Nicaragua 2022

Saturday29October

New day and new volcanoes on the program! We join from Masaya the entrance of the natural reserve with our car. Then we board a truck to access the great Mombacho volcano of 1344 meters altitude.

The last part is done on foot on the different hiking trails that line the northern slope of the volcano.

The area is covered with humid tropical vegetation.

We did not follow the right path, and we find ourselves at the top of the volcano where antennas replace stone throwing...   The last eruption dates back at least 1500 years. It is now considered dormant.

Back on marked trails.

In the distance, we can clearly distinguish the city of Granada which borders the great Lake Nicaragua. We will be there tomorrow!

The volcano is dormant but not extinct! Here is proof with this smoking hole!

In front of us, "las isletas" face us. This archipelago is composed of more than 400 small islands, formed thousands of years ago by the volcanic activity of Mombacho. Many boat trips are possible there. This will be our activity tomorrow!

Granada and its Inmaculada Concepción de María cathedral.

A ginger, an orchid, a mangrove.

Ferns abound, finding ideal climatic conditions here.

A guzmania?

A fault result of an earthquake?

Last glance at las isletas before returning to Masaya for lunch and a quieter afternoon. The evening will be devoted to the Masaya volcano and its lava lake!  

And here we are! It is a little after 5 PM and we have crossed the park entrance by car. Yes, the Masaya is one of the only volcanoes where it is possible to come by car to the edge of its crater!

The volcano is divided into several craters. The one that is the center of all attention is the Santiago crater from which a permanent plume of smoke escapes. And if this smoke is permanent, it is because below, resides the magma chamber of which a very small part is visible from the edges of the parking lot!  

Here is the visible part of the lava lake about sixty meters in diameter! It is not gigantic but it is already huge to have the chance to see this molten rock so easily!   If you want to see all the details, you will have to equip yourself with a good zoom.

The distribution of the different craters composing the Masaya: from left to right, the San Fernando, the Santiago, the Nindirí and the San Pedro. In high season, it is only possible to enjoy the place for 20 minutes, parking spaces not being unlimited... For us, no time limit! We are out of season.

The cross of Francisco de Bobadilla (the founder of the city of Masaya) overlooks the Santiago crater.

We move away on foot from the smoking crater to pass to its neighbor on the left San Fernando, larger but completely extinct.

Small additional climb on the edges of San Fernando.

The lights of the cities turn on at the same time as the Moon...

The city of Masaya and its lake of the same name.

Return to Santiago. Night has fallen magnifying the red incandescence of the magmatic lake becoming even more impressive.

On the surface of the magmatic chamber, everything seems rather calm, and fortunately because otherwise, we would not be there quietly taking photos...  

Magma is molten rock from the Earth's mantle. On the surface, the air cools the magma which cracks, drawing these very red lines.

The park will close soon. We climb up to the cross of Bobadilla.

Then back to the edge of the crater for a last look at the magma before joining Masaya. You have to enjoy it, we won't often have the chance to enjoy this spectacle!  

Return to Masaya to the Central Park in front of the cathedral where the wheel is rotating unlike the little train...

Small aperitif at home with the national rum, the Flor de Caña! Then dinner at the restaurant "Tacos Azteca Mexican Food". Tomorrow's program, navigation in the Isletas at the foot of Mombacho!