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Mark Moxon's Travel Writing

Nicaragua: Cañón de Somoto

Mark and Peta posing about halfway through the canyon trek
Posing about halfway through the canyon trek

When you travel through Central America, you notice certain themes recurring. Perhaps if I list what we've visited on our trip so far, you'll see what I mean: so far it's been beach, diving, Mayan ruin, colonial town, Mayan ruin, colonial town, cave diving, diving, beach, diving, diving, Mayan ruin, cave, Mayan ruin, colonial town, Mayan ruin, waterfall, lake, colonial town, lake, volcano, beach, capital city, colonial town, volcano, colonial town, colonial town, lake, ex-war zone, beach, beach, colonial town and volcano. Or, to reduce that to a list of unique experiences, in almost exactly three months of travel, we've visited just ten types of location, as follows:

You can perhaps understand, then, why it's a thrill to come across something that isn't a colonial town, or a beach, or a Mayan ruin, or any of the other types of attraction that we've been enjoying in Central America. Welcome to Cañon de Somoto (Somoto Canyon), which according to the guidebooks is an 'unmissable experience', but even more importantly, is not on the list above.

Enjoy the Silence

You have to swim for a lot of the canyon trek
You have to swim for a lot of the canyon trek

'Unmissable' is perhaps a generous billing, but the 4km trek through Cañon de Somoto is certainly a fun way to spend the day. Most people arrange their trip in Estelí, as Somoto town is pretty small, so the day starts with a couple of hours crammed on the chicken bus to Somoto, followed by another chicken bus journey to the canyon itself (which is just off the Pan-American Highway). We were met off the first bus by a tall local called Henry, whose family runs the most recommended guide company in the canyon area, and he took us to his family home just next door to the park entrance, where I swapped my hiking boots for a pair of Henry's wet shoes (Peta already has a pair of water-friendly trainers) and put on a life jacket. And so our group of some 16 tourists set off west along the main road on foot, carrying nothing other than cameras, water bottles and a sense of anticipation.

The guide about to jump 20m off a cliff into the River Coco
The guide about to jump 20m off a cliff into the River Coco
The eastern entrance to the canyon
The eastern entrance to the canyon
The boats that take you out of the eastern end of the canyon
The boats that take you out of the eastern end of the canyon

Walking Back

Fording the River Coco on the way back to the highway
Fording the River Coco on the way back to the highway

The journey continues with more floating, more rock scrambling, and at one point an obligatory jump from the side of a waterfall into the deep water below; you can choose the height of your jump, from 1m up to 8m – Peta went for 4m, while 5m was enough for me – and after that thrill there's an optional 10m jump (which Peta and I both declined). Meanwhile, the guides show off by jumping from a 20m-high ledge into the deep water, a height that is now forbidden to tourists after a German visitor, acting alone and without a guide, broke his back after misjudging the 20m jump. One of our group misjudged the 10m jump and ended up with a backside the colour of sunset, though at least his back was intact.

On the left is a <i>Plumeria</i> tree (also known as frangipani), which is the national tree of Nicaragua
On the left is a Plumeria tree (also known as frangipani), which is the national tree of Nicaragua
Looking back at the River Coco
Looking back at the River Coco