The near-perfect cone of Momotombo (1,297 m) rises just east of La Paz Centro and is the volcano most pictures of Nicaragua tend to feature. Approaches to the summit are restricted — it last erupted in 2015 — but the view of the cone from the road back to Managua is one of the great Central American panoramas, especially in the early morning when the lake mist clears off Lake Managua at its base.
A geothermal power station on the lower flank generates a significant share of Nicaragua's electricity. The 16th-century Spanish town of León Viejo at its foot was buried by an eruption in 1610 and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, accessible by a short detour off the highway.