Walking Isla de Ometepe

---

---

This is my account of my 5-day, 90+ KM walk around the island of Ometepe, the iconic twin-volcano island in Lake Nicaragua (aka Cocibolca). My distances are estimates (based on my 4-5 km per hour pace) and include any tangent hikes off of the main roads. The guidebook maps are misleading, as the dirt roads in particular wind throughout the island, making the distances longer than they appear.

Here is a basic map of the island: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/central-america/nicaragua/isla-de-ometepe/map_of_isla-de-ometepe.jpg

DAY 1 -- MOYOGALPA to ALTAGRACIA (16 KM), both on the western side (the Concepcion side) of Isla de Ometepe.

I arrived on the island from Rivas midday and was pleasantly surprised to see that, being late June and the rainy season, the island (or at least Moyogalpa) was more or less devoid of tourists. There were plenty of options for accommodations but I walked straight to Hospedaje Central (El Indio Viejo), which was recommended by my Moon guidebook. The man at the desk is knowledgable, the rooms are sufficient, the music is just right, they have a bar and restaurant, and the place seems to be generally well-run: I highly recommend it.

I met two Brits there who are riding their bikes from Vancouver to Panama and we had dinner at one of the many restaurants in town. I went to bed early and woke up at 5:30 so I could finish my hike to Altagracia before the afternoon heat. I ate breakfast across the street (a huge bowl of fabulous homemade granola in milk for 40 cordobas (under 2 bucks)) and was out of town by seven. The hike took me three and a half hours, but I was moving pretty quickly and didn´t rest at all, except to ask for directions.

I decided to take the shorter road to the north and save the other one for the way back. This section of the road is a complete mess -- a mix of volcanic rock, concrete blocks, black sand, and horse manure (see photos). I wouldn´t try to ride a bike or motorcycle on it., and a bus ride would be pretty miserable. I am glad I wore my boots instead of my sandals.

For the first 10 km, there was a slight upward grade through some small towns of shacks and litter. The people were friendly, though, and some kids walked out to the street to see me and laugh at at my trekking pole. A man in Sandinista garb was riding a motorcycle alongside me part of the way, stopping to take photographs of the road. I´m wondering if it will be paved soon, especially since these towns all have cement sidewalks but no paved road.

There were a couple of turns I had to make, but in general I just followed the electrical wires and asked locals for directions when I was unsure. It was a Saturday, but I think that any day of the week one would find plenty of locals around to talk to or find directions from.

The second part of the hike was much more picturesque. Farms lead all the way up the slopes of the volcano and the vegetation is incredibly vibrant. The farms are calm and idyllic, but I´m not the one toiling away on them. The last few miles are downhill and the road leads right to the main park in Altagracia. I walked directly to Hotel Central and had to ask the guy several times if he was stating the price right: just 7 USD for an extremely nice room with a private shower and a powerful ceiling fan.

DAY 2 -- ALTAGRACIA TO BALGUE (to Finca Zopilote, specifically) (18 km, including a 1 km walk to Ojo de Agua)

The next day I woke up to the sound of heavy rainfall. Apparently, it´s pretty common this time of year to have heavy rains during the nights and mornings, and then blue skies and strong sun during the days; this was of of those days. I had everything ready to go at 6:30 but then went back to bed to wait out the storm. By the time I got started it was about 9:30, much later than I had hoped, since I was planning on stopping at Playa Santo Domingo and Ojo de Agua.

This portion of the road is paved from Altagracia until the road splits on the eastern side of the island, allowing me to move quickly (after the isthmus). About an hour and a half into the hike, I started into the isthmus between the two sides of the island and after decending a big hill, there are very clear signs pointing to Ojo de Agua (Eye of the Water), a spring / swimming hole on the interior of the island. It´s about a kilometer down a dirt path from the main road and it´s 2 USD to get in.

The water is clear and seemingly clean (see photo) and they have changing areas, showers, and a snack bar. I swam around for about half an hour, decided against walking up a path to a mirador (viewpoint) -- I´m sure another view of the volcanoes -- and moved on.

2.2 KM more down the road is the beginning of Playa Santo Domingo (which goes on for quite a while). I stopped at the first restaurant (I forget the name -- El Mirador del Mar?) and the food was wonderful (see photos). Women and young girls washed clothes in the shallow waters, giving me some conflicted feelings as I ate like a king. The views were pleasant, but I didn´t see this beach as being any nicer than some of the others. I wouldn´t stay a night here.

Not long after Playa Domingo the road turns to dirt and rocks -- this terrible road encircles the entirety of the Maderas side of the island. A lot of tourists rent motorbikes to explore the island, but it would be painfully slow (and probably just plain painful) to bike this portion. I made the turn to walk the north section the island first and soon saw a sign for Finca Zopilote. I hiked up to the reception (at least a KM uphill), the huts and jungle feel caught me, so I pitched my tent and walked into town.

Balgue was a few more KM down the road. It isn´t much, but there are a few other Fincas near the area -- Magdelena, Totoco, Bona Fide, etc. There is a small Internet place on the road that leads up to Magdelena and there are a couple of bars and restaurants about.

Zopilote blends in with the forest, whereas Magdelena, which I also walked to minus my pack, is open to the sky and has great views of Concepcion. Zopilote is well shaded but very muggy. They have an enormous oven where they make pizza three days a week, but on the night I was there, I followed some people into the jungle for a 7:00 dinner in a little movie theatre under a hut. The sounds of the forest at night were amazing -- nothing like on those crazy noise machines that are supposed to put you to sleep. One bird makes a sound like the guns in the video game Asteroid... lasers in the jungle somewhere. This sound was eventually overtaken by the sound of a generator.

The movie was Bruno, and we all huddled under the hut and ate appetizers and drank big Tonas. The guy makes fabulous Spanish tortillas, served alongside tasty homemade bread. The steak was quite good as well.

I´d thought that I was going to make it out of night dry, but at 6AMish, a strong storm came through and lasted for hours. The lightning was very close by, as was the dormitory hut that I wish I´d stayed in. My tarptent held up surprisingly well, though, and I didn´t get wet. The painful part of it was rolling up my soaked, muddy tent and then finding somewhere to dry it the next evening.

DAY 3 -- BALGUE TO MERIDA (30 km)

Because of the rainstorm, I wasn´t able to leave until after 10 AM. I had a headache from two much wine and not enough sleep and the hangover headache fluidly morphed into a heatstroke headache by around 1. Luckily, this portion of the island was my favorite part of the hike, which kept my spirits up. I had lunch near La Palma in a small cafe. I was the only gringo in the place, or in this part of the island, for that matter, and a number of neighborhood kids came to stare at me while I stared at the chickens and pigs and parakeets all around me. The meal (see photo -- local food) did me a bit of good but once I got back in the sun, my headache came back.

Apparently there are watermelon farms throughout this area (see photo). Every mile or so I came across a huge pile of them, guarded by locals who waited for the very slow truck to come pick them up. In some of the towns I came to, machete-holding locals approached me to ask questions (like, was I Italian? (apparently Italy has donated many of the buildings in the area), was I an old man who needed a cane?) and children asked me to take their photos. Everyone was very friendly once I smiled and said hello to them, and they seemed proud that this was my favorite part of the island.

I passed the waterfall without even considering walking to it. I saw it from a distance but all I wanted was to get out of the sun and into a bed. I bought some ice-cold water in San Ramon and staggered the last couple of miles to Merida. I got there at about 5:30, making it a good 7 hours of walking. I decided to splurge and get a comfortable room at Rancho Relaxo or Rancho Merida, or something (see photo), though I regret not sleeping at the impressive Hacienda Merida, which I recommend (except for the fact that a sign at the restaurant lies about their free-range, organic chickens, which they in fact get from Pollo Rico like everyone else). Hacienda Merida has private rooms as well as dorms, and the Maitre D´ there speaks excellent English and is very helpful. It feels a bit resort-ish, but it seems like the best choice in this part of the island.

DAY 4 -- MERIDA TO SAN JOSE DEL SUR (Charco Verde Specifically) (20 km)

In the morning I kayaked to Monkey Island. Apparently the colorful owner of Hacienda Merida exiled all the bad monkeys to small islands right off the coast. One island has White-faced Capuchins and the other Black-striped Capuchins, and the former seem particularly angry. While I was there, a Swiss guy I met landed on the island (as you´re warned not to) and tens of monkeys swung through the trees toward him, baring their teeth and preparing to attack. He jumped back in his kayak just in time. Even if you stay in your kayak, some climb the longest branches to try to leap onto your boat. I stayed just out of their reach and couldn´t help but taunt them a bit.

After finally drying out my tent and a small breakfast, I left at around 11, far too late again but also knowing that I had a much shorter trek. In my rush, I left my damn trekking pole there and didn´t realize it until 1 1/2 hours into the hike.

I don´t really recommend walking this section of the road. After crossing the isthmus, it´s a paved surface toward San Jose del Dur, and though there are some nice views and entertaining Howler Monkeys, there isn´t much to see at all. When I came upon the sign for Charco Verde, I was happy to be done with the hike.

Along the main road is a sign for Charco Verde and another (a few hundred meters later) for Chico Largo. Chico Largo is a hostel and there is a Finca right next door with a mediocre and slightly expensive restaurant and private rooms at a reasonable price (I paid 18 dollars for a very nice single, while couples were paying just a few dollars more). The beach there is beautiful (I witnessed a feeding frenzy there one morning, and locals fishing from canoes is a common sight) and the staff is relatively friendly and helpful (Francisco in particular). There are a lot of gnats here, which are harmless but annoying.

DAY 5 -- SAN JOSE DEL SUR (Charco Verde specifically) TO MOYOGALPA (14 km)

This part of the hike was also pretty boring, as it follows the same paved road as yesterday. I left at 8:20 and finished before the 11:00 ferry, which was bigger than the boat I took five days earlier and 10 Cordobas more (40 cordobas).

Overall, I found that the conditions of the road have a tremendous impact on the island culture, the tourism, and the walkability. The so-called road in the back ends of the island (the north connection between Altagracia and Moyogalpa as well as nearly the full circle on the Maderas end of the island (minus the isthmus)) are perfect for walking, as the locals aren't used to seeing tourists and there aren't many vehicles on the road. The paved portions are better for motorbikes and other vehicle transport.

If you're staying for a short time, or would rather make a base and explore the island from there, I recommend two areas: Merida (Hacienda Merida) and Charco Verde (Chico Largo or the Finca next door). There are comfortable accommodations in both places and the beaches there are the best on the island.

There are more photos below.

---