Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
reflecting theoretically extinct Cerro Montoso (500m), but you'd need to arrange a custom
tour to see them.
Most people come to climb Momotombo, a serious eight-hour excursion that can be
done in one day, though most outfitters offer an overnight involving hot springs at a
nearby farm. Because of access issues, it's best to go with a guided tour.
Isla Momotombito is accessible from Puerto Momotombo (easier), just around the
corner from the ruins of León Viejo, and Mateare (cheaper), both on the shores of Lago de
Managua. The basaltic cone has long been a ceremonial site, and a few petroglyphs and
statues are still visible on it.
Coming from Puerto Momotombo, a private boat seating four costs at least US$100 to
make the 9km trip, over sometimes very choppy water. Boat operators hang around the
handful of lakeshore restaurants, which all serve beer and comidas corrientes .
Reserva Natural Pilas-El Hoyo
Most people come to this reserve to see the volcano that doesn't even get second billing:
Cerro Negro (726m…and growing), one of the youngest volcanoes in the world. It first
erupted from a quiet cornfield in 1850, and its pitch-black, loose-gravel cone has been
growing in spurts ever since.
Almost every guide in León offers a guided hike to the top, a shadeless, two- to three-
hour climb into the eye-watering fumes of the yellow-streaked crater. Then your outfitter
will offer a faster way down. Volcano surfing has come a long way as a sport - it used to be
done on surfboards, old mattresses, cardboard boxes etc, but now there are people custom-
designing boards. Gnarly.
Other peaks worth climbing include the dormant Volcán Pilas (1001m), which last had
gas in 1954; and El Hoyo (1088m), the park's second-most active peak, basically a col-
lapsed crater with fumaroles. Then it's time to relax in deliciously cool Laguna de Asososca
, a jungle-wrapped crater lake that's poorly signed and on private property, and therefore
difficult to visit on your own. If you book a tour climbing Cerro Negro (or are visiting
León Viejo, nearby), definitely try to get this as an add-on.
Reserva Natural San Cristóbal-La Casita
This is the one that probably caught your eye: Volcán San Cristóbal (1745m), the tallest
volcano in Nicaragua, streaming gray smoke from its smooth cone. Summiting this beauty
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search