Volcan Maderas, Isla de Ometepe

The Volcán Maderas is a 1300 meter high volcano with a climb that starts at 100 meters high. You must take a guide because the trail is very complex and not marked at all. It cost us $10 per person in a group of 9 people. It is highly recommended to do the trip with closed shoes, there were some who did with sandals, but it is not recommended. The route is very slippery terrain with very narrow areas, the trip is a very difficult trip, 6 km each way and took 5 hours of walking each way. At the end you get to a lookout above the small water reservoir, you can continue to go down with a more difficult walk for another half hour and get right to a pool of water, but the ground is very muddy and you can't enter the water! There is one beautiful observation point about an hour and a half from the beginning which I think is enough for the trip.

I think it is possibly the best hike in my life. Be careful, you need some previous preparation. Sorry for the lack of pictures, but we tried to enjoy every step. If you love pure hike it’s a must do! You should be doing this hike with a guide or you might get lost!!!!!!⚠️⚠️ Very exhausting hike, you’re going to be climbing the mountain for 4h, there are three different environments, dry forest, wet forest and cloud forest. Last two it’s extremely wet. Bring along a huge amount of water (2-3L per person) The path it’s muddy and slippery, we got pretty dirty by the end of the hike! Also it is a very good place to see some wild animals. We saw white-face monkey and howling monkeys, coral snake, and even a Mountain Crab (huge)

You are required to hire a guide to climb the mountain and have to pay 100c entrance fee. The trail (5km one way) can be very muddy. The first half is a lot easier than the second half. If there are clouds on top of the mountain, you will not see the crater lake from the top nor have a view. Halfway is a viewpoint from where you can see something even when it's cloudy.

I’m a sportive person, but it took me 9,5 hours for hiking back and down. Around 16/17 kilometers. To be honest, I was never so exhausted in my life. The trail was at the most times muddy, slippery and steep. On the top, we could barely see around 50 meters. Unfortunately, it wasn‘t worth it. Maybe on dry season, the trail isn’t so muddy and slippery and around the vulcano aren‘t so many clounds. But! During rainy season, i can NOT recommend it.

Very difficult, very fun if you are up for it. There are starting points in Balgue and Santa Cruz, and they both combine into one trail. The second half is brutal, haha; climbing on slick rocks a lot. No ledges to fall off; the main worry is just to twist an ankle or slip and hit your shin. But we saw monkies, and the lake at the top was cool! There are not a ton of views along the way since the forest is thick, so you need to go for the journey, not the destination. Honestly, the best view of the hike in my opinion is at the half way point, where you can see Volcano Concepcion. If you like climbing a rocky trail with your hands at times (I recommend no walking stick to use your hands) and you are physically up for it, it is a cool adventure! We had the COOLEST bilingual guides (super fun and knowledgable): Their business is called Coco Loco, and their Whatsapp is: +505 8734 6734