Exploring Nicaragua for the first time was an incredibly enjoyable experience. From the picturesque hikes to the active volcanoes and the hospitable locals, I was left with fond memories and a greater appreciation of the country and its culture. The food was organic and delicious, and the people I encountered were always welcoming and helpful.
Volcán Masaya
The shuttle takes us from Managua to Liberia in Costa Rica, but we have plenty of time, a couple of hours drive and not much to do the rest of the day. So we look at the map and see a tourist sign for the Parque Nacional Volcán Masaya. There is also a small peak…
Volcán Maderas
The ferry leaves in the afternoon, so we get up early and make our way to the Volcano Maderas trailhead. The road is asphalted and not bad, but the biggest danger is the “sleeping policemen” who are hard to see. But that’s what they were invented for, to drive slowly. I can say that they…
Volcán Concepción
An active stratovolcano, the most prominent lake mountain in the world, the most prominent mountain in Nicaragua, and maybe the “most” of something else… For us, it’s enough that it’s an ultra peak. We try to get on the first ferry in the morning, but we don’t know if we’ll make it. To transfer the…
Las Cumbres
After a successful ascent of Volcán Cosigüina, we head towards Lake Nicaragua, the largest lake in Central America. It is also known by several other names: Lake Nicaragua, Lake Cocibolca, Lake Granada, Lago de Nicaragua, Lago Cocibolca, Mar Dulce, Gran Lago, Gran Lago Dulce or Lago de Granada. I would not be surprised if there…
Volcán Cosigüina
After breakfast we say goodbye to Renee. She and Dave have successfully climbed some peaks in Honduras and yesterday we climbed together Volcán San Cristóbal in Nicaragua. Today she is on her way to Managua to fly home, Dave and I head for the Gulf of Fonseca, where the Cosigüina volcano rises on the coast….
Volcán San Cristóbal
This is my first introduction to the world of Nicaragua’s smoking volcanoes. First impressions are important and these are great. One of Nicaragua’s two ultra mountains is Volcán San Cristóbal, an active stratovolcano with a bush-covered base and a half kilometre high volcanic sand slope. Today we’ll have a great opportunity to get our legs…
Brussels to Chicago
As I head towards Nicaragua, the airlines’ marketing departments have made sure that the route that is “most convenient for me” has at least three connections. The first is in Brussels; the second is in Chicago. I have flown a very similar route across the Atlantic before, and I know that I will be able…
Prague
After a hearty dinner and the greetings sent and received, it’s time for a walk. The city is packed with people, apparently still trying to recover from a couple of years of global restrictions. The large number of people does not prevent us from enjoying the city’s streets at dusk. I still find it beautiful…
Warsaw
Christmas is coming, and we’re in no hurry. We stop in Warsawa on our way from Vilnius. Correct decision because we discovered a great restaurant, Christmas-themed streets, a comfortable hotel, and had a good time. What else.. Walking late in the evening, we are surprised by how many people are on the streets. Maybe it’s…
Vilnius
Winter, night, few people, a bit of a chill, fresh and clean snow on the streets. It’s the perfect time to wander around the lovely city of Vilnius and see what’s decorated for Christmas and how. After the scorching heat of Argentina, this was a welcome change.
Andes 2022
The main objective of this trip was to climb the six ultra peaks, and if there was time to spare, perhaps visit one of the other lower or easier peaks. Due to the subtleties of acclimatisation, weather conditions, and logistics, we chose Cumbres Calchaquies for our first climb. The plan and the order changed several…
Argentina food
I am by no means attempting to give a comprehensive overview of Argentinian gastronomy. That would require its own book. Our destination was the mountain tops, not the culinary heights. So in this short article, I have only stuck to what we found along the way, what we managed to taste in a few short…
Buenos Aires City High Point
We have breakfast, call a taxi to Ministro Pistarini International Airport (EZE), and indicate in the app that we want to go via Av. Francisco Beiró 4150, C1419. The taxi driver gives us the all-clear sign, and we go. The address was actually further away than I thought, but we have plenty of time; we…
Tucuman to Buenos Aires
The plane lands at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (AEP), a few kilometres from downtown. The size of the city and the illuminated streets will leave few indifferent. And the clarity of the picture and lights only confirms the origin of the city’s name. We land and very quickly collect our luggage. At the entrance, with my…
Cerro Taficillo
This is the last major hill on this trip and likely the last for the year, though you never know, there might be one along the way. At the hotel, we agree to check out in the late afternoon and head towards the trailhead. We start climbing, and a local farmer shouts that we are…
El Balconi
And again, it is forbidden… And again, an interesting top, next to the golf course. We leave the car and somehow magically get punched on the other side of the fence. A hundred metres across the meadow, and we are at the top. We get a good view of the surroundings, measure the height, and…
Cerro Nuñorco Grande
There are no easily accessible ultra peaks around, so we opt for a nicely shaped ribu rising from the Dique la Angostura lake. Franco says that Nuñorco means breast, so we will climb the breast, which has a thousand metres of prominence. The weather is beautiful in the morning. We choose one of several trails…
Cerro el Pelao
There was heavy rain in the morning, but we are not afraid of rain, unfortunately the weather forecast for the rest of the day is even worse. The day starts late, and we are in no hurry, so we drive towards Dique la Angustura lake. On the way, we have to wait for a few…
Cerro Castillejos
After we drive ten or fifteen kilometres along a private road, we stop at a farm, Franco talks to the owner’s brother, and we pitch our tents in the yard. The most spectacular sight of the evening is the huge insects flying around and glowing bright green. The light is so strong that you can…