Travel to Island Ometepe

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June 24th 2010

Published: June 24th 2010

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Cerrato

San Jorge

Ferry boat information

Isla de Ometepe
'Isla de Ometepe -Its name derives from the Nahuatl words ome (two) and tepetl (mountain), meaning two mountains. is an island in Lake Nicaragua in the country of Nicaragua and is one of the country´s must-see. These twin volcanic islands are a remote escape located in the middle of Lago de Nicaragua. There are only a few small settlements on the island, along with a number of small coffee plantations.

Cities

Moyogalpa, harbour village and the main point of arrival of ferries.
Altagracia, 2nd biggest town on the eastern side of the island.
Merida, southeastern coast of island.
Balgue, southwestern coast of island.

Reserva Charco Verde, a nature reserve with abundant wildlife on the southern part of the island, where you can swim, hike and kayak.

Get in and Get around

You can get to the islands main port (Moyogalpa) by boat or ferry from San Jorge near Rivas. There are plenty of Hotels and restaurants within walking distance of ferry. Buses pick up and drop off at terminal,Taxi"s are also present.

Very slow local buses run to most villages on the island. Service is relatively frequent between Moyogalpa and Altagracia (roughly

Isla ometepe

Como se mira la isla desde San Jorge

every hour), less so to Balgue and Merida (three or four per day).
You can easily flag down a bus for a ride or the occasional Taxi but expect the taxi"s to be expensive.
There are plenty of bicycle rental shops on the island that rent by hour ,half day or week.
The road along the isthmus and around Volcan Maderas is in very rough shape.

Do

Options on the island include :
Hike to the top of Volcan Concepcion (~ 8 hours return, strenuous)
Hike to the top of Volcan Maderas to a crater lake (~ 6 hours return, less strenuous)
Hike to a 35-m waterfall on the south side of Maderas (several hours return)
See petroglyphs at the village of Finca El Porvenir
Go horseback riding
Rent a bicycle and explore the island on your own
Rent a motorbike and explore the island on your own
Go fishing
Hire a kayak and explore the lake and one or two of the rivers
Go swimming in the fresh water
Trails are generally unmarked and the terrain is rough. Local guides are inexpensive, good.
If off hiking on your own be aware that many trails are actually being

Isla ometepe

El puerto de San Jorge

used by locals as a means to work their bean fields,The same beans that are served in the local staple of beans and rice, These beans are of a low growing variety and are barely visibly so please stay on trails so as not to damage their crops.
The island is very large and to go by bicycle around one volcano in one day is very challenging but possible, getting around both volcanoes by motorbike in one day is a little easier but still difficult.

The trails are not marked so if don't know the island, it is best to hire a guide. They are usually cheap and can give you so much help. Many people have gotten lost climbing the volcanoes and the trails are small. There are no services and help is hard to come by when climbing one of the mountains, so bring what you need before hand.
Thanks to the fact that it's an island which is kind of easy to check traffic of persons it is, in comparison to the rest of Nicaragua, pretty safe.
Minor annoyance such as kids begging for money may happen, but in a day, many locals will greet you

Isla ometepe

bote de pasajeros

and are happy to help you.
Some locals report that there is some danger when climbing the top of Concepcion because of the activity that exist in the top. It is important to take a guide and make sure that if you notice anything suspicious, get away.

Source: http://wikitravel.org/en/Isla_Ometepe

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