Americas

[Visited: April 2000, December 2022]

The first time I arrived on Ometepe was by ferry from San Carlos, in the far southwest of Lake Nicaragua. It was not more than a distant memory, when I was on my way to visit the remarkable island again. My journey there did not happen as expected. I was bumped from a flight, did CPR on a passenger the next morning (hopefully I saved him), flew to San José and then chartered a taxi to the border, from where I continued north with a newfound friend. In Rivas, I recognised the travel partner I would travel through Nicaragua with by her fuchsia shoes, said goodbye to my newfound friend, and we just made it in time to catch the last ferry across to Ometepe. While the sun was setting, spreading a gloomy light through the clouds, we could see the contours of the volcanoes Concepción and Maderas that define the island. By the time we arrived in our hotel, it was dark. We arranged an island tour for the next day, had a tasty dinner, and crashed after the long journey.
The next day, we are up early under a clear sky. We walk to Moyogalpa town for some practical stuff, and are surprised to see a guy with a tiny car show up while we had asked for a rickshaw. We manage to ask for someone else, and another twenty minutes later are on our way to the other side of the island. We pass the small airstrip of an airfield that is no longer in use. On our left, our eyes are glued to the Concepción volcano that is hiding behind thick clouds - hoping to still catch a glimpse of the giant. We have already understood that hiking to the Ramón waterfall will not be possible if we also want to see many other things on the island, and drive to Playa Mangos. From here, the volcano appears above the bay of western Ometepe. We decide to also give kayaking a miss, and drive on to the narrow strip of land connecting the north and south parts of the island. We see that the water level of the lake is very high: the beach is gone. We drive up to Ojo de Agua, Eye of Water: a natural pool in the interior of Ometepe. We walk through plantations, admiring a very different landscape, before we walk down to the pool.
Ojo de Agua turns out to be a beautiful natural pool, fed by a local source. People are quietly relaxing, nipping a cocktail at the edge, dipping in the water, or having a chat. We have a cocktail as well, take some pictures of the fantastic blue and green water, and then cannot resist any longer and let our overheated bodies in for a refreshing dip. I also try the swing and try to enter the water with a spectacular jump. We go back to the coast, and have a tasty lunch in a rooftop restaurant. From there, we drive to the Reserva Charco Verde. We first have a look at the butterfly farm, which has a multitude of beautiful creatures. While we are on our way out to hike to a lake, the hatches of heaven open and torrential rain comes down. After taking shelter, we walk down to the lake, but find the trail cut off: this lake also has high water levels, just like Lake Nicaragua. We try walking another trail, but that one also ends in the lake. There is clearly not more to do here, and we drive to the westernmost point of Ometepe: Jesús María. A tiny sliver of beach juts out into Lake Nicaragua and offers a direct view towards the west. Dark clouds hang low over the mainland of Nicaragua, and we see a wall of rain under them in the distance. Then, the sun pierces through holes in the clouds - and we watch the play of hide and seek of sun and clouds until the last orange and pink have turned grey. It is time to go back and get ready for climbing Concepción volcano the next day.

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Ometepe (Nicaragua)

Ometepe > Nicaragua > Americas

[Visited: April 2000, December 2022]

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