One of the coolest activities I did in Nicaragua was sliding down Cerro Negro in a makeshift sled, wearing an orange jumpsuit.
The feat looks intimidating at first, but if you do a volcano boarding tour with Bigfoot Hostel, I’m certain you will be in the best hands to make sure your descent down the volcano is a success. Bigfoot is the originator of this popular excursion and they continue to do an amazing job with it.
Cerro Negro is located 51 km outside of León, about a 1 hour drive. It’s part of Nicaragua’s active volcanic chain, the Cordillera de los Maribios, and near several other significant volcanoes, a few of which you can view from Cerro Negro itself.
Tour Options
Bigfoot offers 3 volcano boarding tours, varying in start time.
The earliest of the 3 is the Sunrise Tour, beginning at 3:00 am! If you’re an early bird and want to avoid any afternoon heat, this tour is for you. The only issue with booking this one is that, due to the early start, the 4 person minimum doesn’t always get filled. Anyone traveling in a group has a better chance of doing the tour.
The 2nd option is the Day Tour, which starts with an 8:00 am. You’ll be in the middle of the tour around midday, sliding down the volcano.
The most popular tour is the Sunset Tour, which includes a view of the sunset from the bottom of Cerro Negro after the boarding is done, followed by a loud and alcohol driven party bus ride. I ended up going on this tour and had a great time.
Tour Overview
To start, we were introduced to the curious origin and history of volcano boarding, which all began with one man’s thirst for speed and a thrill seeking nature. I won’t give the story away here though, so you’ll have to hear it for yourself. Nevertheless, I thought it was a engaging way to kick off the tour. After receiving a quick and detailed summary of our day, we hit the road on a school bus.
It was a chill and friendly ride to the base of Cerro Negro, during which everyone introduced themselves. Upon our arrival to Cerro Negro, each one of us received our gear. As we ascended the volcano and took in the views, our guide gave us a very educative rundown of everything related to the geology of Cerro Negro and the Nicaraguan volcano chain in general.
One of my favorite parts during our ascent was sticking my hand into the terrain and feeling how HOT it was…..like literally this was a VOLCANO.
The ground behind me in the background of this photo (which was once molten lava) is some ridiculously high temperature that I don’t even remember, but basically if you go down there, bad things will happen.
Once we reached the summit after about an hour hike, our guide gave us a thorough explanation of how to operate the sleds, how to stay safe, and how to have the best possible experience. Moments before descending, many members of our group like myself were a bit nervous. After completing the mission I wished that I had gone faster! Unfortunately, you only get one chance. There is no second ascent up the volcano to do it again.
After the entire group was done, we sat on top of our bus and enjoyed a beautiful sunset. The ride back was filled with music and liquor (which is not mandatory to drink), and then we finished with a dinner at a nearby family restaurant. All in all, the experience was well worth it.
From beginning to end, I was impressed. Highly recommended!
Good luck in your travels!
