Mombacho Volcano Nature Reserve — Attraction in Granada

Let's start with prices. It cost us $24 USD pp to get a ride up and down and entrance fee. We had to ride in the back of a truck both ways which makes for a bumpy and interesting ride - hold on tight or you will squish someone else. We also had to wait FORTY minutes for the car to fill up which was not great.

The walk up is cheaper but it's STEEP and long. It was difficult and I don't recommend it unless you're on a super tight budget. Then it cost $20 for an English speaking guide (for the group) to do the El Tigrillo trail. El Tigrillo and El Puma require a guide, the crater trail does not. So total, we paid nearly $70 for two people. Expensive for Nicaragua, especially for such a short walk.

Unfortunately on the day we went, it was super cloudy. We heard that going later in the day (afternoon) makes it a better chance for it to be clear. Or look and see if there are clouds in the morning and don't go if they are. The clouds meant 0 views for us. Most tours do take you early in the morning so be warned!

El Tigrillo estimated time was 2-2.5 hours but we did it in about 1. It was moderately easy, mostly flat or down steps except for one part where there was an endless amount of steps up. If you are in decent shape, you can do this entire trail in 1-1.5 hours.

We also went on a windy day so there were no animals :( so no views and no animals :( Since we were in the clouds, we were glad we brought jackets since it was nippy at first.

On the plus side, our guide was nice and pointed out interesting plants along the way.

The forest was still very beautiful when cloudy. The trails that we went on were well maintained and easy to walk on. Amazing to be able to walk through a...

We were in the clouds so no view. The Puma trail took us 1hr30 (not 4 hrs), I am 57 and not particularly fit but we decided to get our weekly exercise so we walked relatively fast I guess (and no pauses for the non-existent views); most foreigners do it in 2 hours according to our guide. The forest was beautiful even in the mist. Lots of steps, can be slippery.

I knocked two stars off the experience because these guys have a monopoly and there was not even coffee available at the top (but coke was available). This is a pity because one can wait a while for the truck to go back down. Had an altercation with the grumpy manager who refused to stick to the schedule of the return truck saying that he decides when the truck leaves. He was also not going to let us drive up in our manual Land Rover 4WD - evidently a Toyota fan! Said it would not make it…

Perhaps a bit overrated and a hassle to get there and back (even if you have a 4WD!), we may have been influenced by the weather. Guide said that in March one has a better chance of clear skies. In the afternoon it was clear… but as others have pointed out, in the afternoon maybe there are no...

Disrespectful office personnel and rip off for tourists. When we arrived at the tourist office at 11:15, we got told that you can’t walk the volcano after 10:30, unless you take a transport organised by the local organisation, which costed 12$ extra. The reason was that you need to be back at 14:30 when the park closed. We refused this transport. 1 min later a local man stopped and asked for entrance to the park. When we we’re talking to him, he agreed to take us up so we could continue our walk, and we would be back at time for the closing of the park. The woman in the office refused again and didn’t give a legitimate reason. For no reason, we could get in to the park, unless we paid. This shows a lack of respect to tourists. Afterwards we heard from a local down the road that the woman receives a commission of the entrance fees. No...