Land of Lakes and Volcanoes. Within minutes of entering the Repulica de Nicaragua from the southern border with Costa Rica, one is confronted with the sight of volcanoes, which becomes commonplace as one travels north along the volcanic region that lines the Pacific coast. Of the first and most prominent Volcanoes are Concepcíon and Maderas, which form the fabled Isla de Ometepe and rise up like giant pyramids out of the glassy surface of Lago Nicaragua, the largest lake in Central America. Concepcíon is still active to this day, with its most recent eruption in 2009. Sulfurous smoke and ash still billow from the pointed top of this volcano, which can be witnessed from the nearby colonial city of Granada.
Nestled along the western edge of Lake Nicaragua, Granada has amazing views of the lake, Isla de Ometepe and Volcán Mombacho, whose violent eruptions have left it little more than a gaping crater towering above the city. Just northwest of Granada lies Laguna de Apoyo, which is yet another volcano that blew its top years ago. It later filled with water and formed a clear, sparkling lagoon. Its depth has been estimated at around 250 meters (around 750 feet!) and some believe that it actually connects to the Pacific Ocean via a subterranean channel. Swimming in its warm, turquoise water, I was stunned by the abrupt drop-off in the lagoon´s floor, which gave me a sensation of vertigo when I thought about how deep it reached toward the center.
Near León, Volcán Telica is another opportunity to see an active volcano and even bubbling lava within its crater at night. The hike to the top crossed through fertile fields of beans and corn, before finally reaching a steep, winding climb through thick forest to crater. When our group reached the top, unfortunately, it was raining so hard that all that was visible was giant plume of white smoke pouring out of the gaping mouth of the crater. Luckily our lively expedition representing France, England, North America and Nicaragua had planned ahead and brought a bottle of Flor de Caña to warm our insides while we waited for the sun to set. We huddled together next to a large boulder for about 45 minutes hoping it would clear up enough for us to see the lava below, but the rain was relentless and soon we were all drenched to the bone.
While I have yet to witness any lava, Nicaragua has given me the chance to observe active volcanoes more than I ever imagined.
No comments:
Post a Comment