The Land of Lakes and Volcanoes
Nicaragua had never appeared on a travel list of mine ever before. I knew little about the country and therefore didn’t have the drive to go.
Tash was different though, she had wanted to visit for a while. Political unrest in 2018 and Covid in 2020 meant it was third time lucky for her as we trudged through Peñas Blancas on the Nicaraguan border.
I should have guessed she’d be right 😅 Of all the countries we’ve visited so far, Nicaragua has been the most surprising. Why? The landscape for one — it’s known as the country of volcanoes and lakes.
It all changed massively once we’d crossed the border. It’s drier, dustier, more arid, less green. But you suddenly have more dramatic landscapes. Giant volcanoes are visible on all of the main roads.
But we decided to start on the beach — at San Juan Del Sur. It was Easter — and man do they celebrate it.
Thousands upon thousands of Nicaraguans were carrying coolers down to the city’s giant beach for a week long celebration. It was probably a bit of change for this sleepy surfer town!
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After a few days in a lovely Yoga retreat, we set sail for Ometepe — the centrepiece of our trip. It’s an island formed by two volcanoes — Maderas and Concepción. It’s as stunning as it sounds.
We got a guide and hiked Concepción — a brutal experience with a double figure count of falls. The volcanic rock is insane to climb back down through!
But most of all it’s the spirit of the island that people love. Very chilled and back to basics. Simple pleasures are everywhere — from black sand beaches to locally produced ice cream. I don’t think there’s any doubt we want to go back one day — it’s barely been discovered by tourists!
Our final two stops were at two cultural centres in Nicaragua — Granada and León. The former is lined with beautiful colonial architecture — and we took a trip to see a live volcano near the town — Masaya.
Wow, it was insane. Firstly there was an electrical storm and we were barely allowed out of our bus. Then, we walked over to see this glowing red lighting up the night sky. You’re no more than 100 metres from the crater and the volcano is literally spitting and bubbling below.
León was volcanic, but in a different way. It is known the “brain of Nicaragua”, as it’s been the source of the revolutions in the country. So they say that the people are prone to volcanic eruptions of their own. It’s a creative centre too — 1 in 19 people are poets in this city!
León reaffirmed the other thing I loved about Nicaragua — the people. Passionate, kind and a true enthusiasm for showing you their country.
So there you have it, I totally underestimated this place — and I’m just glad our trip meant we came through this incredible place.
Next up we have three of the world’s mega-cities in a row — Mexico City, Los Angeles and Las Vegas!
