Ahmed Khan
Google
Let's start with prices. It cost us $24 USD pp to get a ride up and down and entrance fee. We had to ride in the back of a truck both ways which makes for a bumpy and interesting ride - hold on tight or you will squish someone else. We also had to wait FORTY minutes for the car to fill up which was not great.
The walk up is cheaper but it's STEEP and long. It was difficult and I don't recommend it unless you're on a super tight budget. Then it cost $20 for an English speaking guide (for the group) to do the El Tigrillo trail. El Tigrillo and El Puma require a guide, the crater trail does not. So total, we paid nearly $70 for two people. Expensive for Nicaragua, especially for such a short walk.
Unfortunately on the day we went, it was super cloudy. We heard that going later in the day (afternoon) makes it a better chance for it to be clear. Or look and see if there are clouds in the morning and don't go if they are. The clouds meant 0 views for us. Most tours do take you early in the morning so be warned!
El Tigrillo estimated time was 2-2.5 hours but we did it in about 1. It was moderately easy, mostly flat or down steps except for one part where there was an endless amount of steps up. If you are in decent shape, you can do this entire trail in 1-1.5 hours.
We also went on a windy day so there were no animals :( so no views and no animals :( Since we were in the clouds, we were glad we brought jackets since it was nippy at first.
On the plus side, our guide was nice and pointed out interesting plants along the way.
The forest was still very beautiful when cloudy. The trails that we went on were well maintained and easy to walk on. Amazing to be able to walk through a cloud forest!
