It finally arrived.
On the morning of Monday, September 15th, a full four days after my arrival to Nicaragua, my hostel in Managua received the long-awaited phone call with news that my luggage had been received at the airport and all I had to do was hang around the hostel to claim it when it was delivered.
I could hardly contain my excitement–we would finally be able to ditch Managua and start our real Central America travels! What’s more, I was fully recovered from the illness that took me by surprise a few days before. It felt like a fresh start.
Mak wouldn’t be returning until that evening from his overnight trip to Matagalpa meaning we’d have to wait until the next morning to leave for our next destination, Isla de Ometepe, but I couldn’t have cared less.
I had clothes! Shampoo and conditioner! My running shoes! With my bag safely back in my possession, I felt whole again. I was ready to conquer the world.
The Journey to Isla de Ometepe
The next morning we said our goodbyes to the lovely staff at Hotel Maracuya and made our way to the bus terminal. The journey from Managua to Isla de Ometepe was simple enough. On the first leg we’d take a roughly three hour bus ride from Managua’s Israel Lewites Terminal to the town of Rivas, followed by a taxi ride to the small town of San Jorge; lastly, a ferry would take us on a one-hour trip across Lake Nicaragua (the country’s largest lake) to reach Isla de Ometepe.
We arrived at the ferry dock in plenty of time to make the 1:30pm crossing to the island. We hadn’t made prior hostel arrangements on the island, but we had a few recommendations from others and the advantage of traveling during low season on our side. We knew we’d be able to show up just about anywhere and find rooms available.
Once on the island, a taxi driver drove us from the port town of San Jose del Sur toward a popular beach on the east side of the island named Santo Domingo (other destinations turned out to be too expensive to reach by taxi–they charged high fares because the roads were terrible).
We had no hostels in mind for that particular area of the island, so the driver offered to take us to one he knew of, no doubt earning a commission of some sort for dropping paying customers at their door. And to our surprise, we were quite pleased with the outcome.
Awesome Accommodation
We found ourselves at the south end of Playa Santo Domingo in a town called Santa Cruz, our hostel appropriately named, ahem, Hostal Santa Cruz. Situated at the base of the smaller of Ometepe’s two volcanoes, Volcán Maderas, the hostel was perched at just the right altitude to provide us with an incredible view of the larger volcano to the north, Volcán Concepción.
Our dorm beds would only set us back $8 per night. We had a full restaurant and bar on site, an excellent wifi connection, and a beautiful tropical setting. There weren’t many other guests at the hostel that day, but we needed to get some rest anyway; hiking one of the island’s volcanoes is a major draw for many visitors, and we planned to embark on our excursion early the following morning.
We easily arranged a guided tour through the hostel before heading down the hill to explore.
Breezy Beaches
Playa Santo Domingo was a short walk from the hostel. The balmy air, playful breeze and golden afternoon sunlight made for perfect beach-going conditions. We arrived to find the beach mostly empty save for a group of young local men playing a lively game of soccer.
The water of Lake Nicaragua was shockingly warm and impossibly shallow (I imagine the two are related). It took us wading quite a distance from the shore to finally be able to swim and play around in the waves. We were just happy to have a place to swim, and waves in a lake was a novel phenomenon to both of us.
Our time at the beach was unfortunately cut short, both by the fading sun and the need to make it to the local shop before it closed to buy food for our trek the next day. We wandered a bit further down the beach for a few more photos before finally turning back.
Venerable Volcanoes
Our alarms buzzed violently at 4:30am; we rolled out of bed with just enough time to throw together the day’s necessities–sunscreen, insect repellent, food for lunch and snacks, 2.5 liters of water for each of us, cameras, and a jacket for the peak–before the bus we needed to catch rolled past our hostel, horn blaring, at 5am sharp.
There are two routes to the crater lake at the summit of Volcán Maderas; we would be starting near a town called Balgüe, ascending from Finca Magdalena (a beautiful farm and hostel in the jungle) and descending down a different path toward the town of El Porvenir. If the weather cooperated, this would give us an incredible view of Volcán Concepción during our descent.
We paused for breakfast and a quick coffee at Finca Magdalena while getting to know the Australian couple we’d be hiking with that day, then headed off up the volcano, our guide leading the way.
The weather was overcast and we knew there was a chance of rain at any moment. For the most part, though, the weather gods were kind. The rain never came, but we found ourselves sticky from the humid air and the physical exertion in no time.
Throughout the 4-hour climb, our guide demonstrated his uncanny ability to spot wildlife and fascinating plants that we’d never have noticed or recognized on our own. I had a ball photographing anything and everything–ferns, toads, flowers, cacao pods, cicadas, crabs (yes, mountain crabs!), howler monkeys, and wild mushrooms were just a few of my subjects.
We reached the crater lagoon while clouds still obscured much of our view. We plopped down on the steeply graded hill to eat our lunch and hoped for a sun break. Not five minutes after we arrived, the wind suddenly swept every last cloud from the sky and we were left with a breathtaking view of the green lagoon below us and the expansive blue of Lago Nicaragua just beyond the crater.
Tired from the uphill climb, our descent was taken fairly slowly. We also had to be much more careful this time, as the route we were now following was wet and extremely slippery–every single one of us ended the hike covered in mud and clay and having taken a handful of slips and tumbles. I even managed to brush against a very angry plant that left me with a stinging rash on my ankle.
The viewpoint on the way down was easily the highlight of the afternoon.
The sun was beating strongly by that point so after taking our photos we rested, refueled with snacks, and guzzled water in preparation for the last hour or so to reach Santa Cruz.
By the time we finished we were beaten and battered, and ready for a cold beer. Volcán Maderas had proven itself a worthy adversary.
Bouncing Bicycles
The next day, the first item on our agenda was to rent bicycles in order to tour other parts of Isla de Ometepe more easily. We found rentals just down the road for $4 per day, the cheapest you’ll likely find anywhere on the island ($5 is standard). They weren’t in excellent condition but they seemed to be in working order.
First, we cycled to a lovely breakfast spot, an organic cafe recommended to me by a friend, located at the opposite end of Playa Santo Domingo.
After a delicious breakfast and running a few errands, we took our noble steeds and pedaled toward El Ojo de Agua (eye of water), a mineral spring touted by locals as having relaxing and healing properties. Still sore from our ambitious hike the day prior, we hoped they were right. We paid our 80 Cordoba (~$3USD) entry fee and strolled in.
The spring is beautiful–crystal clear water that is constantly filtered (so you know it’s clean) surrounded by lush green vegetation, lounge chairs, tables, and a handful of vendors. There’s even a rope swing at one end for the adventurous. There is a restaurant on site as well, but we’d come prepared with our own snacks.
In lieu of photos of the springs, I decided at the last minute to throw together a short video of our trip to El Ojo de Agua using the GoPro footage we took that day. It’s my first (very poor) attempt at video editing but I hope you enjoy it! They can only get better from here.
Honorable Mentions
The above are just a few of the entertainment options on Isla de Ometepe. A few others that we’d recommend:
Take a yoga class, eat a pizza, or party (or all three) at El Zopilote. We went for the pizza and it was well worth the hike. They also serve a delicious cocktail called the Jamaica Libre–local rum mixed with hibiscus juice! Bring a flashlight if you go at night and watch out for giant arachnids.
Party at Little Morgan’s. This hostel is a short walk from Santa Cruz and definitely has a party reputation. The music is loud and the atmosphere social. Shotgun a beer, play some pool, and generally revert back to your college days at the age of 27 (I mean, what? Who did that?).
Does Isla de Ometepe look like someplace you’d like to chill for a few days? Yeah, I thought so.
