Cosigüina Volcano

Cosigüina blew itself apart in January 1835 in one of the largest eruptions recorded in the Americas, heard as far as Jamaica and Bogotá and darkening the sky for days, and what it left is a truncated cone with a crater around two kilometres across holding a green sulphurous lake several hundred metres below the rim. The reserve around it protects dry tropical forest with scarlet macaws, which have a stronghold here. The climb takes two to three hours through forest and scrub to the rim, and from the top the Gulf of Fonseca opens out with the coasts of Honduras and El Salvador across the water. It is remote, at the far northwestern tip of the country, and sees few visitors.

What you actually see

• The crater lake - green water far below the rim of the blown-out cone.
• The Gulf of Fonseca - three coastlines visible across the water.
• Scarlet macaws - one of the country's main populations in the dry forest.
• Dry tropical forest - the reserve vegetation on the approach.

When to go

December to April for the trail and clear views across the gulf. Mornings are cooler and clearer. The rainy season makes the approach roads difficult and the trail slippery.

Honest expectations

Getting to the trailhead is a long rough drive from Chinandega. The climb is hot with limited shade. Haze often obscures the gulf view. Facilities are none and a local guide is needed to find the route. Macaw sightings need luck and early starts.

Nearby

Potosí is the access village; Chinandega lies southeast.