San Francisco Convent Museum, La Polvora Fortress, Granada Malecón, Mombacho Volcano
Putting León behind me, I made my way to Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua, where my stay was brief, not very interesting, with expensive accommodations, and barely worth mentioning. There, too, I experienced disappointments, when I was not able to see all that I wanted, and what I did see was not as good as I was hoping for.
I left Managua in the morning and soon enough I was in Granada. It seemed like a cheaper city to stay at, with better access to the two volcanoes in the area. Getting to the city early meant I had some time to explore, so after a quick research I walked over to where a museum with Pre-Columbian artifacts was supposed to be. However, when I got to the area I was unable to find it, and upon looking at Google Maps, it was marked as closed.
Without wasting time, I headed immediately to the San Francisco Covent Museum, which seemed to be one of the bigger attractions in the city. Unsurprisingly, a big part of it was dedicated to Christianity, and the traditions and customs that developed and got popular in Nicaragua, and in particular in Granada.
The other part of this building was more about general traditions in Nicaragua, as well as about art and craftsmanship. At the end I also spotted a yard with what looked like Pre-Columbian sculptures, and a nice view of Mombacho Volcano. There were a few rooms which looked like they were being renovated, although I didn’t ask about it. Overall, while it was nice, it wasn’t that great of an experience for me, it didn’t take long to go around, and it didn’t justify the entry fee.
Looking at Google Maps, I’ve noticed a fort, which I didn’t find much information about online. It was within walking distance, and the information I did find mentioned a viewpoint of the city, so I thought I’d give it a go. It was quite a small area (thankfully the entry was free) without much in it. There were towers at the corners of the fort, with two of them not accessible. The other two felt a bit unsafe to climb, although as I was there, and with nothing better to do, I did climb one of them. At the top, there was indeed a nice view overlooking the city, and nothing more than that.
My final stop in the city itself was the malecón, which was pretty small and didn’t have much to offer. Upon leaving the malecón, I came across a man trying to sell me on an overpriced kayak rental and cruise options. While that offer in particular didn’t interest me, I asked him about Masaya Volcano. I was both surprised and disappointed when he told me that somewhere in the beginning of the year (I got a bit confused with Spanish at that point) the volcano had erupted, and was closed ever since.
Unable to see the lava in Masaya Volcano, the only thing left to do in the area was hiking in Mombacho Volcano. I wasn’t entirely sure what the entry fee would be, and as such what my hike would look like, so I thought the best way to figure it out would be to just go there and find out. And so I did. I hopped on the bus, about half an hour later, hopped off the bus, and foolishly got into an overpriced tuktuk, as I thought the entrance to the park, the “reception”, would be further than it actually was.
One of the people who worked there explained to me my options in English, and then I had to make a decision. Two out of the three available trails had required an overpriced guide, and I wasn’t willing to pay for it (nor did I have the money). I also declined the robbery which was the transport fee, option to take a long and steep walk instead. Along the way, I saw a lot more people than I expected who chose the same option. I guessed that they, just like me, refuse the rip-off transport fee.
Other than being steep, and a bit slippery at parts, there was nothing impressive about that walk. I did stop along that way in what appeared to be a small animal sanctuary that hosted some lizards, frogs, and butterflies. The latter was an additional fee (of 1 USD), which I didn’t pay, so very quickly I was on my way. The other waypoint along the road was the “Café Las Flores”, whose menu wasn’t expensive, compared with cafes I’ve seen around Granada.
It took me just under two hours to get to the starting point of the hiking trails. I was a bit tired at that point, so I stayed to rest there for a little while, until I felt ready to start. Opting to go without a guide, I could only do the crater trail, which was the shortest one.
It was pretty easy and without any problems. It wasn’t paved, but there were stairs pretty much throughout the entire trail. The walk between the woods was alright, but it was really all about the viewpoints. Everytime I found one, I got to see either parts of Mombacho, or views of the lake and the nearby area.
It took me about forty five minutes to clear the trail, and then I was back at the starting point. While I liked the trail, I didn’t think it was worth the money or the physical effort it took to get there. After stopping to rest once more, I made my way back down the steep road, until it became more leveled, until eventually I was at the bus stop, waiting for a bus to take me back to Granada.