Adventure awaits, and it’s closer than you think! Just outside of Granada, Nicaragua is a magical place. Cooler climate, sloths, monkeys and all sorts of other colorful reptiles. All of these things can be found at Volcan Mombacho.
After taking a hiking tour of the Volcano on the Puma trail (guided hike, for good reason), we decided to head down the hill and check out the zip-lining course. We were a bit confused, there was a sign of where to go and there were about 6 men sitting around near all the gear, talking and then looking at us, but nobody ever came over to us to see if we wanted to go zip-lining. So I walked up, got a sample of coffee and talked to someone and asked what we needed to do to get a zipline tour.
The guy seemed surprised to see anyone come for a tour. He quickly set us up with all the gear and told us to only bring one camera. He told us that if we gave him our camera, he’d be the one to take all the pictures and explained how the whole process worked. He goes on the zipline first, then records or takes pictures of each of us as we zip through the jungle.
Ok, I thought. I had some reservations. Like, what if he just takes off with my phone? Or, what if he drops it from way up there and we have to try to go find it? I was pretty hesitant. But ultimately, I never had an adventure when I’ve said “no.” So, when we got up to the first line and he strapped himself in and then me, he started recording as soon as he jumped on the line and started sailing in the canopy of trees, taking video of the monkeys surrounding us as we zipped through the jungle.
They allowed us to “fly” like superman, hang upside down, go tandem… Whatever we wanted to do as long as it was safe. They allowed us to take the liberty to do what we felt would be fun. It was exhilarating and being up in the trees with the monkeys, who stare at you, wondering “what the hell are these other ugly monkeys doing up here?” as you zip by. However, we found that they DO NOT like the sound of the metal grinding as you fly through the canopy and they howl, making it known. They didn’t get aggressive with us, but it’s not unheard of for them to throw their poop at you if you piss them off.
There are 18 lines to zip across and a truck at the end that takes you back up the mountain. It was a good thing because after 4+ hours of hiking, mostly climbing ladder staircases, literally feeling like being on a stair stepper on the hardest level for the entire time, I really didn’t want to walk back up the mountain.
By the time we were finished, my legs were trembling with fatigue. I could barely stand. The guide handed me back my phone where I looked at the pictures and videos he took and I have to say, I’m pretty impressed because I don’t even know how to use some of the special settings on them. We paid up and gave them a generous tip. They were amazing. The canopy tour there is definitely worth the $28.50/ person.
If you like these types of adventures or just want to challenge yourself, it’s fairly inexpensive per person and the guides are awesome. The caveat, they don’t speak much English, if any; But laughter and smiles are a universal language.