Volcan La Concepcion.

Trip Start Mar 14, 2006
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Trip End Sep 14, 2006


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Flag of Nicaragua  ,
Tuesday, August 8, 2006

After leaving San Juan del Sur, we took a bus to Rivas, a cab to San Jorge and a ferry to Moyogalp on Isla Ometepe in the Lago de Nicaragua. So far Isla Ometepe has been really neat. We found it much more difficult and expensive to get to the Volcan Madera side then we thought. So we decided to just go for a half-day tour up part of La Concepcion to get an idea of what it was like. After today, we are both glad we did not sign up for the madera hike as we were planning. Our hike today was 5 hours and left us quite tired. The Madera hike is 8-10 hours and through rougher muddier trails. Though it is supposed to be very beautiful, it would end up costing a lot to get there, then you have to spend the night on that side, then take the 8-10 hour hike up to the top...maybe another time. So, I think we are going to leave tomorrow for Granada.

However, the 5 hour hike we did today was quite interesting and beautiful. The first while was flat and went through some pretty farm land. We saw this really weird plant that wilts instantly when touched, but returns to normal a few minutes later. Very weird. Later once we started on the actual steep climb up to the Mirador, the jungle become more dense and interesting. Through a opening in the foliage we could see a whole family of six howler monkeys playing in the giant Ceiba trees. We also saw a lot of very interesting bugs, including: dung beetles, very large grasshoppers, very loud locusts and very beautiful clear-winged butterflies. Later the forest began to get shorter as we got closer to the wind. At one point the trees were no taller then I was. As we approached the Mirador the vegetation became only grass and small shrubs. The views from up there were amazing. Well, the little you could see through the clouds. But the atmosphere at 1000m and the break from the suffocating heat of the jungle was as good as the views. The wind was very strong and there was moisture from the clouds hanging in the cool, crisp air. It was very cool.
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