20th – 24th August, 2023
For those of you who are not regular readers; the first two days of my time in Granada were covered in my previous blog – where I visited places within the city – whilst this blog is going to be an account of the time spent afterwards; when I used it as a base to explore other attractions just a stone’s throw away.
Laguna Apoyo
This was the first place that I visited and I did so with a friend I made who had a car. Our first stop that morning was to a village called Catalina that overlooks the lake.
As you are probably beginning to suspect; yes, this is an extinct crater. That is not the only thing that is interesting about this lake, however; it also happens to be almost two hundred meters deep – despite being only four miles in diameter – and has thermal vents at its base which keeps the waters comfortably warm.
We spent most of the day relaxing at one of the beaches there. I read a book, ate some lunch, and went for an occasional swim. Due to the authorities having strict rules on development and a ban on motorised boats on the lake, the waters are crystal clear. I have read that there are some scuba diving and snorkelling opportunities, but I am not exactly sure where they are. I didn’t see many fish in the spot we were in. I was happy to have a day to relax.
Mombacho Volcano
This is a feature that overlooks Granada, but I never got to see its entire outline because it is almost constantly shrouded by clouds. Getting there was relatively easy; I just caught a chicken bus to a village called Guanacaste, and from there a tuk-tuk to the entrance. Note for travellers; the drivers will try to charge you an outrageous amount of Gringo Tax but at the time of writing this it should cost no more than thirty cordobas.
Speaking of Gringo Tax; I was surprised to find that the paved road did not end where the tuk-tuk driver dropped me off (which was at a car park). It goes on much further. Almost goes all the way to the top of the volcano. But, the authorities have created a system that goes something like this.
When you speak to the tuk-tuk driver, they will ask you where you are going. If you say you want to do the Miravalle Canopy Tour for ziplining (which is about two-thirds of the way up the mountain). That is fine. The tuk-tuk will take you there.
But, if you are going to the crater for hiking, the tuk-tuk is only permitted to take you to the ‘car park’ (which is one-fifth of the way up the mountain). But don’t worry the park has its own ‘Mombacho Express’ service which will take you the rest of the way for a whopping $22.
Which is… hmmm. What word shall I use here?… Convenient? Yeah, let’s go with ‘convenient’.
Suffice to say, what this means is that the people who are on short holidays – and have money to splurge – use the ‘express’ service whilst budget backpackers like myself end up walking.
(I do wonder what would happen if someone claimed they wanted to go zipline but *cough* ‘changed their mind’ when they arrived? There might be a way to cheat the system, perhaps.)
After a couple of miles of walking uphill, I was pleasantly surprised when a truck that was passing me by stopped and offered me a ride. It was some of the rangers who worked in the park.
It’s kind of funny, isn’t it? No matter where you go in the world a lot of things remain the same. The people who invented this ‘system’ at Mombacho are probably just some miserly white-collars sitting at a desk somewhere miles away. The people who actually work here day to day are kind and happy to help.
When we reached the top of the crater, the change was dramatic. I had only been sitting in the truck for a few minutes and it was like I was in a different world. I went from hot humid air and sunshine to it being cool. Mist wafted all around us, the sky was grey and cold gusts of wind kept blowing through all the trees. The rangers told me to go into their office where I paid a small fee and they told me a bit about its park and its trails.
A few minutes later I was walking along a trail around the crater.
Although, you wouldn’t have known it with the air being so foggy. Very early in I came across a mirador that overlooked the crater, and here was the view.
Which I think is the rule rather than the exception. I wasn’t disappointed because the cloud forest was one of the most beautiful I have ever been to, full of colourful bromeliads and mossy trees.
And when I first entered, I thought it was raining but it wasn’t. The trees were wet and it was the wind disturbing them. I was by myself the entire walk and it was a very eerie experience.
This trail also has a few other features beyond the cloud forest. There is a little canyon that leads you closer to the crater edge.
And towards the end, there is a secondary trail that you can divert for a while that leads you to some geothermal vents. During the journey, you eventually leave behind the trees and enter a moor.
And once you arrive, you can get up very close to one of the vents and feel the warm air belching from it.
On my way back down, another ranger passed me and also offered me a lift but I decided to walk, which allowed me to see lots of birds, including this cuckoo.
Masaya Volcano
This was something that I did as a tour one evening. The bus picked me up from my hostel at 4 pm and it was less than an hour away.
When we reached the car park I was surprised to discover that it was not just one crater that we would be visiting but several. Our first stop was to look into one called Santiago which is still active.
And from there it was just a short walk away to another crater called San Fernando, which is much bigger but dormant. It is now filled with a forest.
Whilst walking along its crater you can see more views of Santiago Volcano.
As well as Laguna Apoyo.
Towards the end of the tour, you return to Santiago just as the sun is going down so that you can see the lava roiling as the sky darkens.
A Change of Plans
I have been forced to make another alteration to my itinerary, but this time it is a bit unfortunate. My daypack is broken. I heard it crack when the truck I caught a lift up Momacho Volanco went over a bump, and didn’t think much of it at the time but then a couple of days later – whilst on the tour at Masaya – the back support snapped. This isn’t something that can be fixed, and Granada doesn’t have the kind of shops where I will be able to find a suitable replacement.
Originally, I was planning to head to Ometepe Island on Lake Cocibolca for a few days but my main plans there involved some strenuous hikes to the summits of volcanoes. This is not something I can realistically do without a functioning day pack – to carry my water as well as other gear. Also, my daypack is what I use to carry my valuables when I am in transit and I don’t want to make a complicated journey – involving a least four buses and a boat – with it flopping around.
So, I will now be heading to Costa Rica earlier. Its capital city – San Jose – is my first stop and it should have what I need. It is very disappointing that I won’t be able to see as much of Nicaragua as I originally intended but – as far as travelling hitches go – it could be much, much worse. I wasn’t going to see any of this country originally so I am going to think of the little of it I have seen as a bonus and not dwell.
I am at the latter stage in my travels now, and am running low on funds and some of my gear is starting to fail on me. The backpack is not the only thing. My shoes and sandals are both almost worn out, and I am currently typing this blog on a keyboard with a few of its keys not working. My digital camera – which was second-hand and kindly given to me by my parents – is also starting to malfunction. The backpack and sandals need replacing immediately, whilst I think the shoes I might be able to get a few more weeks out of them. The keyboard I am just going to live with them, as the specific keys not working are an annoyance but not ones that stop me from being able to blog. I probably won’t replace the digital camera as I am too late into the trip for it to be worth it; I take most of my photos on my smartphone anyway so the only difference you will notice is a lack of my amateur wildlife photography. Perhaps some of you will be relieved.
I am not saying this as a cryout for help. I do have enough money to get through the rest of this trip but I just want this blog to reflect all aspects of this journey. When you are backpacking on a low budget and with no income, finances can get stressful. It feels like a board game; you have a certain amount of money but need to find a way to get to the end, and I have just landed on a few fines that I need to pay. I will get to the end, though.
For more photos from my time in Granada, click here.
Tej Turner 