Masaya Volcano

We have visited Masaya Volcano on two different occasions.  It is quite different from Mombacho Volcano, that was the first volcano we visited (see earlier Mombacho post).  Mombacho is green, has lots of vegetation, with small fumaroles of smoke escaping the ground.  Masaya on the other hand is very active, has partial vegetation/partial lava rock, with constant large streams of sulfuric vapor coming out of the Santiago crater.  Unfortunately you cannot see the lava from the top looking down (sorry Curtis!), but there are night tours where you can hike through caves and see the red hot lava (a future adventure to be had without Isabel).  Even without the lava, its a really cool/slightly nerve-racking experience.  Unlike with Mombacho, you are literally able to drive your car up to the rim of the active crater and look over the edge.  You are required to wear a hard hat, park your vehicle rear-first so that you can make a quick get away if needed, and are advised not to stay more than 20 minutes because the sulfur vapors are hazardous.  The most recent eruption of fire and rocks was last April, and while no one was injured, it burned down a large area of trees and plants, damaged the road, and closed the area for some time.  So when you go up, you never know what might happen!

The first time we visited it was rainy, causing the vapors to be larger and more challenging.  It was also windy so the vapors were blowing right back into the parking lot.  We couldn't really see much of anything in the crater and had to leave after only a few minutes because we were all coughing and our lungs were burning.  However, one other really cool thing about this volcano is that there is a species of green parakeets that have adapted to the sulfur and have their nests inside the crater walls.  They leave in hordes in the morning and return in the evening.  Though we didn't get a picture, we were lucky enough to see a couple of large groups returning to their nests in the afternoon.

 

The black volcanic rock from past eruptions visible driving up to the crater.

Sulfur from the edge of Santiago crater.

Isabel and Raul in their hard hats.

The parking lot and road covered in the sulfur vapors.

I literally walked to the edge in a forbidden area to try to see more (Raul wanted to strangle me of course) 

Vapors expanding.

 

The second time we went to the top of the crater was during a visit from my friend Kelly and her family.  We had a gorgeous day with phenomenal views of the area surrounding the crater, as well as inside the crater a bit.  We were also able to breathe without pain, so enjoyed this visit much more than the first.

In front of Lake Masaya that is visible from the visitor's center on the way to the top.

Part of the same area/view that was covered in vapor in photo above; Lake Masaya in background.

View from the top.  Volcano in the distance is Mombotombo we believe.

Kelly using her sun hat as a germ barrier.