This was an exellent hike which I did with some friends I met in Leon, Nicaragua (this written in Costa Rica). We did it without a guide and requires some navigation but you can find the GPX here. There are some arrows painted onto trees for half the hike but don´t follow them forever since they end up going south away from the volcano. An alternative descent is to continue straight down after the large mango tree instead of turning left back to San Jacinto. Relatively straight forward and brings you back on the main road closer to Leon.
This was one of the few times that I´ve actually seen lava (albeit a few hundred metres away in the centre of a very impressive crater). Do it.
Boiling mud pools near the start in San Jacinto
Friends from the famous Big Foot hostel in Leon nearing the top of the hike.
San Cristobal volcano in the distance (a beast of a volcano, see previous post)
Inside the crater: actual lava and the gases escaping make it sound like a jet engine
Gabriel: from Canada, riding his motorbike to South America. Thomas: experienced skydiver with a few base jumps under his belt (i.e. BAMF) and his awesome wife Mary : good times.
To the left provides vast opportunities for camping
Thomas and Mary didn´t bring a tent so this roof (that we didn´t know about) provided an an immensely fortunate shelter, especially since it rained hard for half an hour. Careful not to leave your kit for too long since the area is also shared by cows that loved eating our packs (and Gabriel´s hat). Cow saliva is tricky to remove.
Sunset: go clockwise to around the volcano to get a clearer view (which we didn´t do in time)
The obligatory night lava hike. It really is an incredible place to be and it blows your mind to realise the energy and power that is held under the earth´s surface.
Sunrise: Telica sits in the middle of an extensive chain of volcanoes from San Cristobal to Momotombo next to Lake Managua and beyond. Hiking the entire chain would surely be an incredible multi-day trip. This shot looking towards Momotombo volcano.
