Foto: The Telica volcano (bron: Ronald van der Veer)
Nicaragua - After more than an hour and a half, the Jeep stops at the base of the volcano. I see the mountain giant towering in front of me. A thick cloud of volcanic gas rises from the crater. Miguel, my guide for this volcano, hands me a flashlight. He also distributes drink cartons and fruit. Then I follow him up the mountain. Along the rocky path, I get closer and closer to the crater rim. The setting sun makes the scene even more stunning. Together with the surrounding volcanoes, it creates a magnificent view. Miguel points out a path going upward. From there, I get a beautiful panorama of the volcano. The volcano is 1,060 meters high, but because the crater is asymmetrical, the lowest side of the crater rim is more than three hundred meters lower. I climb the last stretch to the rim. I can already hear the hissing sound of the volcano. I feel my excitement growing. When I reach the rim, I look into a deep, steep crater. I didn’t expect it to be this deep. About 150 meters below, I see the orange glow of the lava. What an incredible sight. Miguel advises me to sit or lie down on the crater rim. There’s a risk of accidentally stepping over the edge while taking photos. I now notice that there are no warning signs or fences anywhere. The volcano clearly isn’t a major tourist attraction yet. That’s strange, because it’s such a spectacular sight to see the lava. While I lie on my stomach watching the bubbling lava, it slowly gets dark, making the lava even more visible. Once it's completely dark — too dark to take any more photos — I take a sandwich from my backpack. On the crater rim, in the dark, with a view of the lava, I eat my evening meal. This is probably the most extraordinary dining location of the entire trip. For the way back, I switch on the flashlight. It’s pitch dark. I follow Miguel down the slope, carefully tracing the zigzag path. I shine the flashlight carefully on the rocks in front of me. The driver flashes his headlights to indicate where he’s parked. It must be a funny sight — ten flashlights zigzagging down the mountainside. I make it safely back to the Jeep.
By car to the Masaya crater
Nicaragua - After about half an hour, Belisario turns off the main road, and the bus drives into the parking lot of Masaya National Park. The gate is still closed. It turns out the staff is in a meeting, so we have to wait. The Masaya volcano is one of the most active ...
Kayaking among the Isletas de Granada
Nicaragua - I take a minibus to the lake to go canoeing among the Isletas de Granada. Off the coast of Granada lie numerous small islands, which were formed by a volcanic eruption of the Mombacho volcano. Francesco is the guide this morning. He hands me a life jacket ...
Sliding down Cerro Negro
Nicaragua - Cerro Negro is a relatively young volcano, formed in 1850. The 400-meter-high volcano is very active. In recent years, it has erupted frequently. Like the Telica volcano, Cerro Negro lies on the boundary of tectonic plates, about 35 kilometers outside ...
The Concepcion on Isla de Ometepe
Nicaragua - At a local family’s home, a small table is set up in the yard. In the little kitchen, my breakfast is being prepared. I also meet Louis here. Louis is my guide for today, an enthusiastic 24-year-old guy. After breakfast, I'm driven to the starting point ...
The historic city of Leon
Nicaragua - In just over an hour, I arrive in León. On the way, I have a view of the Momotombo volcano. The old city of León used to lie at the foot of this volcano. When it erupted in 1523, the city was completely destroyed. The old city, León Viejo, is now on ...
The old town of Granada
Nicaragua - I’m on my way to Granada, an old colonial town located on Lake Nicaragua. Granada was founded after the Spanish invasion in 1524 and named after the Spanish city of the same name. Thanks to its favorable location 20 kilometers inland, it was an ideal ...