Granada is a lovely city, famed for its colourful colonial architecture and cobbled streets, with the backdrop of a towering volcano and the beautiful shores of Lake Nicaragua. Three of the four days I spent in the city were dull and overcast but thankfully my last day was beautiful, bright and sunny. I spent that morning on a delightful solo boat tour, exploring the 365 islands of Granada …and the afternoon retracing some of my steps of the previous days so I could take pictures of the views I loved in the sunshine. Yes, I am that kind of crazy 🙂
The journey from Ometepe to Granada was fairly uneventful – a ferry from Moyogalpa (Ometepe) to San Jorge port (mainland Nicaragua), a bus from Rivas to Managua (the Nicaraguan capital) and another bus to Granada. I met a couple of other travellers on the bus, and the hours raced by as we swapped travel stories. Serendipitously one of them, Robin, and I were booked at the same hostel, Selina, and so became travel buddies for the few days our trip overlapped.
Pro-tip: Selina is a well-known co-working and travelling hospitality brand that I would recommend to any first time backpackers. They have accommodation in over 60 countries, ranging from budget friendly dorms to luxurious private rooms. Their hotel-hostels are always beautifully decorated, have fantastic wifi and friendly and knowledgeable staff. Also, they often have organised tours and other community activities, so are a great place to meet other travellers.
The Selina in Granada is in a beautifully restored colonial building, with a light-filled foyer, a lovely interior courtyard garden, swimming pool, yoga room etc but one of the best things was its location. It overlooks ‘Parque Central’, and the strikingly beautiful ‘Catedral Immaculada Concepcion de Maria’, an iconic Catholic Church in Nicaragua, with its distinctive rich yellow and white walls.
The porticoed entrance to the hostel is lined with comfy couches and hanging hammock chairs and I spent many hours people-watching from a hammock or wandering the streets in and around that square – peeking into the interiors of grand colonial houses, many now turned into hotels and shops but still retaining their charm of yesteryears. On the west side of the square there is always a line of horses and carriages. Decorated to evoke the romance of a bygone era, they offer tourists rides around the city. Horse and carriage rides were also a popular tourist activity in other colonial cities in the Americas, like Cartagena (Colombia) and Antigua (Guatemala).
On the morning of our first full day in Granada, we did the first thing I always try to do in new places – go on a free walking tour. I have to confess, it was not the best. I don’t know if that was because of the miserable weather or frankly, a pretty dull tour guide, but it felt interminable. And unfortunately what should have been the highlight of the tour, climbing the bell tower of ‘Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Las Mercedes’ for panoramic views of Granada, was marred by dismal weather. But of course, I went back on a sunny day to better appreciate the views…you can thank me later.
The day turned around that evening when we took a tour to Volcán Masaya. Nicaragua, nicknamed ‘the land of lakes and volcanoes’, is littered with volcanoes. This is because it is situated on a ‘Belt of Fire’ at the margin of two converging tectonic plates. A string of nineteen volcanoes line its West Coast, of which seven are active volcanoes. Masaya is one of the most popular to visit because of the ease of accessibility…you literally drive to the lip of its crater! It took us 45 minutes to get to the National Park from Granada. Once you’re through the entrance, the drive up to the volcano, along a winding road and past lava fields, is scenic. There’s a museum en route which is informative about the geology of the country and topography of the area.
There are actually two volcanoes at the park, Masaya and Nindiri. When you arrive, you are greeted by the sulphur dioxide fumes emitting from one of Nindiri’s craters, Santiago. In the daylight it is difficult to see the crater but you can appreciate the raw beauty of the caldera. You have the option of hiking up to a couple of miradors (viewpoints), Cruz de Bobadilla or San Fernando. We took the trail to San Fernando, and feasted our eyes on the views of Lake Managua and Volcán Momotomba in the distance. The best part of the hike was watching the beautiful sunset over the active volcano.
Afterwards, we walked back down to the car park level and towards the crater to see the star of the show – the red lava bubbling, hissing and spitting in the dark night. I understood why the Spanish conquistadors had nicknamed it ‘gate of hell’. I’ll pre-warn you that the vent of the volcano is pretty small so you do have to zoom in (eyes and cameras) to appreciate it. However it was a memorable experience.
Planned activities over the next couple of days fell through – we missed breakfast at Cafe de Las Sonrisas (I forget why), the chocolate museum was closed, and the rain scuppered plans to go on a boat tour with Robin. However we enjoyed exploring the city streets, taking in the distinct and colourful architecture, munching on tart yet sweet mamoncillos (‘Spanish lime’ aka one of my favourite fruits ever), trying out local delicacies like gallo pinto and the utterly delicious plantain burger at ‘Tostometro’ (you have to try it) and appreciating the hustle and bustle of the city.
My final day in Granada was by far my favourite, due to the aforementioned boat tour. I had slight reservations when my tour guide turned up in a beat up Mitsubishi with dodgy door handles and windows and as we drove towards the marina, I briefly wondered if the risks of being kidnapped in Nicaragua were high. Spoiler alert, I was perfectly safe.
Las isletas are 365 small rocky islands in Lake Nicaragua, formed by an eruption of Volcano Mombacho twenty thousand years ago. There is a small community of fishermen and other locals who live simply on the many-sized islands but there are also luxurious houses owned by Nicaraguan elite including past presidents. I was enthralled by the beauty of the scenery as we meandered around the islands, through lily-pad covered waters with boughs of trees framing waterways. I felt like I was in a movie, as my lovely tour guide pointed out interesting local flora and fauna. We stopped off at the Spanish fort (built in the 1700s as a defence against pirates) and monkey island, where a couple of monkeys hopped on the boat for a little cruise with us. It was such a pleasant and relaxing experience, I wished I could have sat in that boat all day. I would recommend a boat tour if you’re ever in Granada.
As a colonial city, Granada doesn’t quite hit the highs of Cartagena in terms of architecture or grandeur but as the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the Americas (it was founded in 1524), situated next to the largest lake in Central America, surrounded by beauty and nature, it is certainly worth a visit.
Have you ever gotten up close and personal with an active volcano? Where were you, and what did it feel like?
Visited June 2022
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