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 🙂