Beautiful crater lake nearby Granada

Laguna Apoyo

The Laguna Apoyo has a surface of 2,110 hectares. It is 100 meters deep and the shore of the lagoon is 75 meters above sea level. The water is the most crystal-clear of all fresh water bodies in Nicaragua and possibly in Central America, making for a very popular tourist destination although there are some problems.. The Bearded Monkey is a backpacker hostel in Granada; they operate a small resort hut on Laguna Apoyo, called the Monkey Hut.

We took the Bearded Monkey trip to the Monkey Hut. The truck goes up at 10:30am on Mon, Wed, and Friday. On the day we went, there was a full load – we rode in the pickup cab with the driver – the 9 young backpackers rode in the back. Took half an hour, and the road was very good until the last 10 minutes climbing the rim of the crater – there it was paved, but full of big potholes. We settled in at a table after taking a 30 minute walk up the road along the rim. Had our picnic lunch that we’d brought along, and relaxed. Lois took a jaunt in a kayak. Then a little squall blew up with some rain, so we retreated to the house. Sat in rockers and read. A little later, Don took an inner tube down and floated a bit, until a kayak came in, then Don took a kayak tour. The pickup (Tobias driving) left for Granada right on time at 5pm.

• View of the Laguna from the Monkey Hut View of the Laguna from the Monkey Hut
• View of the Monkey Hut from the dock View of the Monkey Hut from the dock
• Monkey Hut dock on the Laguna Monkey Hut dock on the Laguna
• Monkey Hut gardens Monkey Hut gardens
• Laguna Apoyo and Monkey Hut gardens Laguna Apoyo and Monkey Hut gardens
• Lois trying out the open-top kayaks Lois trying out the open-top kayaks
• Frolicking on Laguna Apoyo Frolicking on Laguna Apoyo
• Too old to frolic Too old to frolic
• Not too old to kayak, though Not too old to kayak, though
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Catarina is a little town on the rim of the crater that forms Laguna Apoyo. There is a famous "mirador" (Lookout Point) at the edge of the rim, with plenty of tourists and the stuff that comes along with tourists. On a clear day you can see across Laguna Apoyo to Granada and beyond to Lake Cocibolca, and sometimes to the mountains beyond. Catarina is also famous for its nurseries - plants grow beautifully there. We've visited a couple of times, once with Molly (a friend who's staying at Lilly's place in Granada -- a neighbor). We stopped to visit a home being built on a lot overlooking the Laguna.

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• Molly Molly
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