Explore Nicaragua's Masaya National Park

image credit: Aaron Escobar cc
Located just an hour from Granada by car and about 12 miles (20 kilometers) from Managua, Masaya National Park is Nicaragua's largest and first national park and home to the shield volcano Masaya, or 'La Boca del Infierno' (Mouth of Hell), which the Spaniards named the active volcano after planting a cross on the crater lip during the 16th century in order to exorcise the devil.
The Masaya Volcano National Park includes two volcanoes and five craters. The volcanic complex is made up of a nested set of calderas and craters. Both volcanoes have erupted several times throughout history, causing the local indigenous people and the Spanish conquerors to fear the volcanoes' wrath.