The beautiful Granada

Granada is considered the most beautiful city in Nicaragua, and for good reason. The city has been destroyed multiple times and rebuilt with meticulous attention to detail. It boasts beautiful colonial-style houses and churches, small parks, and the bustling La Calzada nightlife district. It's enjoyable to simply stroll through the city, browse through a few souvenir stalls, or sit by the shore of Lake Nicaragua with a coconut in hand.

But you can also take some trips from Granada. The first one led us to Laguna de Apoyo, which we initially visited from the viewpoint in Catarina. This very beautiful lagoon was formed from a flooded volcanic crater. We went to a beach club there where you can spend the whole day for only 6 dollars, including activities like kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding. Or like us, simply enjoy the day lying in the sun on a lounge chair and take a dip in the lagoon to cool off.

The second trip took us to Masaya. First to the Mercado de Artesenias, the handicrafts market of Masaya. However, this market is purely for tourists. You can find all the items offered here at the local market, albeit slightly cheaper. Personally, I didn't find the markets to be particularly interesting. Our next destination was better - the Masaya volcano. We were taken up to the top by van, where we could look into one of the 5 craters. Since the volcano is still very active, visitors are only allowed to stay at the crater for a maximum of 15 minutes. Then they are taken back down. A lot of smoke and toxic fumes come out of the crater. There are also some hiking trails at the top, but they are currently closed as the largest crater showed a lot of activity last year and it is not yet safe enough to hike there. But the view into the steaming, hot crater was truly unique.

Our last two days in Granada were dedicated to relaxation and further travel planning. We also took a short boat tour through the Isletas de Granada, a group of 365 small islands formed by the eruption of Mombacho. Most of the islands are privately owned, but some can still be purchased. Here, rich Nicaraguan families like the Tona family (beer), Flor de Cana (rum), or Las Flores (coffee) have created vacation homes, as well as many foreigners, including Germans.

All in all, Granada is highly recommended and you can easily spend several more days there. We stayed at the really beautiful Hostal Oasis, where the majority of backpackers probably stay. With its pool, hammocks, and lounge chairs among the palm trees, you can easily spend a whole day at the hostel.

The next stop is León, where we want to go volcano boarding on Cerro Negro.