Volcan Mombacho
9/6/2009
Volcan Mombacho’s blunt summit, rising to over 4400 feet is clearly visible from Granada. It lies just 10 kilometers outside of town within the Mombacho Volcano Natural Reserve. It is managed by the Fundacion Cocibolca, which provides transportation up the harrowingly steep trail to the biological station and maintains two primary trails through the reserve. Although admission is a bit steep at 250 cordobas ($12.50 USD) per person (foreigners), the chaotic ride on their high clearance, open aired, 4WD, “ecomobile” to the cool mountain air was well worth the respite from the city heat.
The slope of Mombacho is home to an array of diverse ecosystems, each prospering from the fertility of the rich volcanic soils. Coffee plantations characterize the lower reaches, and a brief stop is made during the ascent at Las Flores where free samples of the coffee grown on site are available. Farther uphill the plantations give way to cloud and dwarf forests. From the biological station, visitors can, without a guide, hike the well maintained Sendero El Crater trail which circles the rim of Mombacho complete with miradors (overlooks) both into the forested interior of the crater as well as across the surrounding landscape, including Granada, Lago de Nicaragua and the 365 island archipelago Las Isletas which was formed by a long ago eruption of Mombacho. Along the crater trail are numerous fumaroles, which are essentially steam vents in the volcano, causing one to question the true dormancy of Mombacho.
The view from Mombacho – Granada, Lago de Nicaragua, and Las Isletas
Sendero El Crater Trail
El Tunel along the trail
Views from the Crater Rim (Laguna de Apoyo in the distance)
A fumarole along the trail
What lies below?
A steaming fumarole on Mombacho
There is also a slightly longer trail, Sendero El Puma, that traverses the volcano, but guides (and fees) are required for this route. We caught a ride back down the mountain in the back of the pick up of some park employees going off duty and received a ride back to Granada from some new friends we had met along the way. Numerous tour operators do provide trips to, from and around Mombacho from town, but because of its proximity to Granada (buses and taxis are readily available between the two points) and the accessibility of the site it is an easy half-day excursion to handle on your own with rewarding vistas and refreshingly cooler temperatures.
The Nicaraguan Landscape
Volcan Mombacho’s blunt summit, rising to over 4400 feet is clearly visible from Granada. It lies just 10 kilometers outside of town within the Mombacho Volcano Natural Reserve. It is managed by the Fundacion Cocibolca, which provides transportation up the harrowingly steep trail to the biological station and maintains two primary trails through the reserve. Although admission is a bit steep at 250 cordobas ($12.50 USD) per person (foreigners), the chaotic ride on their high clearance, open aired, 4WD, “ecomobile” to the cool mountain air was well worth the respite from the city heat.
The slope of Mombacho is home to an array of diverse ecosystems, each prospering from the fertility of the rich volcanic soils. Coffee plantations characterize the lower reaches, and a brief stop is made during the ascent at Las Flores where free samples of the coffee grown on site are available. Farther uphill the plantations give way to cloud and dwarf forests. From the biological station, visitors can, without a guide, hike the well maintained Sendero El Crater trail which circles the rim of Mombacho complete with miradors (overlooks) both into the forested interior of the crater as well as across the surrounding landscape, including Granada, Lago de Nicaragua and the 365 island archipelago Las Isletas which was formed by a long ago eruption of Mombacho. Along the crater trail are numerous fumaroles, which are essentially steam vents in the volcano, causing one to question the true dormancy of Mombacho.
The view from Mombacho – Granada, Lago de Nicaragua, and Las Isletas
Sendero El Crater Trail
El Tunel along the trail
Views from the Crater Rim (Laguna de Apoyo in the distance)
A fumarole along the trail
What lies below?
A steaming fumarole on Mombacho
There is also a slightly longer trail, Sendero El Puma, that traverses the volcano, but guides (and fees) are required for this route. We caught a ride back down the mountain in the back of the pick up of some park employees going off duty and received a ride back to Granada from some new friends we had met along the way. Numerous tour operators do provide trips to, from and around Mombacho from town, but because of its proximity to Granada (buses and taxis are readily available between the two points) and the accessibility of the site it is an easy half-day excursion to handle on your own with rewarding vistas and refreshingly cooler temperatures.
The Nicaraguan Landscape
Nice backpack!
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Amazing views ! The sea is nice but them mountains in the distance priceless !
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