Visiting Granada & Masaya Volcano

Granada is one of Nicaragua’s most historically important cities and one of its most appealing destinations. Founded by the Spanish in 1524, it is among the oldest continuously inhabited European-founded cities in the continental Americas. With colorful colonial buildings, historic churches, lively markets, and a beautiful setting beside Lake Nicaragua, Granada has a character that sets it apart from the country’s more modern cities.

I spent much of my time exploring the historic center on foot, wandering between churches, plazas, markets, and residential streets. Granada also made an excellent base for visiting nearby Masaya Volcano, where I joined a nighttime excursion hoping to see molten lava inside an active volcanic crater.

Exploring Granada’s Historic Center

The heart of Granada is Parque Central, also known as Parque Colón, where the city’s cathedral dominates the surrounding colonial architecture. The nearby streets contain brightly painted buildings, shaded courtyards, restaurants, and small shops. This part of Granada is particularly attractive, and much of its historic architecture reflects the city’s long Spanish colonial history.

Granada has survived centuries of political conflict, fires, and attacks, including its destruction by the American filibuster William Walker’s forces in 1856. Much of the architecture visible today dates from subsequent rebuilding, but the city’s traditional street layout and colonial character remain remarkably well preserved.

Granada contains several impressive historic churches. The cathedral overlooking the main plaza was my favorite, although I found some of the smaller churches nearly as interesting. Others were visibly deteriorating, and a few buildings appeared almost abandoned. The contrast between beautifully restored colonial architecture and structures in need of repair was one of the most noticeable aspects of walking through the city.

One particularly interesting building was the remains of an abandoned Catholic hospital. I never learned its full history, although I heard some visitors describe it as haunted. Local residents seemed considerably less impressed by those stories and regarded it as simply another old building. Regardless of the legends, its deteriorating architecture made it an intriguing stop while exploring Granada.

Granada’s Streets and Local Markets

The streets around Granada’s main plaza are among the city’s most tourist-oriented areas, with hotels, restaurants, taxis, and traditional horse-drawn carriages. Horse-drawn carriage rides are a familiar sight in the historic center and offer another way to explore the city’s colonial streets.

Only a few blocks away from the polished central plaza, the appearance of Granada changes considerably. Some buildings are less maintained, and the streets become more residential and commercial rather than tourist-oriented. I took this photograph while walking toward the local market. Despite the contrast in architecture and infrastructure, I found the city welcoming and enjoyed exploring beyond the main tourist streets.

Granada’s traditional market provides a completely different atmosphere from the historic plaza. Narrow passages, crowded stalls, and vendors selling everything from produce and clothing to household goods make it an interesting place to experience everyday commercial life. As with any crowded market, keeping track of personal belongings is sensible.

I visited the market on a Saturday and found it busy but manageable. When I returned on Sunday, however, the crowds were so dense that walking through some of the passages became difficult. It was a fascinating contrast with the relatively relaxed atmosphere around the cathedral just a few blocks away.

Small food stalls and juice bars are another part of Granada’s local market culture. Nicaragua’s tropical climate supports a wide variety of fruits, and fresh juices and blended drinks are commonly available at markets and roadside stands. These small businesses add to the lively atmosphere of the city’s commercial streets.

Nicaraguan Cigars and a Pricey Misunderstanding

While wandering around central Granada, I came across a cigar shop. Until that point, I hadn’t realized how well known Nicaragua was for producing premium cigars. The country has developed a major cigar industry, particularly around Estelí, and some Nicaraguan cigars are regarded as comparable in quality to famous Cuban brands.

I don’t smoke, but I thought a few cigars would make interesting gifts for people back home. I selected several at random and brought them to the counter, where the cashier rang them up for $77. I assumed she meant 77 Nicaraguan córdobas, which at the time would have been only a few American dollars.

Unfortunately, she meant $77 US dollars!

I was pretty embarrassed and apologized several times before putting most of them back. I ended up buying just one cigar for about $18. That seemed expensive in a country where many everyday purchases cost relatively little, although I suppose my original assumption of roughly 50 cents per premium cigar should have seemed suspiciously cheap!

Visiting Masaya Volcano National Park

One of the most popular natural attractions near Granada is Masaya Volcano National Park. Located northwest of the city, the park contains an active volcanic complex with multiple craters, lava fields, and underground lava tubes. Masaya has a long history of volcanic activity and is particularly famous for the gases that rise from its craters and the molten lava that has sometimes been visible within Santiago Crater.

I booked a nighttime excursion hoping to see the glow of lava inside the volcano. I had also been looking forward to hiking, although the experience turned out to involve considerably less walking than I expected. Rather than one long hike, the tour consisted of several short excursions to different parts of the park.

Our first stops included a walk through the forest to the entrance of a lava tube. I’d explored lava tubes before in Washington state, but this one had something unusual: incredibly long tree roots extending along the cave floor. The roots began near the entrance and continued deep into the darkness, apparently following moisture and nutrients underground. Some stretched for what seemed like hundreds of feet.

Bats and Underground Lava Tubes

The lava tubes also provide habitat for enormous colonies of bats. I was told that tens of thousands lived in the area’s caves, although I couldn’t verify the exact number. Watching them fly in and out of the cave entrances was one of the more interesting parts of the excursion.

These photographs were taken near another lava tube only a short distance from the one I entered. Because many bats leave their roosts around dusk to feed, the entrances can become particularly active in the evening. Inside the cave at night, there were relatively few bats remaining compared with the numbers flying outside.

Farther inside the lava tube, we reached a section partially blocked by large volcanic rocks. By this point, we were deep enough underground that no natural light penetrated the passage. Turning off our flashlights left us in complete darkness, the kind where waiting for your eyes to adjust makes no difference.

The cave walls and ceiling contained unusual dark formations that looked very different from the pale limestone stalactites I’d seen in other caves. Lava tubes form when the surface of a flowing lava stream cools and solidifies while molten rock continues moving beneath it. Once the lava drains away, it leaves behind an underground passage. Some of the formations inside can result from molten lava dripping or cooling along the ceiling and walls.

Our tour stopped where the passage became obstructed by rocks. It appeared possible to climb over them and continue deeper into the tube, but that was beyond the scope of our visit. Even the short section we explored was memorable, particularly because of the roots, volcanic formations, and complete darkness.

La Boca del Infierno — The Mouth of Hell

After exploring the lava tubes, we continued toward the active crater area of Masaya Volcano. The volcanic complex includes several craters associated with the Masaya and Nindirí volcanic structures, with Santiago Crater being particularly well known for its persistent gas emissions and periods of visible lava activity.

From a distance, the enormous plumes of volcanic gas almost resembled ordinary clouds. Up close, however, the smell and irritating effects of sulfur dioxide made their origin unmistakable. Depending on wind direction and volcanic activity, these gases can make approaching the crater uncomfortable or dangerous.

Spanish accounts from the colonial period describe Masaya as a terrifying volcanic opening associated with hell. The crater became known as La Boca del Infierno, or “The Mouth of Hell.” Stories also circulated about the possibility of valuable materials inside the volcano, reflecting the fascination and fear it inspired among early European visitors.

Masaya also has a long history of Indigenous spiritual significance. Early colonial chroniclers recorded accounts of rituals and offerings associated with the volcano, although some of their more sensational descriptions should be treated cautiously. The Spanish friar Francisco de Bobadilla is traditionally associated with placing a cross near the crater in the sixteenth century, symbolically asserting Christianity over what Spanish colonists regarded as an entrance to hell.

The cross overlooking the crater recalls that history and is one of the park’s most recognizable landmarks. Standing above the volcanic landscape, it is easy to understand why the enormous smoking opening inspired such powerful stories.

Looking into Masaya’s Active Crater

The final part of the excursion was the experience I’d been most excited about: looking down into the active volcanic crater at night. Masaya is one of the relatively few volcanoes where visitors have sometimes been able to observe glowing molten lava from an accessible crater viewpoint, although visibility and access depend heavily on volcanic conditions.

Unfortunately, the gas plume was especially thick during my visit. Sulfur dioxide and other volcanic gases obscured much of the view, and we had to wear protective masks as we approached the observation area. Even with the masks, the atmosphere was unpleasant, and it was difficult to see very far into the crater.

I was disappointed that the lava wasn’t more visible, but I did manage to catch a glimpse of its orange glow through the gases. This was the best photograph I could get. Although the night hike involved less hiking than I’d hoped and the crater views were limited, exploring the lava tubes, watching the bats, and standing beside an active volcano made Masaya one of the most unusual experiences of my time in Nicaragua.