There are only two places in the world where you can board down an active volcano: Nicaragua and Chile. Legend has it that an Australian guy first pioneered this crazy sport when he climbed the Cerro Negro Volcano in Nicaragua, and craved a faster way to descend. He apparently grabbed surfboards, fridge doors, and mattresses to see what worked best and eventually settled on a wooden sled-like board that is used today.
There are plenty of Leon-based tour companies to choose from that all offer the same relative experience. I chose to go with Volcano Day that operates out of Via Via Hostel and Bar. For only $30 all of the following is included: roundtrip transportation, entrance fee, protective gear, board, T-shirt, beer, snacks, and a tour guide. What a steal!! They recommend you wear long pants, closed toed shoes, and bring a bandana.
The day begins by meeting at Via Via Hostel in Leon to grab your free t-shirt (tons of options/styles, I was thoroughly impressed) and load into the trucks to drive a bumpy 30 minutes to Cerro Negro. One thing I didn’t realize beforehand was that each person needs to carry their own board up the volcano….and it’s not the lightest piece of plywood, let me tell ya. Thankfully, the hike is only an hour but the path is rocky, dusty, and slippery. The wind was also so strong that it nearly blew me over multiple times. There is video evidence of this but sadly my blog can only support pictures; you will just have to imagine my clumsiness instead.
Once we reached the top (700m), everyone suited up into the most stylish breaking bad meth jumpers. We strapped on our goggles and covered our mouths with bandanas to protect against the ash. The guides give thorough instruction on how to maneuver the board so you stay safe and don’t go face first into the volcano. When it was my turn, I put my feet up and went as fast as I could with the biggest smile on my face. The fastest speed ever recorded was 59 MPH…I don’t think I even got close to that but it was thrilling none the less. The ride lasts around 45 seconds until you get to the bottom and speed decreases. The amount of ash and dirt caking my hair afterwards was quite the sight. To this day, I still have leftover volcanic ash in my shoes.
Our guide gave out fresh watermelon to mask the taste of hot sand before piling into the trucks to head back. Once at Via Via, everyone had a chance to relax with their free beer in hand.
Overall, it was an adrenaline pumping experience that I’ve never done before and 100% would do again. If you are ever in Nicaragua, don’t miss out!
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