Chapter 2: Laguna De Apoyo

Swimming in the mouth of a volcano

Laguna de Apoyo is a stunning lake in the mouth of an extinct volcano. A welcome slice of nature 20 mins drive from the bustle of Granada. We took a lodge and stayed for three days.

There are a few resorts dotted along the west bank of the lake. We chose Paradiso which turned out to be a great option. This is the sort of place that encourages you to slow down and hang in a hammock with a rum smoothie.

The resort has everything we needed so we didn't leave the premises for three days. On site there are a selection of private rooms and dorms, a big open communal bar and restaurant area with good food and great views, a few entertainment areas (TV, pool, table tennis and darts), then the lakefront itself. There are plenty of lounger chairs on the tiered waterfront, lots of kayaks and stand up paddle boards you can use for free, and a floating platform a short swim away. The water is warm and inviting with stunning panoramic views of the old volcano surrounding the lake.

Watersports

We spent most of our three days in the water. The lake depth drops really quickly to around 5 metres so our girls just kept lifejackets on that were provided. Therefore, even at just 6 and 4 years old, nobody was in danger and nobody was stressed. We could all swim out to the platform and dive in all day.

Video: dives

I'm really glad we all brought goggles and a snorkel because the lake is full of fish. You don't notice it until you look under the water but little fish the size of your palm come right up and swim alongside. Under the platform is the best place to see them.

The kayaks and SUPs are ideal here, however our girls were not too keen. We took a quick go, but all they wanted to do was get back to the platform.

Hanging Out

A lot of time was spent just sitting around slowing down.

The food is really good at Paradiso resort. Breakfast is included and you can get anything from the menu. Do not miss the Paradiso special. It's a bit of everything: fresh fruit salad; egg, bacon and avocado bagel; local rice and beans; deep fried plantain. Coffee is free and we were topping up all day.

There is always plenty of wildlife nearby in Nicaragua. At Apoyo, we hung out with two dogs that seemed to live on the resort. There was also the constant presence of these funky little orange caterpillars. The girls had great fun making trails for them in the sand by the water. In the evenings fireflies flicker and a field adjacent to the resort was absolutely full of them.

As the sun sets behind the resort to the west, soft lights come on and the resort takes on a new feel.

We had the place to ourselves in the evenings.

The mornings are tranquil and I enjoyed getting down to the waterfront at 5am for an hour before the kids woke up. From Paradiso, you can see the sun rising to the East over Laguna De Apoyo and turning the sky pink. I would grab a coffee and sit in a lounger and write.

A run with a view

The road along the west bank of the lake is great for a run. It is a quiet, undulating cobbled road that stretches for about 5km.

If you are feeling adventurous, you can take a short trail to join another road 320m directly up to an observation deck for great views of the entire lake. Be warned, the climb is not for the faint hearted. I've written about this in the Nica Trails post.

What are the chances?

A fun part of travelling is meeting other folk on their own adventures. People you connect with, but accept you may never see them again. However, in this strange world that is not always the case.

Sitting in a quiet resort with no more than 12 guests, in the middle of an extinct volcano in Nicaragua, Joanna looked over and spotted a guy she met cycling through the Americas. She wandered over and said hello.

This was Matthew and his partner Dani. They had just got married on Dani’s family ranch in Colorado and were touring Nicaragua as a honeymoon. They are a lovely couple. We shared a round of watermelon mojitos and toasted to their big news.

It's probably too early to call, but Apoyo will be hard to beat for a family friendly, comfy and fun place to hang for a few days.