Volcanoes – there’s something just incredibly compelling about them and the primal forces they represent, isn’t there? The western side of Central America‘s most volcanic country is lined with some 18, both extinct and active – in fact, one of Nicaragua‘s nicknames is “Land of Lakes and Volcanoes”. Several of these make great hikes (and in a couple of cases, you can practically drive right up to them).

I’ve been privileged have spent years exploring them as well as running a tour operator, Green Pathways, to share them with visitors from all over the world who come to Nicaragua in part to revel firsthand in these magnificent phenomena of nature – whether they want to hike them, see bubbling lava, or even board down them. Following are a key handful of top volcanoes and hikes.  keep reading