The circle of water
A full view from the rim.
BluesyPete — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada — CC BY-SA 2.0 · BluesyPete — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Guillaume Baviere from Uppsala, Sweden — CC BY-SA 2.0 · BluesyPete — CC BY-SA 3.0
Apoyo Lagoon is a round volcanic lake filling the caldera of an extinct volcano, between the cities of Masaya and Granada. It is 6.6 km across and 175 metres deep, ringed by green walls of tropical dry forest, and its calm blue water makes it one of the best places to rest near Granada. Geological data suggest it formed about 23,000 years ago. It was declared a nature reserve in 1991, and a 2010 management plan bans new housing in the reserve and motor boats on the lake. No river flows out, and groundwater plays the major part in its balance, with local experts reporting a drop in its level in recent decades. From the caldera rim you see the whole circle of water, and on clear days Lake Nicaragua and Mombacho beyond. A road drops to the shore, where small hotels sit among dense trees. The reserve holds over 500 plant species and many orchids, with howler and white-faced monkeys and green iguanas. The lake is 7.9 km in a straight line west of Granada and 9.2 km south-east of Masaya. Much of the access to the water is through hotels that may charge a fee, so ask about that. It gets deep quickly, so do not swim alone, and bring water shoes. Do not use products harmful to the lake or feed the monkeys. It pairs well with Masaya in one day.
A full view from the rim.
Monkeys, orchids and iguanas.
No motor boats on the water.
Apoyo Lagoon Nature Reserve, between Masaya and Granada
Yes, but it gets deep quickly, so do not swim alone.
Yes, it is very close, and it pairs with Masaya.