Masaya volcano is located 20 kilometers south of Managua and is Nicaragua’s first and largest National Park. The volcano continually emits large amounts of sulfur dioxide gas. Over the last 50 years, it has been permanently active and there have been a number of discrete explosive events, including the one in 2001. This explosion caused rocks with diameters up to 60 cm (almost 24 inches) to travel up to 500 m (1640 feet) from the crater, which damaged several vehicles in the area and injured one person. For this reason, there are signs to park with your car facing forward so you can exit quickly in case of emergency! A guided tour of the volcano will provide an interesting story about the volcano’s history. In 1529, the Spaniards erected a giant cross at the summit to exorcise the devil because they believed the crater was the entrance to hell. At night, you can actually look down in the center of the crater and see the lava!