Ahhhh... nothing beats a magnificent hourglass figure, two glorious mounds of steamy goodness all wet and ready for those brave enough to take it all on. And if you can throw in a howler monkey or two, it makes for quite an adventure. Clearly, speaking of Isla de Ometepe right smack in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, oddly enough in he country of Nicaragua (what else would i be describing).
Volcanoes Concepción (1,610 m) and Maderas (1,394 m) sprang up
around 12,000 years ago. While the smaller Maderas is now considered dormant, Concepción, on the other hand, last erupted in 1957 and is still labelled as active. Over the year, the two volcanoes have grown to become kind of like conjoined twins, with a flat skirt of an isthmus bridging the gap. The island seems to have escaped the tourist development in nearby Granada or San Juan del Sur, which i guess is part of the appeal of the place. White headed monkey, howler monkeys and countless bird species area bout all that await travellers.
around 12,000 years ago. While the smaller Maderas is now considered dormant, Concepción, on the other hand, last erupted in 1957 and is still labelled as active. Over the year, the two volcanoes have grown to become kind of like conjoined twins, with a flat skirt of an isthmus bridging the gap. The island seems to have escaped the tourist development in nearby Granada or San Juan del Sur, which i guess is part of the appeal of the place. White headed monkey, howler monkeys and countless bird species area bout all that await travellers.The majority of travellers to the island will be dropped off, by ferry, in the
town of Moyogalpa (pop. 6,700). As mentioned, Ometepe isn't exactly developed, but Moyogalpa is the closest thing to it. There are a variety of hotels, restaurants and tour offices to help set-up to explore the island. Most certainly, the urban landscape is no the attraction tourists come for,
but Moyogalpa is the place to rent a scooter/motorcycle/ATV for private explorations or join a tour for more creature comforts. Alernatively, the other town on the island, Altagracia (pop 11,000), also has a ferry terminal. Although the town is slightly larger, it is far less touristic (if that's possible) than Moyogalpa. This also means fewer accommodation, restaurant and travel options. Most buses will run between the two cities, with the odd one making it's way to the other half of the island. However, if you truly want to explore the island, than the best choice by far is to rent your own vehicle (starting at around $4/hour) and self drive anywhere the wind should carry you (there's only one road, you can't get lost).
town of Moyogalpa (pop. 6,700). As mentioned, Ometepe isn't exactly developed, but Moyogalpa is the closest thing to it. There are a variety of hotels, restaurants and tour offices to help set-up to explore the island. Most certainly, the urban landscape is no the attraction tourists come for, but Moyogalpa is the place to rent a scooter/motorcycle/ATV for private explorations or join a tour for more creature comforts. Alernatively, the other town on the island, Altagracia (pop 11,000), also has a ferry terminal. Although the town is slightly larger, it is far less touristic (if that's possible) than Moyogalpa. This also means fewer accommodation, restaurant and travel options. Most buses will run between the two cities, with the odd one making it's way to the other half of the island. However, if you truly want to explore the island, than the best choice by far is to rent your own vehicle (starting at around $4/hour) and self drive anywhere the wind should carry you (there's only one road, you can't get lost).
I opted to check out Charco Verde. A collection of calmer beaches on the
southern (less windy) side of the island. Swimming here is best, but it's the nearby reserve that attracted me. A lagoon lies in the middle of the reserve, with wild, virgin rainforest crowding the shores. Monkeys can be heard more often than scene, as the jungle is so think. Luckily there's a well maintained path, so you can leave the machete at home. There are a number of other beaches on the island, but none are particularly pretty, but the good news is they are usually empty, and the view of two dominating volcanoes is kinda cool.
southern (less windy) side of the island. Swimming here is best, but it's the nearby reserve that attracted me. A lagoon lies in the middle of the reserve, with wild, virgin rainforest crowding the shores. Monkeys can be heard more often than scene, as the jungle is so think. Luckily there's a well maintained path, so you can leave the machete at home. There are a number of other beaches on the island, but none are particularly pretty, but the good news is they are usually empty, and the view of two dominating volcanoes is kinda cool.Getting to the island is done in one of 2 ways. the easiest (and cheapest) is from the town of San Jorge to Moyogalpa. It costs around $2 (depending on the boat class) and takes around an hour. There's a boat about every hour and a half, making connections with buses easy. The other option is from Granada to Altagracia. There are only 2 boats a week (Mondays and Thursdays) with the service continuing to San Carlos near the Costa Rican border.
Overall, Isla de Ometepe doesn't really have a WOW factor, but it's ok. It's easy to get away from the tourist hustle and bustle by hiking in reserves, up the side of a volcano or strolling down a nearly deserted beach. A with any luck, Concepcion will finally blow her top causing you to swim for your life. Now that would be a story.
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