Still felling jet lagged, I woke up at 5:20, but I didn’t use the time productively. It wasn’t until 8 that I finally got out of the hotel. The first stop was Zumo Coffeehouse for a flat white. After drinking the coffee, I made my way back to the waterfront and down to Clyde Quay to shoot some photos.

After a little walk, we checked out of the hotel and made our way to the meeting point for the food tour we were taking. We informed our guide that we had to leave a little early and she said no problem. The first stop on the food tour was the Mojo coffee roaster. I got my second coffee of the day while learning about their roasting process.

The next stop on the tour was gelatissimo; a gelato shop on the waterfront. A little early for ice cream but it was so delicious I did not complain. After eating the ice cream, we head to a grocery specializing in local goods for a cheese plate. It was pretty tasty.

The final stop on the tour was a chocolate factory. This part of the tour was a little rushed as we had to leave to catch our ferry, but the guide was very accommodating. We called an Uber, went back to the hotel to pick up our bags and then got dropped at the ferry terminal.

The ferry ride was stunning. Once out of Wellington, the skies cleared up and it was a beautiful day. Though sunny, the winds in the strait did force us inside for 45 minutes, but it was really hot when we went back out in the fjords. After 3.5 hours, we landed in Picton. Disembarking was a little disorganized. We had to take a bus to pick up our bags and then get back on the bus to go back to the ferry terminal to pick up the rental car.

After getting the car, we began our driving on the left hand side! Dennis drove the two hours to Nelson. We got in just in time for golden hour. We dropped our stuff at the Airbnb and walked into town for our reservation at Hopgoods. Dinner was phenomenal. We ate beef tartare, lamb and pork belly. All cooked perfectly. After dinner we walked around the town and then walked back so we could get up early for our kayaking trip.

After a 12+ hour flight, I finally touched down in New Zealand! I was excited and happy, but my journey wasn’t over yet. After making my way through customs, I had to catch a connecting flight to Wellington. Auckland has an odd airport layout, so catching the connection required a 10 minute run through the rain. I made it through security with plenary of time, however, since my flight got delayed an hour and a half ?

After about 50 minutes in air, I landed in Wellington, and hopped in an Uber to my hotel: the QT Museum. After dropping some bags, I headed off to find some coffee. My walk led me to Fidel’s on Cuba Street. We got a latte and a smoothie and then walked up Cuba Street to the waterfront.

Wellington is such a cute little city with many shops and restaurants. It’s excellent for walking and has a really interesting mix of architecture. It really feels like a very liveable city.

We walked along the waterfront back to the hotel, where we moved our bags into our room. Next stop was the museum across the street: the Te Papa Museum. It is a huge museum with very in depth information about everything from the history of the Maori to the ancient fauna of New Zealand. There was a special exhibit about New Zealanders in World War I with these huge lifelike sculptures. Awesomely, the museum is free! (Donation optional)

After the museum, it was time for dinner. I had heard of a restaurant called Monsoon Poon before arriving and I wanted to check it out. It’s a South and South East Asian Restaurant with Excellent cocktails. We had a lovely meal, and then made our way to the grocery. We stocked up on some camping food. The grocery also had Gomtang instant ramen, amazingly! Then we headed back to the hotel where I immediately hit the bed and fell asleep ?

Nicaragua is dotted with 19 active volcanoes, many of them still spewing molten earth. It was, however, one of the extinct volcanoes that drew me out of bed my first morning in the country. Of all the activities on my Nicaraguan itinerary, the one I absolutely knew I wanted to do was visit the Laguna de Apoyo. I had heard from many sources that it was the highlight of many travelers. I wanted the chance to swim in the sapphire waters myself while I was there.

After a quick breakfast and a SIM card debacle, we were ready to make our way out to the Reserve that contains the lake. Unfortunately, we missed the shuttle that transports people, so we had to opt for a taxi. The taxi cost $20. We were bummed to spend so much of our cash so early into the trip. If we had went with more people, the taxi would have been a good deal. The ride from Granada took about 20 minutes, half on highway and half on steep, unpaved road.

At the recommendation of our hotel, we made our destination the Paradiso Hostel, but there are dozens of hotels along the lake and pretty much all of them offer some sort of day pass. The day pass at Paradiso Hostel costs $7 and includes use of all the grounds, the kayaks and complementary coffee all day! Upon check-in, I immediately made my way down to the beach, stripped to my bikini and jumped into the lake. It felt to refreshing.

I had heard that the water at Laguna de Apoyo was very warm.  It was comfortable to swim in, but it was not bath water the way I was expecting. After diving in, I immediately noticed that the water tasted sulphuric, which made sense. The lake is housed in a volcanic crater. Despite not being the temperature of bath water, the lake is still very comfortable considering how deep it is. The bottom of Laguna de Apoyo is the lowest spot in all of Central America. The water maintains its 25 degrees celsius with hot fumaroles. The beach next to Hostel Paradiso was comfortable to swim in, but there are some parts of the lake that are actually boiling!

I spent a long time just floating out in the water. It was so serene to just tread while looking back at the shore.  Eventually, I noticed my fingers had long since pruned, so I headed back to the beach. Hostel Paradiso had a bar right on the beach. After drying off, I grabbed a seat and ordered some fries and a smoothie. The food was inexpensive and pretty tasty.  After finishing my meal and digesting a little, I spent some time wandering and shooting the grounds.

The Hostel Paradiso is, as the name suggests, a paradise. Hotels and resorts dot the shore of Laguna de Apoyo. But Hostel Paradiso’s location tucked in a small cove makes it feel remote. The hostel offers yoga, massage and Spanish lessons. There is a patio on the same level as the reception with an unbeatable view of the lake sprawling out below. This is where you can treat yourself to the hotel’s coffee. Honestly, if I had known how amazing and enjoyable my time at Hostel Paradiso was going to be, I think I would have stayed overnight. People treat Laguna de Apoyo as a day trip. I would, however, recommend all visitors spend a night.

Sweating from exploring the grounds in the hot Nicaraguan sun, I returned to the beach for my second dip in the lake. This swim was even more idyllic than the morning one.  As I made my way into the water, clouds had started rolling in. The beach was covered in shadow, but about 100 ft out in the lake, the sun’s rays were peeking through. Just floating in the mineral-rich water soaking in the last few drops of sunshine of the day was one of my highlights from all of Nicaragua.

When I finished my swim, clouds had completely shrouded the sky.  It was time to return to Granada. Hostel Paradiso offers a shuttle service to Granada, but the day we were visiting, the bus was broken, so Hostel Paradiso was organizing taxis for groups of four. While waiting for our taxi, the skies opened. The next thing I knew I was running through the rain for cover. While the weather is nobody’s fault, the hotel offered us our choice of free bottled beverages. We grabbed some waters and got in the cab back to Granada. It had been a perfect day.

When I was a little girl, I would spend hours looking at maps of the world.  I would trace roads and rivers and look for features that stuck out. There is a giant lake in the middle of Nicaragua that spurred my interest in the Central American country.  It was not so much the size of the lake that fascinated me; I grew up just blocks away from an even larger lake.  Instead, it was a uniquely shaped island within the lake that captured my attention for hours.  I have always had a desire to travel to Nicaragua, but more than that – I have always had a desire to travel to the Isla de Ometepe.

Background

The Isla de Ometepe is formed by two volcanos rising out of Lago Cocibolca – Concepcion and Maderas.  The word Ometepe comes from the Nahuatl words ome and tepetl which translates basically to two mountains. The two volcanos joined by an isthmus give the island its unique hourglass shape.

The island is home to approximately 40,000 people who primarily make their living from agriculture and tourism. An additional 60,000 people visit the island every year – most of whom come for eco-tourism. Spanish is the primary language of the island, but travelers with knowledge of English should have very little difficulty on the island.

How to get there

There is technically an airport on the island, but most likely you will arrive on the Isla de Ometepe by ferry. The ferry leaves from San Jorge about a dozen times every day and arrives at either Moyogalpa or San Jose. The vast majority of ferries arrive at Moyogalpa. The ride takes about an hour. Most of the boats are modern ferries, but a few are Lanchas. The Lanchas look a little scary but are perfectly safe – despite the fact that the crew locks the passengers below deck!

At the time of writing this, tickets for the ferries cost 55 cordobas and tickets for lanchas cost 35 córdobas (30 córdobas = 1 Dollar). Most guides and suggestions say that you will be fine buying your tickets just before the ferry leaves, and I think that generally this is true.  However, when we were buying tickets, we were told that everything except the last Lancha was sold-out. If you are planning to visit Isla de Ometepe in the busy season, consider pre-booking a ticket. You can check the schedule here!

Where to stay

Moyogalpa

I did not stay in Moyogalpa or spend any time there.  It is the largest city on the island, but is pretty far from most of the things someone would want to do (with the exception of climbing Concepcion).  I think it is a good idea to get out of Moyogalpa as quickly as you can with a few exceptions: you are arriving on a late ferry and don’t want to travel to you destination so late, you are taking an early ferry and you want to be close to the ferry terminal the next morning, you are planning to climb concepcion the next day.  If none of these conditions apply, I would move on.

Santo Domingo

This was my original destination of choice on the island, however, by the time I got around to planning my trip, I was unable to find accommodations in this town. In hindsight, I have learned that it is possible to make last minute accommodations, YMMV. The reason to choose Santo Domingo is because of the proximity to the beach on the island.  There are multiple beaches, but certainly the best and widest one is Santo Domingo.  When I was visiting Isla de Ometepe, the beach was very small due to a particularly wet rainy season, so it would not have been worthwhile to stay the whole time in this part of the island anyway.  I spent almost a whole day exploring this part of the island, and it was lovely.

Balgue

Balgue is possibly the most touristy part of the island. Once you reach town, you immediately feel like you are in North America or Europe – especially when you see the prices.  The most expensive meal I ate in Nicaragua, I ate in Balgue. But, it is a popular spot on the island for a reason.  There are a plethora of places to eat and stylish restaurants or yoga spaces. Also, you are in close proximity to Finca de Magdalena – a farm that offers lodging and miles of trails to explore!

Merida

If Isla de Ometepe is an off-the-grid destination in an off-the-grid country, Merida is off-the-grid in a whole different league!  The paved road on the island ends at Santa Cruz (just past Santo Domingo), so to continue on to Merida requires about 45 minutes on a dirt-road (and to call it a dirt-road is generous).  Despite the difficulty in getting to Merida, I would say it is the best place to stay on the island, if only for the incredible sunsets!

La Omaja – If you are looking for a resort-type accommodation, this is absolutely the place to stay on the island. I did not stay here, but I went for sunset drinks and dinner. The view is unbelievable, especially during sunset. There is an infinity pool overlooking both the lake and Concepcion.  The staff were exceptional, friendly and accommodating. We went for dinner, on our last night on the island and it was truly spectacular! The dinner was not as inexpensive as most in Nicaragua, but it was ver tasty and less expensive than our meal in Balgue for more food. Taking into consideration that we were not charged a resort fee, it really became an excellent deal!  Even if you choose not to stay here, I would highly recommend stopping by for dinner.

Punta de Guavas – If you prefer renting a house to yourself, then this is the best choice on the Isla de Ometepe hands down. This is an AirBnb and not a hotel, but this is where I stayed on the island and I cannot recommend it enough! Cindi (the host) really goes out of her way to make sure her guests are happy. Cindi is very attentive; she will help organize any activity or give great recommendations.  She also leaves two bikes in the property for guests to use. The house is right on the lake and is large enough for groups. Of all the places to watch the sunset, the backyard of this house is probably the single best place on the island.

What to eat

Nicaragua is not the country you go to if you are into gastronomic tourism, and Isla de Ometepe is no exception. With that said, there is some really tasty, fresh food on the island.  I already recommended La Omaja above, and I will add Restaurante Loana which is also in Merida.  Both of the meals I had at these two places were excellent.  As a bonus, they both accepted credit card.  For breakfast and lunch, I really enjoyed just popping into the Comedors and having smoothies. As I mentioned above, the most expensive meal I ate in Nicaragua was in Balgue.  The place was called El Bamboo.  The food and ambiance are really nice, but it was quite pricey!

What to do

The obvious thing to do on Isla de Ometepe is climb a volcano. There are two to choose from.  Concepcion is the active, pointy volcano.  It is an eight-to-ten hour climb, but if the weather is cooperating you have views all the way to the Caribbean. This was one activity I really wanted to do while on the island, however I had some pretty bad weather while I was there.  The other volcano is dormant Maderas.  The hike up Maderas is a six-to-eight hour hike through cloud forest.  At the top, there is a crater lake and it is typically shrouded with clouds.

If you are not interested in hiking one of the volcanos, there are other hikes you can do. One of the most popular choices is the trek to the San Ramon Waterfall (you can read my trip report here). I met some people while on the island that said the hike to San Ramon kicked their butts.  I didn’t think it was that challenging.

If you don’t want to venture to the Maderas side of the island, you will find that the beach of Santo Domingo can keep you occupied entirely.  Nearby is the famous Ojo de Agua. I did not visit because I am not a huge fan of pools, but I have heard that people really enjoy it.

My favorite thing that I did while I was on the island was rent a scooter and just explore. Since I was staying in Merida, I had to learn quickly how to ride a scooter over terrible road, but once I got to Santa Cruz, it was smooth sailing. I was able to ride all the way from Altagracia to Balgue, stopping along the way to snap photos and take in the view.  Some of the stops I made were lunch at El Bamboo, a side trip to Finca de Magdalena and the Santo Domingo beach.  At one point it started pouring rain, so I quickly parked my scooter and hopped into a comedor where I enjoyed a beer while the storm passed.

My Recommendation

My recommendation would be to spend three full days and four nights on the island.  Take the last lancha to the island. It will be an unforgettable experience – being locked in the bottom of an old boat watching Concepcion grow nearer as the sun sets.  Stay the first night in Moyogalpa.  Wake up early on day one to climb Concepcion.  After you finish your full day hike, transfer to stay in Merida and have dinner at Restaurant Loanna.

Wake up on day two and rent scooters to explore the island. Do not miss the Santo Domingo beach.  Additionally, I think the isthmus between Concepcion and Maderas is the most beautiful part of the island! Make sure you stop for plenty of photos! Not getting enough photos (my camera was not charged) is one of my major regrets.

On day 3, grab some bikes and head to the San Ramon Waterfall. Park your bikes at the entrance and walk ~4 kilometers to the falls.  On your way back, stop at Comedor Gloriana for a late lunch.  Head to La Omaja (if you are not staying there) for dinner and sunset! Wake up early on day 4 to catch a ferry back to the mainland 🙂