Concepcion and Maderas on a clear day. Two of the 19 volcanoes in Nicaragua.
The volcanoes of Nicaragua are like an old string of Christmas lights. Some of them are burned out and some are still burning bright. Concepcion (in the middle) on the island of Ometepe is one of the most active volcanoes in Nicaragua. It is still as bright as a new bulb. Maderas, on the right, is still faintly twinkling.
Concepcion by boat. A favorite photo from our first trip.
Concepcion by land.
Concepcion by beach.
Maderas by lake.
Another volcano, Mombacho, is still simmering over the city of Granada. As seen from a bell tower looking out and over the terra cotta rooftops.
Mombacho from on high.
We drove up the insanely steep road to the top of Mombacho, all by our selves. You need a 4 wheel drive and lots of nuts. I wouldn't do it again. And I was only a passenger. We had to take all the hair pin turns at full speed, since slowing down and stalling would basically mean careening over the side of the volcano. Gulp.
The islands in the sky are actually down below. They were formed during an ancient eruption. We toured them by boat.
Here, we see the gaping maw of Volcan Masaya spewing sulfur dioxide.
The Santiago Crater of Masaya. (from Wikipedia)
Masaya is a volcano of a different color. It's slopes aren't fertile jungles like the others. It is barren. Lunar.
Oh, and another thing. Masaya is ready to explode! They make you back into your parking spot, in case you need to make a quick getaway. Gulp
Here, in the distance, you can see at least 3 volcanoes through the Grecian railing of the Cathedral of Leon. (more on that later) There are 5 volcanoes near Leon. Cerro Negro, (the one people go volcano surfing on) Momotombo, Telica, Las Pilas and Rota.
This is one of them, looming in-between the streets of Leon.
Concepcion is on the left again. A creepy vulture in the middle!
I haven't seen them all. But so far, my favorites, hands down, are the fraternal twins, Concepcion and Maderas. I guess the moral of the story is that the beauty of Nicaragua is on fire!
Last week, I posted an update on my adventures in novel writing. Read about them here!
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17 comments:
What a great travel opportunity. And holy cow, Ive enjoyed Jeeping in the mountains of Colorado, NM, Oregon .... but don't know if I'd love it on the side of a volcano. Amazing country ... I did not know there were so many active ones there.... we really don't get enough news about the rest of America here ... and I'd rather read about volcanos there than the news we do get.
I have a soft spot for volcanoes since visiting the Vesuvio in Italy years ago. I was very impressed by the crater and the smoke emerging from it, also by the fertile soil at its base, and the story of the destruction of the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum near the Bay of Naples.
Nicaragua's Conception resembles Vesuvio, and I love your photos of it.
Lovely to see all these volcanoes but I do not think I would like to live near them
Your pictures are stunning! But no different than I've come to expect from your incredible eye! :-)
What a beautiful place and you have captured it so creatively and well ~ thanks,
Wishing you a Lovely Week ahead ~ ^_^
Great scenery
Gorgeous shots. I love those blue skies.
Voyage magnifiquement illustré ;-)
CĂ©line & Philippe
Amazing views! Scary to see the noxious gasses coming from the one volcano. My husband says Mt. Jefferson will blow one day and we'll be covered in ash, like Mt. St. Helens did all those years ago. They know very little about if she's active or not, and that makes it a big mystery. I say God wouldn't have led us to move here without reason! Eruption or not! :-) There's a string of volcanos along the Cascades here. They are so beautiful! Loved seeing your Nicaragua cones and countryside!
What a great looking place - Central America really is on my wish list.
Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne
This is just beautiful. Thank you.
Gotta love volcanoes! They are a treat when you are visiting South America! I love when you are arriving by plane and see them from the the plane. I would love to see the crater of the Masaya volcano. #TPThursday
What an exciting area to travel to. I really didn't know about these volcano/islands. Reversing into the parking lot!!! Great photos - they make me want to visit.
Beautiful photos! Those old boats are so picturesque. Looks like you are living in paradise!
Wow Sharon, I'm amazed at all these images of volcanoes and to read your excellent commentary! As always, your photographs are incredible :D)
Gorgeous! The photo through the Grecian railing reminds me of Alice in Wonderland chess pieces :)
Great photos, great words, great post!
I think being that close to all those volcanoes would make me a bit nervous.
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