Nicaragua – Travel & Wildlife

Travelling through geology

Cora — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 18:38:23 +0000

Volcanoes along the Pacific Ring of Fire

Where continental plates meet, not only mountains but even volcanoes appear. In places where the earth’s heat reaches the surface, the intensity shapes the landscape – and yet, it is usually cold there. This is no contradiction, but the fascinating reality along the Pacific coast. The American continent is bristling with volcanoes that accompany us from south to north, constantly presenting themselves as big obstacles.

Some have long since been extinct, silently watching over their surroundings. Others are highly active, spewing fire or heating the water around. In any case, they constantly remind us that the entire region stands on shaky ground – a fact made even more obvious by the frequent earthquakes.

The geology of the Americas might not capture every traveller’s interest, but it is precisely what makes travelling the Pan-American Highway so unique. Following the traces of the earth’s creation, we climb impressive craters and jump into numerous thermal pools for a warm-up – or perhaps a cooldown?

Why things are rumbling in the west

The answer to why it bubbles in the west while the Atlantic remains silent lies deep beneath us. The Pacific Ring of Fire is created by so-called subduction: the oceanic plates slide beneath the continental plates of North and South America. Deep down, the rock melts under enormous pressure and extreme heat. Since this magma has a lower density than the surrounding rock, it rises relentlessly.

The entire West Coast is a contact zone thousands of kilometres long, where the double continent meets the powerful forces of the Pacific. It is like a giant conveyor belt: the seabed is constantly being renewed, the plates push under one another, and the magma feeds the volcanic chains that offer a different, spectacular show in every country. Not all volcanoes are of this origin, but perhaps we will share more on that once we have visited Yellowstone in the USA.

Eternal ice and bizarre lagoons

At Cotopaxi National Park.

One of our highlights is Cotopaxi. Standing at a proud height of 5897 metres, it is one of the highest active volcanoes in the world.

Its shape is an almost perfect cone. What makes it special: although it lies almost directly on the equator, it wears a cap of eternal ice due to its altitude. During a major eruption, however, this ice melts suddenly, leading to mudslides.

It is particularly impressive because you can drive up its flank to over 4500 metres.

On Cerro Toco in Chile above 5000m.

On the famous Lagoon Route through Bolivia, volcanoes also define the landscape. Licancabur, on the border with Chile, in particular, makes the surroundings look like you are on another planet.

The bubbling geysers in this region also clearly show how active the earth is beneath our feet. Unfortunately, we didn’t drive this stretch in our own car, as we had visitors and it just wasn’t feasible time-wise – a reminder that you simply can’t see everything.

Encounters with the active earth

In Nicaragua, the volcano Masaya was extremely active during our visit. Unfortunately, the path to the crater rim was closed, so we could only observe the massive ash clouds from a distance.

Instead, another adventure awaited: diving in Laguna de Apoyo. This lake lies within an extinct volcanic crater. It was a bizarre experience, as the bottom is warm and feels wobbly like jelly. While the volcano is no longer active, the residual heat in the ground is still clearly palpable.

Laguna de Apoyo, Nicaragua.

From the car directly to the lake with our diving equipment.

Views of Fuego from Acatenango. ©M.Schumacher

Our absolute highlight so far, however, was Fuego in Guatemala. It is a real powerhouse and currently erupts roughly every 10 to 15 minutes. We climbed the steep path up its twin volcano, Acatenango, to get a clear view.

Camp on Acatenango. ©M.Schumacher

What we found at the top was quite simply spectacular: like a natural firework display, the mountain shakes, spews, and explodes with a loud bang. Sleep was out of the question that night and despite the proximity to the glowing lava, the summit of its neighbour was one thing: ice cold!

©M.Schumacher

Relaxing in the thermal springs of the Panamericana

Fire heats up water too and there are thermal springs all along the route, some more accessible than others. Some are free in the middle of the wilderness; others are part of a resort or heavily commercialised.

Cavern in Tolantongo, Mexico.

In Bolivia, we were able to warm up in small concrete thermal pools – not exactly stunningly beautiful – whereas we skipped the springs in Costa Rica due to the extremely high prices. Even where it is supposedly free, you have to pay high parking fees. It just wasn’t worth it to us.

Springs on the Lagoon route in Bolivia, photo from an earlier trip.

In Honduras, on the other hand, we shared the thermals with the locals. But the most spectacular springs so far were in Mexico: Tolantongo. The place is very well known through Instagram, so we thought long and hard about whether we wanted to go. A local finally convinced us that it is almost empty during the week – and he was right.

In Tolantongo, you bathe in a cave with a warm waterfall that pours directly out of the rock. Or you can head to the pools – as long as you ignore the hotel complex around them, the view is beautiful, even if the water could have been a bit warmer for my taste.

Michael in Tolantongo.

Volcanic activity defines the entire West Coast and there is at least one exciting volcano or a beautiful spring in every country. We are thoroughly enjoying the volcano hikes, the natural fireworks, and the plunges into warm water. But now we are excited to see what surprises await us as we continue our way north.

Where bibles are hidden and trees are made of metal

Cora — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 01:34:40 +0000

Chronicle of a journey through Nicaragua

When crossing Nicaragua, something hits the traveller’s eye immediately. It’s not the volcanoes, the jungle, or the beaches, but enormous trees in garish colours sprouting in the middle of roundabouts. Officially named “Trees of Life”, though they possess none: they are inert metal structures.

It is almost absurd. In a country with enviable biodiversity and jungle, the monument chosen by the government to represent them is an iron skeleton without a drop of sap, yet painted in a riot of colours: red, yellow, green, blue, pink.

Street in Managua.

The origin of the Chayopalos

These trees do not need any earth; they were first erected in 2013 by order of Rosario Murillo, wife of Daniel Ortega and Vice President since 2017. What was sold as an improvement plan for Managua ended up being the personal hallmark of “La Chayo” (her nickname).

Today they are known as Chayopalos (Chayo’s sticks) or arbolatas (tin tress). There are 150 or more of these trees scattered across the country, each illuminated by more than two million light bulbs. Why they were erected is not known, there are theories of them being purely artistic or purely esoteric, reflecting the spiritual beliefs of a Vice President famous for her colourful outfits laden with amulets.

What is not theoretical in the slightest is the cost: each tree costs between 25 000 and 40 000 US dollars, not including the astronomical annual electricity bill. In a country with Nicaragua’s pressing needs, that money could clearly be invested in more urgent matters.

A country under lock and key

AWhen we were there just before Christmas, the trees almost passed as decorations. But behind the glow of their bulbs hides a dark reality: In 2018, during social protests, many were torn down as a symbol of rebellion. Since then, the paranoia of the state leadership has intensified, and what was once a democracy is now a full-blown dictatorship.

The regime’s distrust of the outside world has reached extreme levels. Any object that “smacks” of espionage is prohibited: drones, binoculars (especially night-vision ones), or professional photo cameras. There was even a time when travellers could not even carry knives, even if they were travelling in a motorhome.

For those of us living in a vehicle with all our belongings, this is a logistical challenge. We had to prepare thoroughly: we hid everything we could to keep it out of sight, including the machete—an indispensable multi-tool for any Latin American, one would think. As for the drone, we preferred not to risk it: we left it at Michael’s family home in Costa Rica, and his brother brought it to us in Guatemala weeks later. Many travellers opt to send them directly via DHL to avoid confiscation at the border.

The war on Word

The fear of rebellion has silenced the country. Independent newspapers no longer exist; information is hijacked by the official channel, and journalists work under the constant threat of imprisonment—at least the few who still dare to remain in the country. The censorship has bordered on the surreal: the entry of bibles and any text that might pose a danger to the regime has been banned.

A roundabout in Nicaragua.

How do they apply this at the border? It is a lottery. We were lucky and were hardly searched, despite carrying a bible in the car that had been gifted to us a long time ago.

Most curious of all is the open war against the Catholic church. Since religious institutions supported the 2018 protests, Ortega has been at war with the bishops. In any case, only Rosario’s ideals are accepted. This has led to unusual situations: while Catholicism is persecuted, the Nicaraguan health system funds non-scientific alternative therapies, many of which are banned in other countries.

Nicaragua today is a constant and painful ambiguity. A ruling elite demonstrating that it does not care about the price to be paid—whether in cash or in freedoms—as long as it maintains absolute control.

Nicaragua – the dreaded border

Cora — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 16:13:17 +0000

‘They check everything,’ other travellers told us, so we braced ourselves for a tough, lengthy border crossing. We continued our way north: from Costa Rica to Nicaragua.

But our experience was the exact opposite: it had been a long time since crossing a border had been so quick. It took a whole 15 minutes in Costa Rica and an hour in Nicaragua, and in the end, no one wanted to search the car. We were apparently really lucky with the official – or perhaps hunger drove her to take her lunch break on time.

A roundabout in Nicaragua.

We were curious about Nicaragua anyway, because many travellers drive straight through – which, incidentally, is not as quick as you might think – or they don’t have much positive to say about the country. The terms ‘police checks’ and ‘corruption’ usually come up immediately in conversation.

We were all the more surprised when we left the bumpy roads of Costa Rica behind us and suddenly found ourselves on a perfectly paved motorway. A sign at the side indicated 80 km/h. That made us wonder: hadn’t the customs officer just explained that there was a strict 50 km/h speed limit throughout the country?

We dared to drive faster anyway, after all, there is a sign. At some point, on the beautiful, fast road, an oncoming car warns us by flashing its headlights. A typical sign that there is some kind of obstacle ahead.

Shortly afterwards, the police were indeed standing at the side of the road using a laser speed gun. They let us pass, as we weren’t driving too fast: only 50 km/h. Although the section of road is signposted at 80 km/h.

This bothered us, so we did some research on the internet:

In June 2025, the government limited the speed limit nationwide to 50 km/h, but without removing the old signs. They remain on the side of the road, obsolete and confusing for all foreign drivers.

The aim of the new regulations is to reduce the number of road deaths, which at first glance seems to be working, given the figures for 2025 – around 900 compared to over 1000 in 2023. However, as in the rest of Latin America, fatal road accidents continue to be an everyday occurrence. This is because the cause of many accidents is not necessarily speed, but failure to maintain a safe distance, dangerous overtaking manoeuvres, motorcyclists not wearing helmets, poorly maintained vehicles and therefore poor brakes, and, of course, ignorance – or lack of knowledge – of traffic rules. It’s actually a miracle that no one has rear-ended us yet. So drivers are not driving more slowly, but they are now warning each other.

The speed limit may be well-intentioned, but its implementation clearly shows how Nicaragua works: a system perfectly designed for corruption.

The fact that the country ranked 172nd on the Corruption Perception Index in 2024 is evident at every turn. Since Daniel Ortega returned to power in 2006, corruption has risen steadily, and the new rules give the police another tool at their disposal. Most of the people we spoke to opt for a direct ‘deal’ during checks to avoid bureaucratic hassle – or even going straight to prison.

Main plaza in León, Nicaragua.

The constant presence of power is particularly oppressive. Foreigners with permanent residence in the country tell us about regular visits from the police or military. It’s not always about money, but often just about reminding people who can be their ‘friend’.

We experienced this ourselves on a coffee farm when a pick-up truck with seven heavily armed military personnel suddenly appeared in the car park. While one of them chatted with Michael, the others paid a visit to the farm owner – an unmistakable greeting shortly before the start of the annual harvest. As foreigners, they also have to disclose their complete finances; not a single penny can go to opponents of the regime, which means no NGOs either, as most of them were banned in the country in 2024. Even the Red Cross is now the White Cross with a blue background.

Similar to Venezuela, where we witnessed corruption first-hand, the population is deeply intimidated. People don’t talk about politics with just anyone, and when they do, they close the kitchen window first and whisper. You never know who might be listening in the backyard, even within your own family.

Despite these disturbing stories, we liked Nicaragua very much. We had no problems anywhere in the country, not even when entering or leaving. The people were friendly, open and curious. The country appears well maintained, even though you know that the money is urgently needed elsewhere.

It is definitely an exciting country to visit for a few weeks, but to live there permanently? The constant checks and uncertainty – what will happen next, what new law comes up, who wants money next… – mean that for me, it is not a place where I would want to settle.