Lakes of lava at the Gates of Hell in Nicaragua video
JILL WORRALL
Last updated 05:00, May 8 2017
The Spanish conquerors of Central America called it La Boca del Infierno (the Gates of Hell) and, after standing briefly above its gaseous portal, I can see why.
What is less expected is to be standing on the lip of an incandescent lava chamber an easy bus ride only 10km from a capital city.
The Masaya volcano, close to Nicaragua's capital city of Managua, is one of only about six such continuously active lava lakes in the world and, compared to the likes of those in Antarctica and the Democratic Republic of Congo, is one of the more accessible.
Driving through the tumble of jagged, blackened lava field from Masaya's last major lava flows in 1772, brought out the latent geomorphology geek in me. My head buzzed with words like calderas, shield volcanoes, pyroclastic flows and ignimbrites.
More:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/themes/adventure/92206211/.html