You hike up a bare volcano slope in the burning sun for 45 minutes to only ride down in a minute or two. By the time you figure out how to steer the board you will already be at the bottom. The last tour of the day at Volcano Masaya National Park leaves at about 4 pm. The hike up the paved road to the top of the volcano crater takes about an hour-and-a-half and leads you through the midst of a volcanic landscape with fields of black porous rocks formed in previous eruptions, and small trees scattered in between.
Once at the top you get to look into the smoky crater that opens right below you. Hitch a ride with the guides back down to the entrance. Even though this is the most famous on the Nicaraguan Pacific coast, the beach in San Juan is far from being spectacular. There are a few hostel or eco-resorts in each town, a couple of locally run restaurants serving fresh seafood, no crowds on the beach and great waves for surfing.
El Viento Papagayo, a constant stream of wind from the great lake of Nicaragua blows towards the ocean almost all year long, mixing the waters and ensuring waves no matter the time of the day and year. You can help families improve their situation by buying food from adults who sell them on the streets, near markets and bus stops. By buying homegrown and homemade articles from adults you are helping parents put food on the table and keep their children in school. You will most likely arrive in Managua by plane or bus and you might feel tempted to stay and explore the city.
The heat and fumes make getting around unbearable. The three are much smaller towns and all still preserve a Nicaraguan feel with adobe houses painted bright turquoise, pink, yellow and all other colors of the rainbow. Each has a beautiful Central Park, where people hang out with families and kids in front of a beautifully preserved cathedral, snacking on platanitos and drinking frescos.
You can easily get to Cascada Blanca waterfall near Matagalpa and bathe in the natural pool below it. From Masaya you can escape to the cleanest Nicaraguan crater lake, Laguna Apoyo. Listen and look out for howler monkeys which like to sit in the mango trees. Many of the restaurants will indeed have a selection of international foods served on spotless white ceramic plates. Instead, venture out of the main touristic streets and walk into the first restaurant with plastic chairs you find and order the gallo pinto with queso and maduro.
