cosigüina.
The easiest and safest way to visit the volcanoes is a guided hike, arranged by several
outfitters in León and elsewhere, but there's always a way to get there on your own.
Reserva Natural Volcán Momotombo
The perfect cone of
Volcán Momotombo
, destroyer of León Viejo and inspiration for its
own Rubén Darío poem, rises red and black 1280m above Lago de Managua, and is the
country's most beautiful threat. It is a symbol of Nicaragua, and has furnished at its base
itself in miniature - the lake
Isla Momotombito
(389m), sometimes called Isla Rosa or just
'The Child.'
There are several other structures worth seeing in the reserve, including the 4km-dia-
meter, 200m-deep
Caldera Monte Galán
, tiled with five little lagoons (alligators included)
