Just outside the city of Leon is one of the youngest volcanoes on the planet - the Cerro Negro Volcano. Once you see the mountain it is easy to understand why it has gotten its name. Among the many other older and greener volcanoes surrounding it Cerro Negro is completely black. The main attraction of the area is to go there and do "Volcano Boarding".
It is a one hour easy hike to the top of the volcano, a 15 minute stop on the top to enjoy the surrounding landscapes and then a 90 second drop down the side of the volcano to the base of it - on a plywood board. All this takes place in a "protection suit", some fairly old goggles and torn gloves. It is Nicaragua so safety first - remember to use your feet to control direction and speed and avoid crashes. According to our guide they would result in some bad bruises. Of course we had to try.
We were picked up at the hostel at 8:30 AM and taken to the entrance of the national park surrounding the volcano. From there we drove another 2 minutes, got our boards and equipment and started the walk to the top stopping now and then to enjoy the view. It got more and more windy the further we got up so we really had to hold on to the boards. Once a the top we spent a few minutes enjoying the beautiful view of the different flows of hardened magma before getting dressed and doing our best to survive the ride down the side of the mountain.
It was fun, dirty and - fun. Back to the hostel for a much needed shower and some lunch. The two guys who were on our trip joined us for lunch at a local place were we got the staple food here - gallo pinto and barbequed meat. Then they headed out for the beach, we walked around the centre of Leon and visited the cathedral before heading home for a siesta. Mikkel went to the market in the afternoon with his big back pack to have it fixed a few places where it needed stitching. For dinner we were recommended a great place around the corner - Sri lankan/Polish kitchen. Never heard of this combination before but the different dishes were great.
It is a one hour easy hike to the top of the volcano, a 15 minute stop on the top to enjoy the surrounding landscapes and then a 90 second drop down the side of the volcano to the base of it - on a plywood board. All this takes place in a "protection suit", some fairly old goggles and torn gloves. It is Nicaragua so safety first - remember to use your feet to control direction and speed and avoid crashes. According to our guide they would result in some bad bruises. Of course we had to try.
We were picked up at the hostel at 8:30 AM and taken to the entrance of the national park surrounding the volcano. From there we drove another 2 minutes, got our boards and equipment and started the walk to the top stopping now and then to enjoy the view. It got more and more windy the further we got up so we really had to hold on to the boards. Once a the top we spent a few minutes enjoying the beautiful view of the different flows of hardened magma before getting dressed and doing our best to survive the ride down the side of the mountain.
It was fun, dirty and - fun. Back to the hostel for a much needed shower and some lunch. The two guys who were on our trip joined us for lunch at a local place were we got the staple food here - gallo pinto and barbequed meat. Then they headed out for the beach, we walked around the centre of Leon and visited the cathedral before heading home for a siesta. Mikkel went to the market in the afternoon with his big back pack to have it fixed a few places where it needed stitching. For dinner we were recommended a great place around the corner - Sri lankan/Polish kitchen. Never heard of this combination before but the different dishes were great.
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| Ready for volcano boarding |
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| Nicaraguan country side |
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| Iguana |
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| Cerro Negro ahead |
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| Ready for hiking a bit |
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| Going up |
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| Slightly windy and still some way to the top |
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| The main crater |
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| Looking down at the main crater |
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| Ready with the board and equipment |
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| Full speed downhill |
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| High five going down fast |
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| Back at the hostel with super dirty feet |
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| Local lunch with a couple of guys from the hostel |
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| A reminder of Nicaragua's violent past |
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| The Cathedral in Leon |
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| Cheese seller |
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| We found the ice cream store |
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| Mikkels big bag pack being fixed (20 Cordobas ~ 80 US Cent) |
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| Always room for a cold smoothie |
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| Wonderful Sri Lankan food |
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