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Somoto Canyon adventure

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Gorge in Somoto canyon

Gorge in Somoto canyon

This must be no man’s land. On the other side of the hill is Honduras. Even a lot of Nicaraguans are scared to come in this border zone, because of the gangs trying to smuggle their drugs across. But here I am, with my personal guide, on my way to one of the natural wonders of at least the country, if not the world.

It’s quite incredible, but Somoto canyon remained undiscovered for centuries. The Nicaraguans didn’t realize they were sitting on a potential tourist goldmine. Yes it was beautiful, but was it really so special?

Visiting photographers

It took a group of visiting photographers from the Czech republic for the gorges along the Honduran-Nicaraguan border to become famous. Their pictures gained interest from tourists. So it was only about fifteen years ago when locals started organizing tours in Somoto canyon.
Mr Henry almost has the monopoly nowadays. Not that the tall, sympathetic, moustached Nicaraguan is getting rich. The riots of the summer of 2018 killed 90% of the tourism industry. Which gives me the luxury of having a personal guide today, Eduardo, as no one else booked the trip.

Hard to earn money

Eduardo is a hero. He keeps on talking in Spanish for three to four hours, although I hardly understand a word of it. Being a guide is his financial lifeline, his sole income for his family. On the way to the rear entrance of the canyon we pay a quick visit to the shed of his wife and kid. Without tours, and the tips that come with it, there is hardly any way to earn money here.
As we enter the meadows, and encounter the first donkeys of donkey valley, it’s hard not to notice the silence. There is one small road leading into Honduras, with a border crossing where you have to wake up the guard probably if you want to pass. Not a soul is living here, not a soul is travelling here.
The scenery is almost desert-dry, in this dry season. It’s also the only part of the year where you can enter Somoto canyon, explains Eduardo, as we are looking across a sea of thousands of stranded stones. They are the leftovers of the wild streams that make the water levels of the river rise several metres during rain season, from April to September or October.

Last dry part

This graveyard of stones is actually the last dry part of the afternoon. Beforehand I had actually considered doing this one without a guide, as Dutch guys like to save money. But it becomes increasingly clear that’s actually a mission impossible.
Sure enough, it starts quite innocent. The water gently meanders through the stones, never really picking up any pace. But when the word ‘canyon’ came up I was actually thinking of dry riverbeds, where you could actually walk through the entire gorge. As I had done in the incredible Petra in Jordan, for example.
Not so in Somoto. Eduardo gently leads me across the first sets of stones. Slowly we have to dip our feet and shoes into the water. Until there is no alternative anymore: He takes my camera, shoves me to the edge of the rock and takes the picture-of-proof during my first not-so-gracious dive into the water a couple of metres further down.

Walls of rock

This is a sensation I hadn’t expected, to go all the way into the water. But yes, there is no other way, as the walls of rock on either side come ever closer together and leave no room to walk around the water anymore, and the height difference leaves no other option but to jump.
This is actually the start of a surreal hour. One dive obviously isn’t enough to get through this gorge, that is several hundred metres long and opens up and narrows down repetitiously. On occasions one can walk, but mostly one is slowly swimming with his life vest between ever-higher mountains of rock on either side. A couple of other groups of tourists – the ones that booked the slightly longer all-day tour – cross our path. And are encouraging eachother to jump from a variety of heights along the way.

Oasis of peace

You wonder how it must have been for the Czech adventurers two decades ago. Walking and swimming in this volatile area, an oasis of peace amidst two countries with lots of internal conflicts.
There is one final jump, at least for me, into a wonderful cat’s eye of a lagoon. Three brave (or naive?) Canadians take another jump from even higher, but as that one is not necessary to make it down the river I gladly ignore that opportunity. Hundred metres further down there are a couple of boats waiting for us, to speed up the last part of taking us out of the gorge.

Border with Honduras

The rock walls slowly recede. On the right side there is even a small settlement, in what must be one of the best remote places to live in this part of Nicaragua. On the left side, the hills are becoming less steep and more green. Hard to imagine, but at the top is the border with Honduras.
As the river is getting more and more shallow, we leave the boat and Eduardo leads the way into a lush valley. We occasionally stop to take pictures, enjoy the sun and dry our clothes. Cows occasionally cross our path. Or more the other way round, as these lazy creatures have draped themselves graciously in the middle of the main path.
It takes us another thirty minutes to slowly walk up, into another settlement. We pass the tourist centre, a rare toilet and then make it back to Mr Henry. His wife has prepared a hearty meal, as the few locals are having a beer and are enjoying apparently lively discussions.

Sleeping in no man’s land

You wonder how it would be to stay here overnight. At 7pm it already becomes dark in these region, and the border apparently closes at night. Sleeping in no man’s land…. that would be quite something. But instead the last bus takes me back to Somoto village, back into the normal inhabited world, as if I hadn’t visitied one of the most beautiful places in Nicaragua on the same afternoon.

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