Hiking Concepcion Volcano Stats
Height: 1610 Meters / 5282ft
Elevation Gain: 1456 meters
Length: 6.0 kilometers return.
Time: Depending on your guide and your fitness level of about 10 hours.
Hiking Concepcion Volcano was absolutely incredible. Very challenging but totally doable and as you may or may not have noticed on this blog Sara and I do a lot of hiking. Every country we go to we continually look for the highest mountains and steepest peaks to climb. I am not 100% sure why but there is generally an amazing feeling of freedom at the tops of mountains, especially when you are alone, not to mention the amazing views and the awesome photos that usually come from these experiences there is also the extreme physical challenges that we keep going back for for some reason.
Also if you’re here you might be thinking about hiking Maderas Volcano which you can get all the info fo by clicking the link.
Here is also a full list of things for you to do while on Ometepe Island
At no extra cost to you, some of the links in this article are affiliate links and by using them Sara and I receive a small commission. This goes towards helping us continue to explore and write articles like this. 😁
Hiking Volcano Concepcion
So the first thing you are going to want to know is will you NEED a guide for hiking Concepcion Volcano. We booked ours at the start of the trail but where ever you are staying should easily be able to organize one for you. As much as Sara and I never want to use a guide, mostly due to the fact they tend to want to do things on a different time frame than us and it is not very likely they will sit on top of a mountain for 3 hours waiting for the clouds to clear, however, we do agree with the concept of having one especially in economies like Nicaragua’s as it provides a better living for more local people as tourism is a major industry especially on Ometepe Island.
Cost of Hiking Concepcion Volcano
The guide cost us $25 USD per person and the entrance fee for the park is $3 USD per person. All in all, it cost us about $57 dollars including the bus ride from Moyogalapa.
When to start Hiking Concepcion Volcano
Due to the fact the hike takes about 10 hours you are going to want to start early in the morning. We started around 6:30 but could have easily started earlier (we were feeling a little lazy this day). The hike up Volcano Concepcion starts on some local farms about 2kms outside of Moyogalapa at La Concha, this is the most common route, there is another route starting from La Sabana about an hours bus ride from Moyogalapa but I would just stick to the normal route unless you’re really really trying to avoid people, but we only saw 3 others.
The bus driver should know where you want to go but just tell the guy collecting the money you are going hiking Concepcion Volcano and he will let you know exactly where you need to be.
After you get off the bus you head down the road/start of the trail you will come to a small wooden hut on your left where there will be a man there waiting to make sure you have a guide, sign you in and take the $3 USD entrance fee for the park, there are also two toilets there and the last two toilets for the next 10 plus hours so if you will need to go you should. After that, you begin the hike through a few local farms where you will see a few cows and horses and a small shop to buy a few drinks. Once you clear these though that’s when the ascent will really start to kick in.
The vegetation will become thicker, the trees and plants greener and the animals and bugs will become far more common. The loud taunts from the howler monkeys will constantly draw your attention from the trail and slow your pace a little.
This initial climb from the farms through the jungle to the first lookout took about 2 hours or maybe slightly longer. Unfortunately, Sara had not been feeling well so we had put the hike off for 2 days but as we were running out of time on the island Sara decided she wanted to push through it and make the climb but she was a little slower than her normal self although just as determined.
Above the trees.
So the lookout is where the tree line ends and the real hiking begins up the steep baron face of dirt and volcanic rock begins. If you are lucky the weather will be clear and you will have an amazing view from here. We missed this on the way up but managed to catch it on the way down!
One thing that is blatantly apparent from the ferry over or almost any point on the island is just how steep Volcano Concepcion is. So the hike should not be underestimated. We were overtaken by an extremely fit looking guy and his guide who we eventually saw coming back down. They had not summited, maybe he was just over it, either way, it should not be taken lightly. From this point on is where you really start to feel it and over the next day or two your legs will feel it as well!
The hike becomes a little more precarious here, as the angle on the volcano is extremely steep and you are going to have to start watching where you put your feet because if you fall I am not exactly sure where you would stop. You should be fine though, people seem to do it all the time without falling.
Physically Sara and I really had no problems with this however we had been climbing steeper mountains in other countries recently like Mexico and Guatemala where we were dealing with up to 5500 plus meters of altitude so the lack of altitude was a complete game-changer for us. However, we were still extremely sore the next day haha so that was obviously some indication that we were not completely ready for it.
Due to Sara’s illness, we were traveling a little slow though and the guide was constantly telling us we may not make it to the top in time, although I knew that there was a zero percent chance that no matter how bad Sara was feeling she would never turn around until she stood on the peak!
Hiking Concepcion Volcano we had pretty bad weather for most of it, there was a bit of rain and A LOT of wind! I am not sure exactly how strong it was but there were times when just standing in the one position was a bit of a struggle, we did push through it though and I am so happy we did because as we were descending the clouds parted and we had those incredible iconic views of the island and the mainland.
The descent.
The descent is steep and if you have had a lot of rain and it is extremely windy which is often the case then you are going to need to take it slow. If you are a little worried about your fitness, knees or just slipping in general a pair of hiking poles will actually change your life, make you more stable and take a lot of pressure off your knees and legs. You should be able to rent these from any local guiding company as an alternative you can try and find a big long stick on the ground before you exit the tree line. Your guide may even have one for you if you ask the guiding company before you go.
Getting to Volcano Concepcion
So getting to Volcano Concepcion is fairly easy once you are on the island of Ometepe. Getting to Ometepe is also fairly easy. All you need to do is get yourself to San Jorge on the mainland a couple of hours south of Managua, then take the ferry for $3 USD to Moyogalapa, once there it is a short 10-minute bus ride to the start of the La Concha trail. Alternatively, you can book a complete package through your hostel, hotel or any tour guiding company on the island that will shuttle you with your guide to the start of the hike. This is probably the easiest option but will end up costing you a little more overall so if you want the cheapest option you can sort everything out fairly easily yourself.
Where to stay on Ometepe.
In Moyogalpa we stayed at Hostel Papagayo the beds were clean and the staff was friendly. If you are after a cheaper option there is also Hostel Casa Mauro which is ranked very highly on hostelworld.
If you’re looking for a bit of a different area not as close to the start of the hike though there is El Zopilote hostel. It is actually an organic permaculture farm with accommodation ranging from camping and hammocks with mosquito nets to dorms and incredibly beautiful private huts tucked into the middle of the rainforest.
What to bring to Hiking Concepcion Volcano
So this is just a guideline and you can obviously bring what ever you want but this list may help.
- Water I would say at least 2 liters per person. I drank 2 liters and would have been happy with more.
- Snacks, just something to keep the energy levels up. This was pretty important coming down as the risk of falling is real and more energy will help you stay focused.
- Hiking shoes or hiking boots. I have had friends do this hike in a pair of chuck
taylors but I would strongly recommend against that as even with good hiking boots I did slip a few times. - Hiking poles or some kind of supportive stick.
- I would suggest a Gortex Shell – I needed it, but depending on the time of year you almost certainly will! I linked Patagonia here because they are a sustainable company with a lifetime warranty on products, so you know the quality must be high and they are also a member of 1% for the planet! Think sustainable guys!
What Camera Gear We Use.
- Digital Camera: Sony A7riii
- Drone: Mavic Pro 2
- Landscape Lens: Sony 16-35mm F2.8
- GoPro: GoPro Hero 7 Black Would upgrade to Hero 8 Black though
- Favorite Lens: Sony 24-70mm F4
- Circular Polarizer: Hoya Digital PRO1
- Power Bank: Anker PowerCore 20100 (A little heavy but amazing especially for multiday adventures)
- Tripod: Vanguard VEO 2 265AB
Afterthoughts.
Just a few afterthoughts on the hike itself.
We had actually hiked Volcano Maderas a few days earlier and while physically it was a little less difficult I actually think it was a more challenging hike due to the fact that there was so much mud and it was just so slippery.
The view from Volcano Concepcion was far more spectacular. While Volcano Maderas was a beautiful hike through the incredible rainforest to a water-filled crater the actual view of the island and surrounding area was far more incredible from Volcano Concepcion.
Do not underestimate this, while it is not an incredibly difficult hike it is extremely steep and will take a certain level of fitness, you will also have extremely sore legs the next day no matter what you do. Ours were not as bad as they might have been but we did warm up a few days earlier with Volcano Maderas.
Overall though this is a very doable hike, although long it is not unmanageable even if you are not the fittest person on the planet. If you have done any hiking in the past you should be able to do this. Just have a chat with someone that has done it and maybe ask them if they think it is a good idea for you.
Tips on how to hike sustainably
So this is something we think about every time we go anywhere and it ranges from things as simple as buying a banana and making a sandwich instead of buying plastic-wrapped products to buying clothing from companies that support sustainable business practices. These are just a couple of practices that can help a little.
Bananas are actually one of the most environmentally friendly things you can buy. They travel well, hold for a long time during transport and they have their own natural packaging.
Here are a few little tips to help you hike more sustainably.
If you travel and hike often one of the things I would suggest investing in is a Water bladder. Osprey makes a nice series of them that range from 1.5 liters to 3 liters. I use one of these every hike unless it is below negative 5(Which it shouldn’t be on Izta) then the water tends to get really cold and or freeze. The benefit for me is that as you drink the packaging gets smaller and you end up with more room in your pack for a jacket or something else you might take off later and you never actually have to take your bag off to get a drink, just hang the straw over your shoulder and drink as you see fit. It is also reusable for a long time. I have been using my current one since 2010. So that’s 9 years of constant use and it looks good for another 10years.
Now if a Camelbak is not your thing, I know some people really don’t like them a reusable non-plastic water bottle is also something that will cut a crazy amount of plastic waste out of your life. Sawyer filtered water bottle is a company making water bottles with built-in filters. The filter also comes with a million-gallon guarantee, meaning it should last your entire life. These are perfect for travel also as you can fill them up from any tap in any country and they will remove 99.99% of bacteria and most of the smells and weird taste of any different water source.
Food, food is almost always wrapped in plastic when you buy it but this has been a surprisingly easy one to get around. It may be a little harder if you are backpacking but we’re traveling in our van so we have a small kitchen. We have started to make everything and package it in reusable containers that we just take on the next hike. Sara has been perfecting making these protein balls that are a mix of oats, peanut butter, cranberries, almonds and whatever else we have lying around. Also fruit! But if you buy fruit do not throw the peel along the track. These things can take forever to break down especially if they are not regional fruits and no one really wants to see someone’s old orange or banana peel lying around on the track.
Clothing is something that is often overlooked as a sustainable product as you just kind of wear things till they are old and then throw them away but there is a range of companies out there these days that are making amazing products built to last. Patagonia is one company I can not push enough. They support so many environmental campaigns, they have a lifetime warranty on everything they sell and they give one percent of all sales back to small grassroots charities. They will also repair any clothes you take into them with minor issues.
