Concepcion volcano

I'm about to write about the best day of my Central American trip; the hike of Concepcion Volcano!

I took the bus and the boat to Ometepe Island, which is a lake in Nicaragua. The word Ometepe means "two volcanoes" in the native language, which says it all, there are two volcanoes on the island. There are so many things to do on the island; relaxing beaches, riding scooters, hiking and exploring the numerous natural reserves and forests that enjoy a high biodiversity, meeting very friendly locals and of course, climbing a volcano.

Concepcion volcano is the chosen one. It is an active volcano that has erupted at least 25 times since 1883. It is 1610m above sea level with a prominence of 1579m. I really wanted to do it but I was also stressed because I've never climbed that high and I didn't have my knee brace, so I knew my knees would definitely hurt on the way down.

The highest mountain I've climbed is Camel's hump at 1244m, but only 570m in prominence, meaning I have to climb 3 times higher this time. Oh, and it is a 10 hours and 25 km hike by the way; it was not a technical climb, but it would definitely be an understatement to call this a hike. So, I've never climbed that high, and never hiked for that long or that far..additionally, the terrain differences and steepness will make this a real physical and mental challenge.

It starts with a flat terrain of 2.5km long through farms where you will encounter cows and horses. Then it continues on a 35° slope through coffee plantation at the bottom, followed by banana trees, the mighty jungle where you can spot monkeys and other animals.

I spotted a monkey, yay!

Here is part of the trail created by lava. Not sure how fat people walk through this narrow part.

When you exit the jungle, the humid cloud forest starts. Here, you can admire some cactuses and more cactuses. When vegetation stops, you will know you're at about 1000m high. A small flat section can be found here where you can eat your lunch while trying to not be blown away by strong wind. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day so there was nothing to see....

Here I am at about 1000m high.

After the flat surface, most people turned their back and went back down. It takes approximately two hours from that point to reach the crater. It is a very direct, long and sustained 45° climb on loose lava rocks and sands, accompanied by 50km to 80km of wind.  It was pretty rock 'n' roll...literally.

Judging between the slippery and loose volcanic rock from the more sturdy red rock was very hard. Some layers were thinner so you can actually feel the heat, which is quite scary to think about knowing that the lava is right behind these thin layers.

This picture was taken when the top was finally reached; it was soaked by steam and clouds. There wasn't much to see and I did not feel that much of a great achievement either to be sitting near the crater, because I knew the hardest part didn't even start yet. After 10 minutes of glory, the treacherous decent began. I fell on my butt so many times while descending. Some blood spilled on my elbow and lots of bruises.

On the way down, the clouds decided to open up for some awesome views!

This hike is awesome because you get to see so much in just 10 hours! From the farmland to coffee plantation, to banana trees, to the jungle, the monkeys and crazy creatures, the lava tunnels, the cloud forest, to pebbles, rocks, sand and finally the crater of an active volcano. I was amazed!

I thought about turning back many times, not because I didn't have the energy to carry on but because I was worried that my knees would hurt. However, I'd probably still be thinking about it if I didn't finish the hike, and maybe regret for the rest of my life.

It was a great challenge and it might be one of the most memorable things I did in 2014 so far!