Nicaragua 2022

Saturday22October

As planned, we leave at four in the morning! 45 minutes and 20 kilometers of car later, here we are already climbing the steep paths that will lead us to the El Hoyo volcano, "the hole" in Spanish. There are five of us with Leonidas the local guide and two volunteers: Luis and Olive, from Ireland and New Zealand to help locals in tourism development, a way for many young people to travel differently on the planet.

The view already gives us a foretaste of what awaits us. We are heading in the opposite direction, but the landscapes we will see will be largely up to these smoking craters... The black shadow right in front of us is the Cerro Negro that we will climb tomorrow.

In the distance, it is the pretty cone of San Cristóbal that is smoking.

Short break after an hour of climbing.

And off we go again

Five kilometers later, the superb landscape begins to reveal itself. First the Asososca volcano.

At the foot of the Asososca volcano, the lake of the same name. This is the goal of the hike: to bathe in its warm waters!

Well, it's superb, but we must first reach the El Hoyo volcano which is not far!

And there you go! El Hoyo, the aptly named "hole", is right there on our left with its gaping orifice on its flank! And in the far background, the majestic Momotombo bathed in sun on the edge of the large lake Xolotlán.

The collapse measures almost 100 meters wide. But we are not there yet.

The Momotombo volcano and just behind its miniature version, the Momotombito.

The last eruption of Momotombo dates from December 2015.

Short break at the foot of the volcano where a table is placed (at the bottom of the photo to realize the scale) before approaching the "hole" and leaving for Lake Asososca.

On the other side of the hole, at the edge of the crater, a man and his dog, perhaps the owner of the herd of zebus.

Besides, here are some of these zebus coming to satisfy their curiosity. They even pose in front of the volcano for the souvenir snapshot.  

Come on, let's leave the zebus to get closer to the "Hoyo".

And here we are, we are on the edge of the Hoyo. The collapsed ceiling didn't go very far but we shouldn't fall into it anyway.  

Panorama from the Hoyo. Not bad...  

We continue to skirt the large crater which is located a little higher.

We approach a smoky place...

From this crevasse escape sulfurous fumaroles reminding us that the volcano is indeed still alive...

Zoom on Lake Asososca where we will splash around later if all goes well  

Smoke is coming out of the crater!? It is however inactive... Someone making a fire?  

And off we go to go back down and retrieve our bags and launch ourselves into the crossing of the vegetation that separates us from the lake. We will first have to reach the bottom of the volcano located three kilometers away, then bypass it from the east for another three kilometers and finally skirt the lake for two kilometers to reach the swimming area...    

The objective does not seem so far, and I do not suspect that I am going to struggle well for the next three hours...

For now, I enjoy the view!  

And here we are on the small path crossing the vegetation. ;

We will then walk in the old bed of a river, filled with pebbles making me slip and twist my ankles at each step!

Phew! We have arrived! And very happy to have come out without a sprain!!!

The swim is welcome. It's not the beach, but the water is very warm and very appreciable. We can even see in the distance the hole of the Hoyo where we were a few hours ago... And there, we realize better the distance covered.

El Hoyo

After an hour of relaxation, we take the path again, and fortunately there are 500 meters left to join the vehicle that will take us back to León.

There, end of the day's hike! Another hour of driving and we will be back home for lunch and rest!

Late afternoon in León in front of the East entrance of the cathedral. It is 5:45 PM and night is already arriving.

On the west side of the cathedral, a podium has been set up to host the gatherings of León or "Tertulias leonesas" in Spanish in the text, highlighting local traditions and cultures. Several groups from the region succeed one another to present dances in traditional costumes.

And all ages are represented.

Short nocturnal visit to the cathedral, the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, where her son is most of the time locked behind a glass case.  

A faithful discreetly enjoys the refreshing floor...

Ah, it seems that something is being prepared... The presence of so well dressed people can only be the fruit of chance...

Yes, a wedding! It is 7 PM and the newlyweds will certainly enjoy the party more without the stifling heat of the day!

Our evening meal at the restaurant "Asados La basilica". Tomorrow, we will visit the ruins of "Viejo León", located on the edge of Lake Xolotlán not far from the Momotombo volcano...