Looking for an adrenaline rush? Slide down the side of an active volcano at up to 60 miles per hour during your stay in Nicaragua.
Volcano boarding on Cerro Negro, Nicaragua. Garrett Ziegler. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Bigfoot Hostel in Leon, Nicaragua is one of the only places in the world where you can go volcano boarding. According to their website, volcano boarding is the “thrill of a lifetime.” The hostel’s original owner, Daryn Webb, created the extreme sport, where those brave enough to try it can speed up to 60 miles per hour down the side of an active volcano.
Webb and his crew tested various objects for sliding down the volcano, and after some trial and error, they created a sit-down toboggan made of metal and plywood. The hostel offers daily tours beginning at 9 a.m., with prices at $25 per person. Tours return at 3 p.m.
The Cerro Negro volcano is the youngest volcano in Central America, and is also one of the most active volcanoes in Nicaragua, erupting nearly every 20 years.
Bigfoot Hostel has sent over 20,000 people down Cerro Negro slope at up to 62 miles per hour, and it is known for attracting many sports enthusiats and adrenaline junkies. One of the most famous people to attempt the extreme sport was Eric Barone, who rode down the volcano on a bike at 107 miles per hour in 2002.
Volcano boarding on Cerro Negro. Garrett Ziegler. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
It is possible to slide down the Cerro Negro because the volcano is made of small grain-like volcanic rocks, which came from the crater. In addition, there is almost always a very strong wind hitting the volcano, so it’s the perfect surface for boarding.
Those who have visited before say that they could feel the heat radiating from the volcano and could even cook their meals in a hole dug out in the volcano.
All visitors must wear closed toe shoes and comfortable clothing. Those who have boarded down the volcano before recommend wearing hiking boots (since it takes about 45 minutes to reach the summit) and a multipurpose head wrap to cover your nose and mouth while boarding. Also, take a large water bottle and a GoPro if you want to record the experience.
The hostel offers dorm-style rooms, with rooms with fans at $6 and rooms with air conditioning at $10. There are also private rooms with double, triple, or quadruple beds.
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Isabelle Durso
Isabelle is an undergraduate student at Boston University currently on campus in Boston. She is double majoring in Journalism and Film & Television, and she is interested in being a travel writer and writing human-interest stories around the world. Isabelle loves to explore and experience new cultures, and she hopes to share other people's stories through her writing. In the future, she intends to keep writing journalistic articles as well as creative screenplays.