Athletes and extreme sports fanatics can easily meet their needs in Nicaragua.
Rent a bike in Granada or Masaya and take a back road to the Laguna de Apoyo (1.5-2 hours). The dirt roads are steady uphill treks that become steep towards the top of the dormant volcano. Once you’re over the rounded crater lip, coast all the way down to the lake where you can jump in and cool off.
Kayaking through the sometimes smooth, sometimes choppy water to Las Isletas, off the coast of Granada, can be as languid or as vigorous as you like. Rent directly from the boat owners at the Marina Cocibolca, or set up a kayak tour. The enormous Laguna de Apoyo, just outside Masaya, is another excellent spot for kayaking. Kayaks are included for guest use in most hotels and hostels.
Kayaks at Laguna de Apoyo. Photo © Elizabeth Perkins.
Scuba dive and snorkel on the Corn Islands, and don’t miss Blowing Rock, a reef formation home to a stunning variety of underwater life. Try a guided paddleboarding trip to Blowing Rock for snorkeling.
Spend a day rock climbing, rappelling, swimming, and hiking in the Somoto Canyon. The climbing route established by Namancambre Tours is accessible for all skill levels.
Near the northern city of León, get your afternoon adrenaline rush volcano boarding over the black ash of Cerro Negro.
A group of volcano boarders climbing up Cerro Negro. Photo © Ryan Faas/123rf.
Enjoy northern Nicaragua’s natural beauty between paddling through class III rapids on the Río Tuma with Matagalpa Tours.
Take in jaw-dropping views of the Pacific coast and La Isla de Ometepe while zip lining through the trees outside of San Juan del Sur. On Ometepe, try a canopy tour through the trees between the island’s two volcanoes at Reserva Charco Verde. In Managua, zip line over open water at Laguna de Tiscapa.
Excerpted from the Sixth Edition of Moon Nicaragua.
