Nicaragua’s Hottest Attraction: Volcano Surfing Draws Thrill-Seekers Worldwide

① Central and South America Travel Destination

Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America, making it a popular travel destination in Central America. It’s still relatively unfamiliar for Korean travelers. Nicaragua was ranked third in the New York Times’s “46 Ideal Travel Destinations.”

Corn Island, known as a vacation spot in Nicaragua, is a popular destination among foreign tourists. It’s a travel destination famous for its old-fashioned buildings from the Spanish colonial period.

However, Nicaragua is known for its poor security. Major crime areas can be quite dangerous. Currently, the entire country of Nicaragua is designated as an area where travel is discouraged by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Nicaragua, with many volcanoes, is often called the Land of Volcanoes. Volcanoes are like a symbol of Nicaragua.

② The Only Extreme Sport in the World

Telica Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in Nicaragua, erupted in 2020, spewing a large amount of volcanic ash. As of 2015, it has erupted about 50 times, and volcanic earthquakes have been observed several times.

Because there are many volcanoes, tourists show much interest in Nicaraguan volcanoes. In particular, volcano surfing, which can only be experienced in Nicaragua, is a popular tour course.

Cerro Negro Volcano is located about 62 miles from the capital, Managua. It’s an active volcano located only about 6.2 miles from Malpaisillo village. It’s one of the youngest and most active volcanoes in Central America.

Here, you can experience ‘volcano surfing’ on the black-covered active volcano. At first glance, it looks like sandboarding in the desert, but the biggest difference is that you’re sledding on volcanic ash.

③ How to Experience Volcano Surfing

To surf on an active volcano, tourists climb up to an altitude of 2,362 feet in a single line. After about a 40-minute climb, they reach the summit. At this time, they slide across the volcanic ash on a specially designed plywood board.

Since it’s a pretty long section, once you start to pick up speed, you can enjoy a thrilling experience. The maximum speed reaches 59 mph, so you come down in a flash.

Like snowboarding, you can stand or sit down to come down. Because it’s an active volcano, you must wear protective clothing, a helmet, and a mask to prepare for high temperatures.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nicaragua suffered a major blow to its local economy as the number of tourists decreased significantly. However, as Cerro Negro Volcano surfing became famous, the number of tourists increased again.

It is now considered a representative extreme sport in Nicaragua. It’s an activity that can only be experienced in Nicaragua, arousing the interest of tourists.

Tourists who have experienced volcano surfing have left reviews such as “IncrediStunningy. Climbing an active volcano was an amazing experience”, “Climbing up the mountain with a board is hard, but you can enjoy the thrilling boarding,” “One of my best experiences. It might be scary initially, but you’ll want to do it again once you try it.”

One tourist left a comment saying, “It takes an hour to climb up for boarding, but only a minute to come down,” which brought a lot of laughter.