| Nicaragua 2008
Photographs by Lois and Don Porter 1/18/2008 |
Volcan Mombacho
About 10km south of Granada is Volcán Mombacho, 1400 meters high. It's been extinct for many years now, and it is totally covered with vegetation. All the territory above 850 meters is included in the natural reserve. A rich ecosystem has grow over it with some 50 species of mammals, 174 species of birds, 30 species of reptiles and 750 species of flora. Most of the reserve is designated a cloud forest, since the prevailing winds across Lake Cocibolco produce clouds clustering around the volcano almost all the time.
Yessenia picked us up at 7:25 AM and carefully drove us to the entrance station. We arrived before 8 AM and sat around waiting for them to open and for the 8:30 drive up the mountain in a big truck geared for the extreme grade. Close to 8:30 the truck did leave, taking about 30 minutes to climb the mountain, which was, as usual, covered in clouds. We were not able to see anything from any of the look out points, but we did enjoy the walk around the crater, which took about an hour. We visited with other tourists in the park building at the peak, where there is a scientific laboratory, a small museum and a restaurant. Shortly after 11 AM the vehicle took us back down to the entry point. We walked about a mile to the main road, and then caught a bus back to Granada.
