explore with juniper

In December 2023, I traveled to Nicaragua. The coolest thing I did there was go volcano boarding, so this is everything you need to know if you are interested in trying it out yourself!

First: How to get to Leon, the pick up location for all the tours. You’ll need to fly into Managua airport if you aren’t already in the country. There is no uber service, so I found it hard to get around considering I do not speak Spanish. I got a taxi to a bus terminal in town, and took a “chicken bus” (local and affordable transportation) to get to Leon.

The bus to Leon drops you off on the outskirts of town, so you will need to get another taxi to your hotel. I got scammed by the taxi driver and did not feel very safe in Leon, so I will not be visiting again. Once I got into the center of town, I walked into Big Foot Hostel and asked to join their sunset volcano boarding for the next day. It was $35 per person and booking far in advance isn’t required, as it’s a backpacker hostel so everyone else is booking last minute.

I believe the tour started at 1pm, and we all watched a debriefing got on a bus to the entrance of the volcano. Then, it was a 45 minute or so hike up the volcano. You have an option to pay a local to bring your board up for $5 and I choose to do this. It’s a good idea to pay the locals, as they live in poverty near the volcano and this tour is their only opportunity to make money.

Then it was time for the volcano boarding! I found it to be a bit nerve wracking, as I kept feeling like I was going to fall off my board and tumble down the rocks. You were able to control your speed by leaning back to go faster or digging you feet into the rocks to go slower. I was the slowest in my group, as I kept digging my feet into the rocks and by the time I got down, my legs were sore.

The whole time my group was rolling down, we had a beautiful sunset. Once everyone finished, we went to another locals house to have dinner. They had pigs they used for food, and beautiful dogs. Then, we got back on the bus and it turned into a party. The guides were giving shots and blasting music. A free seltzer was also included.