Volcano Boarding in Nicaragua

Nicaragua is an absolutely fantastic destination for adventure travelers. Nature. Ocean coastlines. Lakes. Volcanos. Colonial cities. And — the most excellent experience of VOLCANO BOARDING down an active volcano. I have also seen it called sandboarding, ashboarding and sledding. Whatever you call it, this is one crazy awesome experience that you have to try!

Update: Our family visited before the political strife. However, even then we pre-arranged drivers and hired local guides for excursions. Our beach rental house had an overnight security guard on staff. Nonetheless, we felt safe wherever we went.

These are my honest opinions and recommendations — I do not receive any compensation or discounts during our travel. This story does include some affiliate links for which I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please click the links to support my blog.

HOW TO GET THERE

Cerro Negro Volcano is about one hour and twenty minutes from Leon. We did a less-direct approach and traveled from Granada after spending a few days in that area. Going to Cerro Negro added three to four hours of driving to what would have been a two hour transfer to the beach. I got a little worried about all of the driving on our way there. However, this adventure was so unique and incredible that is was worth all of the driving!

I priced out transfer services from our Granada hotel, Hotel Colonial, as well as through our volcano boarding tour and private transfer services. Mas Adventures offered the best pricing.

TOUR COMPANY

To our pleasant surprise, we had a private tour! I saw other groups with at least 10 people. These groups were led by young adults volunteering at a local hostel. I was so happy that we went with a local guide and company. I found Mas Adventures through Trip Advisor reviews and was so happy with our experience from start to finish.

Nicaragua is a special place and the people are a big part of it. Anry was the best tour guide. REALLY. He made the experience more than just going to board down the volcano. Although, come on — that alone is super sweet! Anry showed us many things along the way and explained the history of the area, the volcanos, and volcano boarding. You could tell that my boys really liked Anry — he was very patient answering ALL of their questions.

We saw a small group at the top that did not have a guide. I do not recommend doing this on your own. You likely have not sledded down a volcano before and a guide will show you how it is done — for safety as well as maximum fun!

CERRO NEGRO VOLCANO ADVENTURE

The hike up

We got our boards and backpacks with gear at the base. The boards slide right through the backpack straps. Other than bumping into each other a few times, they were easy to carry up the volcano. We saw one group hike up in the jumpsuits which is plain nutty given the warm weather.

I would rank Cerro Negro an easy to medium hike. There is some rock scrambling at the beginning and then it is just a lot of uphill walking. Bring water and snacks.

From your first step to the breathtaking panoramic top, the views are absolutely stunning. This does not get old. The contrasting black ash with surrounding green countryside is quite spectacular. As you hike up you will pass several vents reminding you this is an active volcano you are traversing up — and riding down.

The hike up was about an hour, including exploring on top and taking fun photos. But, we were here for more than just hiking.

Sandboarding down

Now it was time to gear up in the gear they provided: jumpsuits, goggles, gloves. Looking down, this side of the volcano is straight down and void of all the rocks we hiked over on the way up. Volcano ash is basically small shards of glass and stone, so we had a safety lesson to avoid getting bloody!

FITZ BITS TIP: Bring a bandana to cover your mouth and nose.

Thrill-seekers, this is for you! You basically control the speed by how you sit and using your feet as brakes. So, you can go really-really-really fast or slow down for a longer ride. Even at top speed it is a long way down so enjoy the ride!

As avid snowboarders were originally wanted to try the standing boards. However, Mas Adventures said the standing boards were not like snowboarding and just a lot of falling on your knees. I am SO glad we did the sleds. The speed going down that volcano was super adrenaline pumping.

One hour up and two minutes down. Those two little white things at the bottom of the hill are tour vehicles! That is how high up we started. We all wanted to do it again. And, we probably would have if our driver wasn’t ready to take us to the beach.