Imagine a giant volcano imploding on itself and then filling with water and you have the general history of the Laguna De Apoyo. This was what happened 20,000 years ago.
This is what is said to have happened over 20,000 years ago that created the Laguna De Apoyo. When the cone of the volcano imploded it created a huge crater and over time filled with both rain and subterranean water. It is also referred to as the Apoyo Lagoon or Apoyo Crater.
Nicaragua has a chain of Volcanos that run through it from North to South. Laguna De Apoyo is located between Mombacho Volcano, which is to the south, and Masaya Volcano to the North. You can see the tip of Mombacho from the shores of the lagoon and it usually will have some clouds swirling about the top of it.
Laguna de Apoyo view from the private beach of Paradiso Hostel in Nicaragua.
When you visit you can almost picture the volcano imploding as the walls of the entire crater are relatively steep and lush with huge body of water in the middle. The deepest measured point is 200 meters, which makes it the lowest point in Central America. Despite this the water is thermally vented and remains a nice temperature all year round. It is also one of the cleanest bodies of water, if not the cleanest, and has a huge potential for recreation and ecotourism. As of now the impact on tourism and development has not drastically impacted the overall health of the Laguna from an environmental standpoint and we urge you to tread lightly and help preserve this natural resource both for others and for the Nicaraguans who call it home.