Volcano Tours

Northern Nicaragua boasts five active volcanoes and five other inactive volcanoes. Nicaragua Eco-Adventures offers both daily and extended stay tours of volcanoes such as Cerro Negro, Telica and Momotombo, amongst others.

Cerro Negro means ‘Black Hill’, and it is the perfect description of this truly unique volcano. The Cerro Negro volcano was formed less than 160 years ago (in 1850) and that makes it the youngest volcano of Central America. The volcano’s young age and constant volcanic activity have made it impossible for trees and plants to grow on the steep, black slopes. Some slopes are covered by huge volcanic rocks, others by fine volcanic sand.

The most recent eruption of the Cerro Negro took place in 1999. Glowing lava violently erupted from the volcano, as well as rocks and ash. The ash caused damages in the city of León, 25 kilometers away. A new crater was formed during recent eruptions. The Cerro Negro is one of the most active and most interesting volcanoes in the region.

One of the most significant landmarks in Nicaragua is the Momotombo Volcano. This almost perfect cone-shaped stratovolcano can be seen from many places, including Nicaragua’s capital city Managua as well as the northern city of Matagalpa, over 100 kilometers away. The Momotombo has erupted several times in the last couple of centuries, most recently in 1905. There are several settlements close by that have been and continue to be threatened by the volcano’s eruptions of lava, smoke, and ash. For more than a century the volcano has been relatively quiet, although gases are continuously emitted and the temperatures of certain parts of the volcano exceed 500°C. A geothermal plant has been set up at the base of the volcano, producing electricity from the volcano’s heat.

Bring your hiking shoes, as these volcanoes are the real deal. If hiking is your thing, or you would just like to enjoy the best view in Nicaragua, ask us about our volcano tours when making your booking.