No 6. Pico Mogotón 2,105m, Nicaragua.

Updated: Jun 23, 2022

17.12.2011 - Pico Mogoton 2,105m Nicaragua (UN Country High Point). The mined mountain.

Information

Mogotón is a mountain in the Reserva Nacional Cordillera Dipilto y Jalapa on the border of Nicaragua and Honduras. It rises 6,841 feet (2,085 m) above sea level and is the highest point in Nicaragua. Mogoton was mined by sandinistas in the 80s, since then anyone who wanted to climb it. A lot of histories about animals and many people getting several injuries and killed by the old mines.

Summary

The prime aim of our Nicaragua trip was to hike Pico Mogotón at 2,105m the highest peak in the country on the border with Honduras. I had been in touch with our guide Roberto Carlos Castellanos* by email who said he was the only guide on the mountain and that he had a safe route to the top obviously avoiding all the minefields. He still had all his arms and legs so I guessed his route was pretty much okay so we would take the chance for the $120 fee.

We caught a bus from Managua to Ocotal where we met Roberto in the evening at the Hotel Frontera. The next day we got an early 5am start and drove two hours with Roberto and his girlfriend to Los Brisas and then onwards towards the Honduras border. We got hiking at about 7am and were soon getting soaked walking and scrambling up a slippery rocky river bed. The rocks were rather ‘large’ in places and downed trees had to be surmounted as well and this went on for about two hours. At some point we hung a right and started going uphill along steep slippery muddy paths and Roberto was hacking the way with his machete in the front. We were filthy by this point but after several more hours of this we started to see yellow mine warning tape bordering the path and shortly after we got to a heavily vegetated clearing where lo and behold there was a trig pointed summit complete with its own mine warning tape. Everybody was replete with smiles though as it had been hard work but fun, it reminded me somewhat of my military days hacking through the jungle in Belize.

Anyway we took the obligatory pictures (no views) had a bit of a feast on top of the mountain and set off back down the mountain. We weren’t looking forward to going back the same way so after a discussion Roberto took us down another way which was much much easier (see gpx track - why we didn’t come up this way god only knows and is one of the mountain mysteries of my life??). It was a much easier path on the way down but we did pass a lot of mine warning tape. Anyway the walk down was about three hours and it was a much nicer route! All in all it was a top day and we did have a lot of fun with Roberto.

NOTE: At the time we went (2011) the summit was surrounded by mines and a mine clearing area was evident on the summit and there had been several fatalities in the previous few years. I have been informed since 2011 the decent route is now the normal route and is much improved.

*Roberto Castellanos +505 653-36666 (mobile) +505 732-0317 (home) email. castellanos.robert@yahoo.com

Parking: N/A

Route: A hard river scramble and jungle hacking foray up steep hills (ascent) Moderate footpaths through mine taped area (decent). No views to write home about.

Route Statistics: 9kms with 765m of ascent done in eight hours.

Ascent Entry on Peakbagger: Pico Mogoton

GPX files: For gpx files click on the below.