masaya volcano national park

839DebbieB839

This was a very interesting experience. Our attraction was only marred by the tour company we used. I would recommend other ways to visit- perhaps some of the other reviews can help you locate the ideal way to experience the volcano. As it was part of a one day, hop out quickly and see- it was very interesting and if/when I return to Nicaragua- I would like to see it again.

WorldTraveler2785

We loved visiting the Masaya Volcanco National Park. We went on a weeknight and there were very few other tourists around. We did some really easy hiking around the crater, went down into a lava tube, and stood at the entrance of the bat cave during their mass exodus. I can't, however, recommend our tour company, Favio Tours. I read from other reviews that people really enjoyed their tour with Carlos as a guide, but we were given a 17-year-old girl who was in training. We received no discount for not having a fully trained guide. She was very nice but had done the tour only a handful of times. She had never heard of the green parrots which their website talks about and never took us to look for the lava glow as we requested based on the description on their website. She was also clearly making up information as she went along. And at the end of the tour, though we had been told we could pay with credit card, she told us we could only pay with cash, so we had to scramble to come up with the $60 we were charged. I still loved our experience, but would choose a different company in the future.

Kenford1

What an amazing site. The park was very nice and it was amazing to see a volcano that is alive with gases coming out. Beautiful view and breath taking.

postal49740

The wonders of nature close up without a lot of hiking unless you choose to. Incredible look at an active volcano and scientific facts. Nice visitor center

elianos2013

I really enjoyed visiting this volcano. You have to wear a gas mask (via BANE) to really get close to the crater. Why the mask? Sulfur gas.Glad I went here and totally recommend it.

corford

This Volcano is a short 25 minute drive from Granada. We hired a private driver and paid him $50 US total to take us to this volcano park and 4 other places. There is a museum on the way up to stop and go in, with an amazing view at the back of the museum. Then you get back in the car and drive up to the crater. The stairs to go to the very top were closed that day so we went to the ledges. I was not expecting such a sight. It is massive, very smoky with sulfur and you can only stay 5 minutes near the crater because of the smell. It was so foggy we could hardly see anything but when the wind blows the smoke right.....you can see how massive this thing really is. I am glad I seen it but I would not go on a half day tour or anything. We spent about and hour in the park and that was enough. There is locals by the crater selling cold drinks and snacks.

sipari_traveller

Not a must see attraction when visiting Nicaragua, seeing a bunch of smoke coming out of the volcano and choking on the sulphur wasn't really worth the visit. The views from the top may have been better had it not been overcast.

ajbrue

Standing at the top of an active Volcano is an Amazing feeling. What an awesome tour to be on.You can see right down into the volcano. I recommend this to everyone

KS&HC

Short 20 min drive from Granada, not as well signposted on the road from Granada as coming from Managua as the entrance is then on the opposite side of the road. $4 per person entry and maybe a couple of dollars for the car, can't recall. They did mention at the entry gate that it was a 4km walk from the exhibition centre to the crater....but its a smooth tarmac road so I'm not sure why they mentioned this as we just drove up. Maybe for escape ! . Stunning to look into a live volcano. No lava evident due to the amount of steam but still very impressive. Walk up the hill behind for views into the older overgrown crater and panoramic views.

I_Love_2_Vacation

The tour was amazing. Watching the sunset over a volcano is spectacular. You must make a reservation the day before. Cost for the night tour is $10 per person directly through the park. Transportation may be extra if you don't have your own vehicle. Bring something to cover yor face in case the wind shifts and the sulfer blows towards you - it will burn your throat and cause you to cough. After peering into the crator and a couple of short hikes while watching the sunset, you are given a flashlight and hard hat and enter a bat cave/lava tube. We didn't see any glowing lava, but maybe if we had gone back to the crator after dark? Try to arrive by 4/4:30 as we missed the birds coming back to the crator.

roos1ter

If you've never been to an volcano before, this is worth a visit. The visitor centre has a nice exhibit, and really illustrates how much volcanic activity underpins central america. The crater is fun to walk around, and the views are great.

sarac812

A must see volcano in Nicaragua (out of 17 volcanos in the entire country)! It's one of the few volcanos that is still smoking- you can physically see it and smell it. Putting your head over the crater wall makes your eyes and nose sting - but it's impressive. There are some good hikes around the volcano - the bat cave and other paths around giving you great views into the smoking volcano.

World_Traveller221

This volcano is still active and when you go there you'll see the smoke coming up. You'll also see lots of traces of lava going up the volcano.

100julies

A stunning place to spend a sunset, and the trip to the bat caves was both surreal and spectacular. I'd highly recommend it.

KarenG690

We took a tour with David from CocoPeli Tours (www.cocopeli-tours.com) and it was a great afternoon/early evening tour.David was an excellent tour guide and showed us the areas of lava flow as we drove. We stopped at a small museum on the way that showed the topography of the region and the geological history of the volcano formation. Then we visited the Volcan Masaya - the sulfur gas was a bit suffocating but the enormity of the volcano mouth was impressive. We hiked to a few of the lookout points and watched the red sun set from the peak lookout point - approximately 2000ft. After the sun set, we walked down to a bat cave, and bats were flying out of the cave around us - a totally freaky but very cool. We then hiked about 200 metres into a cave that was created from lava flows and the rebels used to hide in.It was 35 USD per person through CocoPeli, and definitely worth it for such an interesting experience!!