Tag: volcano

A Visit to Mombacho Volcano

Yesterday we went for a visit to Mombacho Volcano, a close drive from Granada and a beautiful protected Nicaraguan park.

Tour of Mombacho Volcano

We booked a tour for $35 through Tierra Tours. After a little research, $35 seemed standard unless you book through our hotel which charges $50. We went with the standard price 🙂

The Tierra Tours van picked us up from our hotel at around 9:30am and we were off. There was already a man from Belgium in the car, and then we picked up a couple from Toronto (actual Toronto, not people from hours away telling people they live in Toronto) and we headed for my first volcano of the trip!

About Mombacho Volcano

Mombacho is a “dormant” or sleeping volcano. It hasn’t erupted since the 1500s but it is definitely alive. We saw steam coming from the earth and smelled sulfur more than once, especially near the crater. It is closely monitored for activity.

Less than a 30 minute drive from downtown Granada, Mombacho rises to 1344 meters. Even though Lyna mentioned she would have liked to, we did not climb the entire way to the top. That wasn’t given to me as an option. The van driver stopped part of the way up, took us to a coffee farm to sample local coffee, and then we drove up to the parks office and the trailheads.

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Las Isletas In Photos

Granada, Nicaragua is a beautiful colonial city on a lake. While not the biggest city in the country, it is still very important as a center of commerce and tourism. One of the top things to do in Granada is visit the little islands, or isletas. This post showcases Las Isletas in photos.

This week I am not traveling solo, yay! My partner in adventures is Lyna, who is visiting from the wintry north. We are enjoying all that Granada has to offer: nature, wildlife, sun, hotel pools, music and outdoor bars and restaurants.

So far in Granada we have gone out on the Calzada, taken a boat tour of Las Isletas, swum at our hotel pool, kayaked around Las Isletas, walked the Malécon, enjoyed live music in the square, and more. Las Isletas is definitely a highlight!

ABOUT Las Isletas

Las Isletas, or the Granada Islands, are a group of 360+ small islands in the lake off the shore of Granada. These islands were created by a volcanic eruption of nearby Vulcan Mombacho, another must visit in the region.

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Day 7: Iceland Geo Thermal Activity Gets the Thumbs Up from Us

This morning was amazing! We woke up at the Kerlingarfjöll campsite to find that we were not alone. Brian got to talking to a man who we think was the owner of the place. Very Northern, and very understated, he suggested we drive up the hill and see the geothermals. Wow! Are we glad we did. Iceland geo thermal activity at Hveradalir was impressive, surprising, amazing, and many other adjectives. Brian said it was in his Top 5s of Iceland (not sure what the other 4 are: probably 4 hot pots) and it definitely made my day. After that, it is going to be hard to top.

about the iceland Geo thermal activity

So what about the geo thermals was amazing? Well, once we drove to the top of the hill, it was time to hike. Kerlingarfjöll is part of a volcanic mountain range, so we hiked through landscapes unlike anything we’d seen before. We could see glaciers in the distance, but we were among hills and flowing water, flowing HOT water which was bubbling and steaming and smelled sulfuric. It was really otherworldly, and we were the only ones there. We just kept stopping for photos and saying “wow.”

There was also what in better weather must be a hot pot but wasn’t too hot or full of water at the moment. If you go to Iceland and have 4WD this is a must stop! Even with rain and wind, this hike was one of the favorite things we did all week. WOW to geothermals!

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