Nicaragua > Lava on the Telica volcano

I take it easy this morning. After breakfast, I sit in the rocking chairs at the hotel, reading the news from the Netherlands and looking through my photos so far. Only around noon do I head into town to get something to eat. At a French bakery, I order a sandwich. The owner turns out to be Dutch; she has lived in Nicaragua for five years. I immediately buy an extra sandwich for tonight, as I will be climbing the Telica volcano.

Nicaragua - Bright colors in the streets of Leon

It’s one of the few volcanoes where you can actually see lava. At two o’clock, I am picked up at the hotel. I sit in the back of a 4x4 Jeep. More tourists are picked up along the way, and eventually, there are ten passengers in the back. It’s cramped and stuffy. The Telica volcano is about 35 kilometers outside León. The first part of the journey follows the main road, but soon the road turns to dirt. The driver speeds along the path. When a bus comes from the opposite direction, he has to reverse a little because there isn’t enough space to pass. At a small village, he turns right, and the road gets even worse. I bounce around in the back with nothing to hold onto. The walk today was said to take two and a half hours, but it turns out to be only an hour—probably because the Jeep drives so far up. After about an hour and a half, the Jeep stops at the base of the volcano. I see the massive mountain in front of me, with a thick cloud of volcanic gas rising from the crater.

Nicaragua - The Telica volcano at night

Miguel, my guide for this volcano, hands me a flashlight and distributes drinks and fruit. Then I follow him up the mountain. The rocky path takes me closer and closer to the crater rim. The setting sun makes the view even more beautiful. Together with the surrounding volcanoes, it creates a stunning panorama. Miguel points out a path upward, from which I have a magnificent view of the volcano. The volcano is 1,060 meters high, but because the crater is asymmetrical, the rim on the lowest side is over three hundred meters lower. I climb the final section to the rim. I can hear the sizzling sounds of the volcano and feel my excitement rise. When I reach the rim, I look into a deep, steep crater. I hadn’t expected it to be so deep. About 150 meters below, I see the orange-colored lava glowing—a truly remarkable sight. Miguel advises me to sit or lie down on the crater rim, as there is a risk of misjudging the edge while taking photos. I notice now that there are no warning signs or fences anywhere.

Nicaragua - Lava in the crater of the Telica volcano

The volcano is clearly not yet a major tourist attraction, which is surprising given how spectacular it is to see the lava. Lying on my stomach, watching the bubbling lava, it slowly gets darker, making the lava even more visible. Once it is completely dark and too dark to take photos, I take out my sandwich from my backpack. On the crater rim, in the dark, with a view of the lava, I eat my dinner. This is probably the most extraordinary dining spot of the trip. For the return, I turn on my flashlight. It is pitch dark. I follow Miguel down the slope, carefully navigating the zigzagging path. I shine my light carefully on the stones ahead. The driver flashes his headlights to show where he is. It must be quite a sight to see ten flashlights moving down the mountainside. I arrive safely back at the Jeep and get in the back again. I have to take the same bumpy road back. The road now seems even rougher than on the way up, and it is hot with so many people in the vehicle. Several times, we all slide forward together to take a bump. Around nine o’clock, after two hours of driving, I am dropped off at the hotel. I thank Miguel, quickly take a shower, and then enjoy a cold beer.