Only 23 kilometers from the capital, the Masaya Volcano National Park is the first, and largest national park in the country, consisting of a volcanic caldera with two volcanoes and five craters. The crater also maintains an incandescence inside due to a persistent lava lake, reason why it was object of veneration by the inhabitants of the area before the arrival of the Spanish colonizers, who baptized the active volcano with the name of “The Mouth of Hell”.
Throughout the 1900s there were frequent eruptions until, in 1985, the craters collapsed; even now sulphurous gasses still bellow forth and you can hear the lava thundering past below ground.
How to visit:
Every day the park opens its doors for the daytime visit from 9:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. It is also possible to take a short night tour, available every day, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM, depending on the arrival of visitors to the park. Surrounding the national park are some fascinating little market and craft towns worth exploring. The entrance fee is C$100 for foreigners visitors and C$30 for Nicaraguans, but I think it's worth it to see an active volcano like that! If you prefer a night tour, is US$10 per person.
The park lies less than half an hour away from Managua, and ten minutes from Masaya. From the entrance of the park it is five kilometers uphill to the Masaya Volcano, located at the center of the park. Visitors can drive uphill themselves or ask a taxi driver to drive to the crater. Hiking uphill is another option, but it takes a while and the road is steep, so a good condition is necessary.
While it is possible to take an organised tour, I’d recommend visiting the volcano on your own. Leaving you with a little more freedom of time to visit and saving you half the price - Buses leave from Granada to Managua and Masaya about every half an hour and cost about $1 each person.
Happy journeys in Nicaragua!
