MOMBACHO VOLCANO

Just 15 minutes west of the historical city of Granada rests the luxuriant cloud forest of the Mombacho Volcano Nature Reserve. Mombacho, which in Nahuatl stands for “Steep Mountain”, otherwise known as the ‘Guardian of Granada’, rises over 1300 meters. Mombacho Volcano is constituted by 6,644 hectares (16,420 acres) of buffer zone and 578 hectares (1,430 acres) of untouched cloud forest.

Its privileged geographic location allows an exceptional climate, which is mainly induced by the trade winds that carry the Caribbean humidity, dragging at the same time the breeze of Lake Nicaragua and finally depositing all these elements on the walls and peak of Mombacho volcano. This phenomenon provokes rapid winds, thick clouds and heavy rain mainly between May and October. Mombacho’s cloud forest trails will bring you into the spectacle of nature with vivid adventures and close contact to colorful orchids, blooming heliconias, beautiful begonias, lush ferns, abundant moss, playful butterflies, sneaky insects, loud curious howler monkeys and tiny hummingbirds. Volcano Mombacho’s ecosystem is formed by 173 species of birds, 47 species of mammals, 752 species of plants and 10 species of amphibians.

Unique features of Mombacho Volcano:

  • A unique geological formation is the “tunnel”, an opening in the solid rock forming a steep sided path leading you to a covered-forest crater.

  • If weather permits we can delight ourselves with spectacular views to the great Lake of Nicaragua, Granada colonial city, Apoyo volcanic Crater Lake, Masaya active volcano and surroundings.

  • Mombacho is not an extinct volcano, its fumaroles activity can be wonderfully observed in the form of fumaroles and gas vents.

  • Another particular characteristic of this magical paradise is its ‘elfin forest’, a unique ecosystem on top of Mombacho, where the forest stays short and trees develop wide trunks and thick leaves due to the high elevation and strong winds.

Activities:

  • Hiking: There a different difficulty levels of hiking to choose from.

    1. Crater Trail, an easy 1km walk, no guide required.
    2. El Tigrillo Trail, a moderate 2 km hike, guide required.
    3. El Puma Trail, a difficult 4 km hike, guide required.

  • Coffee Plantation: Located on the slopes of the volcano, the plantation forms part of the Mombacho Volcano Nature Reserve. Here visitors can learn about sustainable coffee cultivation, harvesting and processing.

  • Canopy Zip-lining: At the base of the volcano, visitors can fly through the trees on a zip-line tour.

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