Maderas

Be warned this is a fun hike up but no real viewpoint. Down is long, muddy and gruelling. Took us 8 hours overall and we are fit sporty ppl. I swam in lake at top but wouldn’t recommend, I got an ear and throat infection which has lasted a couple weeks :(

Summary starting from Finca Magdalena -Easy to do without a guide although some people will tell you otherwise. It’s straight up the trail. Suggest having a map as there are a few other trails that cross the path(we had maps.me) - About $3USD entry per person paid at the finca. - 5 hours round trip for reasonably fit hikers (including stops) - Slippery on the way down so slow going but easy enough in shoes with a bit of grip, suggestion to take a walking stick/branch on the way down. - Recommend not starting too early as there is often cloud cover on the mountain until about 11-12.

Hiking Volcano Maderas was a real challenge due to how slippery and muddy the trail was—it’s definitely not a hike for running shoes. Some parts, especially near the lake, were quite tricky, requiring a lot of climbing up and down. We started the hike from El Porvenir Albergue Ecológico and finished at Hostel Finca Magdalena, which is said to be the best and cheapest place to find a guide. The entire hike took us nearly 10 hours. Unfortunately, the lake was covered in mist, so we couldn’t see much. Walking back was tough as my legs were tired, and my shoes weren’t ideal, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the trip. The cloud forest was stunning and absolutely worth visiting!

It's a moderate hike. After 1:45 hours you reach the first viewpoint which I liked the most. While hiking you can see and hear howler monkeys. It's slippery and muddy which make the way down also a bit difficult

Some quick tips when doing this hike: - We started from Finca Magdalena - The conditions of the trail depend heavily on the season. We did it in August and while the first half was easily doable, the second half (after the viewpoint) was extremely muddy. - It's doable without a guide, although the paths at the crater are rather unmarked. For us, it was very foggy, and we could not properly see which way led to the crater. - The hike may take depending on your fitness level 5-12h return (with 5 being very secure on foot and a very fast and a strong hiker) - In the season when we went up, the best choice would have been to just go to the viewpoint and then return. All the best parts except the crater were until this point

The Volcán Maderas is a 1300 meter high volcano with a climb that starts at 100 meters high. You must take a guide because the trail is very complex and not marked at all. It cost us $10 per person in a group of 9 people. It is highly recommended to do the trip with closed shoes, there were some who did with sandals, but it is not recommended. The route is very slippery terrain with very narrow areas, the trip is a very difficult trip, 6 km each way and took 5 hours of walking each way. At the end you get to a lookout above the small water reservoir, you can continue to go down with a more difficult walk for another half hour and get right to a pool of water, but the ground is very muddy and you can't enter the water! There is one beautiful observation point about an hour and a half from the beginning which I think is enough for the trip.

Be prepared to suffer even if you are in a good shape. It took us around 7h to go and back, but that is not really why I gave 1 star. We didn't find it really interesting, you see some monkeys and if you are lucky a good view in the middle of the hikking of the volcano concepción, but not much for all the effort it takes to reach the summit or the crater. Entrance fee is 100 cordobas and definitely you shouldn't need a guide, we did it without a guide without a problem.

Very cool hike, but very sweaty. Mentally prepare yourself to not see anything at the top, you can see something in the middle. Going down is hell for your knees :) Do not recommend doing it alone, hire a guide.