Best volcano hike in Nicaragua
 

Hi I'm making a last-minute trip to Nicaragua in a week, and trying to decide which volcano to hike. Given the time I have, I'll only do one. Choosing among Concepción or Maderas on the Isla de Ometepe, or Mombocho or Masaya as my other destinations are Granada and San Juan del Sur.
I know a certain fitness level is needed - I ran the NYC Marathon a couple weeks ago. How rough is the footing on Concepción? Best views and overall experience of these four?
Any recommendations are appreciated!

Concepcion is a little more challenging. If you're running marathons you'll be fine. I hiked it a year ago, and had no problems. We got off to a late start I think around 4am, the guide was late getting there. We climbed from the altagracia side based on guides recommendation. It was clear at the top and had amazing views. It is exposed, bring enough water. Round trip took us about 7 hours but we were going I think at a faster than normal clip.

Also - make sure to have the ferry ticket sorted out a day before going to the port. It was a zoo when we went, we took our truck and saw lots of backpackers walking around. Not sure how easy public transportation is once you get to the island.

Thanks for the tips about early start and bringing enough water. I'll also make sure to bring sunscreen!
Also about the ferry ticket - not sure how to organize a day early, but I won't be bringing a car, just me, and I booked to stay very near where the ferry arrives, so hopefully I'll be ok. How did you organize your guide?

You might find Masaya pretty easy, but I certainly enjoyed my visit there. There are some wonderful hikes available along the craters and the views are great. If you'll be around Managua or planning to go visit Grenada, I suggest also checking it out.

Thanks, CMK10, I ended up doing Concepcion - was there over the weekend. I didn't get all the way to the top, though. It was incredibly cloudy and windy, and it was deemed (fully supported by me!) too dangerous to continue. We probably got about 1300 meters up. It is a very tough hike, even without making it to the summit. Glad I did it.

Hey good for you! Got any pictures to share with us? I'd love to see some.

Sure, here you go - I put a few in an album on the site: http://gallery.flyertalk.com/gallery...%F3n-Nicaragua. As you can see, it was very cloudy!

Wow those are gorgeous ^ I'll definitely have to go next time I'm in country

Thanks, CMK10, it was beautiful. The beaches and sunsets around San Juan del Sur were incredible. I'll try to post some pictures once I upload to my computer.