León Nicaragua – Volcano Boarding 3

Once we reached the top, he instructed us to put on the jumpsuits and goggles. After taking some group pictures in our silly outfits, he gathered us around for further instructions on how to make it down the mountain fast or safely.

“There are two sections to this slope,” he began. “You will start off at a slower speed and then half way down you hit a 45 degree angle where you will pick up a lot of speed. You won’t see it approaching, but you will feel it. To keep from being thrown off your board, you must keep it straight by taping your heels on the gravel one at a time. Once you hit the 45 degree angle, if you want to go for gold, just hold your legs up and hope for the best. If you want to slow down, continue to tap your heels on the ground in an alternating rhythm.” He also reminded us the top speeds were around 75km/h for females and 85km/h for males. We were all a bit nervous, some more than others. In groups of two we began to volcano board down the black volcanic gravel.

Aracely Castellani

(to be continued)

León Nicaragua – Volcano Boarding 2

For $25 per person Big Foot Hostel offers Volcano Boarding trips any day of the week when they can get enough people to sign up. The group got picked up at 9:00am in the morning and everyone piled into the back of a pickup truck for a bumpy 45 minute ride to the base of Volcano Cerro Negro. Along the drive we passed several settlements and waved to the workers leading their cattle to the farms.

Climbing Volcano Cerro Negro

We arrived to a small ranch styled building where each person paid another $100 Cordobas or $5 US dollars entrance fee to the volcano park. Everyone was then handed an orange bag and a wooden board with a laminated piece on the bottom for speed. The board was large and a bit awkward to carry so I gave mine to Jason and I offered to carry his light orange bag and our daypack. Our guide, Danny from England, led us up a rocky path to the top of the volcano’s crater. As we walked he educated us on Cerro Negro and about Nicaragua’s volcanic chain which we could see in the distance.

Aracely Castellani

(to be continued)

León Nicaragua – Volcano Boarding

After crossing 2 borders to get across Honduras, we entered Nicaragua for the first time and traveled to the city of León, Nicaragua. There is a lot of outdoor adventure to be had in León, especially the adrenaline rush of volcano boarding down Cerro Negro, the black volcanic hill. You can book this adventure tour through 2 outfits in town: Bigfoot Hostel and Quetzaltrekkers.
A Volcano Boarding Race
It had been a long travel day for us; we spent 9 hours on the road on six different buses and crossed two land borders. Jason and I were relaxing over drinks at Big Foot Hostel Bar in León, Nicaragua when we noticed a sign that read, “Volcano Boarding Top Speeds.” It had two lists of names. One list of females and the other for men. Each list had a speed associated with the name. We asked our friendly bar tender and hostel attendant, Alberto, “What’s Volcano Boarding?” He smiled and pointed to some pictures on the wall of people wearing orange jumpsuits, goggles and each were holding what looked like laminated wooden boards. “Why don’t you guys sign up and find out,” he said, “You’ll love it.” So we did.
Aracely Castellani 
(to be continued)

El Salvador Santa Ana2

The climb up was beautifully enhanced with colorful flowers and large maguey plants, but unfortunately we didn’t learn much. This is a national park and they require visitors to hire both a guide and police escort to climb the volcanoes. Our young guide was more concerned using his phone than walking with us. It became frustrating for us, because at some points we had no idea where our guide was. This was our biggest disappointment with the park. The park was very clean and included a small shop (tienda) for light food and drinks.
From Santa Ana it’s a 2-hour bus ride (bus #248) for .90 cents. At the park you will pay $1.00 entrance fee, $6.00 to the volcano conservation organization and $1.00 to pass private property. The trek is well worth the money, but hopefully you will have a better guide.
Jason

El Salvador 3 Santa Ana

Cerro Verde is a desolate volcano with no vegetation, but offers a perfect crater. Santa Ana is the highest volcano in El Salvador at 2,381 meters. We decided to trek up Santa Ana because of its dramatic changing natural habitat as you reach different levels on the volcano. First, you walk through thick forest, then colorful flower bushes and high grasses, desert plants and finally desolate rock.
The greatest image on the volcano is when you reach the top and look down to see the nuclear green boiling sulfur Lake. The lake is believed to be 300 meters deep. The trail is medium difficulty with the most challenging section at the end. I wasn’t paying attention when we began our trek, but it must have been downhill for quite some time, because the last 45 minutes were uphill. Instinctively, I just assumed the return hike was going to be all downhill, but unfortunately it wasn’t.
Jason
(to be continued)

El Salvador 2 Pupusas

El Salvador 2 pupusas
The market was teaming with local vendors sectioned by products. My favorite was the sausage isle, where chorizo and longaniza hung from the vendor stations. Before dawn, we headed back to our hostel, but were sure to buy some pupusas on the street before arriving. El Salvador’s pupusas are the best in Central America. Be sure to enjoy the bean, cheese and pork filled tortillas.

  Santa Ana Volcano, El Salvador
Most that venture to Santa Ana do for the access to Volcano National Park (Cerro Verde). The park boasts 3 volcanoes, Santa Ana (Ilamatepec), Izalco and Cerro Verde.
Jason
(to be continued)

El Salvador Santa Ana

Santa Ana was our second city we traveled to in El Salvador and it is also their second largest city. As we arrived to the city, it was clear that buses handle most transportation. The number of buses arriving and departing was staggering, and the exhaust pollution was just as bad. I was eager to get off the bus to clear my burning eyes. During our 2 days walking the streets we did not see one other international tourist. It’s important to note that we are also visiting during the low season.
Tall buildings are absent, which we found surprising for a big city. Santa Ana does have a welcoming town square, as most towns and cities do in Central America. Around the square sits a large Gothic Cathedral, the Teatro de Santa Ana and a historic municipal palace. We took a few photos around the plaza and in the church and then headed to the more vibrant market.
Jason
(to be continued)

Jungle Orinoco

Jungle orinoco 





Video: Janin