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Granada: Laguna de Apoyo

Granada's Laguna de Apoyo(lake) makes up 48-square-kilometer body of water trapped inside the crater of the Apoyo Volcano. It’s considered Nicaragua’s cleanest, bluest, and deepest swimming hole. The deepest measured point (200 meters) is the lowest point in all of Central America.

Its shores are easily accessible, with a small number of tourist facilities (and luxurious private homes) by the water’s edge. The volcano still has some underwater thermal vents and experiences the occasional seismic tremor, but for the most part, it’s considered dormant and its walls are thickly vegetated with green forest and a chaotic network of trails, most of which exists as a protected nature reserve.

The 2000 earthquake originated under the town of and caused the water of the lake to slosh from side to side, starting a rumor that it was boiling. There are several fish species endemic to the lake. Scientists at the Proyecto Ecologico are at work describing some of the remaining “undiscovered” species here and offer scuba tours to view their subjects.

Hiking in the forests of the crater walls, you can observe species of toucans, hummingbirds, blue jays, howler and white-face monkeys, and rare butterflies.