isla ometepe

We almost didn't go to Ometepe Island - which would've been a huge mistake!We only had 2 nights and 11/2 days, but made the most of it for sure.Walked around town and took in all the sights and smells before settling on a place to eat and drink a bit. Shopped.Rented mopeds and did a self guided tour - with the help of our hostel manager. Was a blast and we think the best way to see and get around the island.Don't miss out on this fantastic place.

The island is very beautiful. I went to see a waterfall by the smaller volcano and it was amazing. I didn't hole conception because I was told by a variety of people that the top is always covered in clouds. The two days I was there it was true, I saw the peak for about 5 mins around 4pm so you would be hiking down already. The island is very green and beautiful. I personally wouldn't swim in lake Nicaragua, looks very polluted sadly. A must do in Nicaragua!

A trip to Nicaragua is not complete without a visit to Isla Ometepe. From a distance and from the ferry, it looks like a Pacific island with not one but two volcanic peaks!The journey starts from San Jorge, Rivas Province on the mainland where you can catch a ferry. A big ferry is recommended as the lake can be choppy.On landing at Myogalpa, there is a choice of transport of varying reliability and prices. (I was in a group and we had our own transport, but do beware of rip-offs if you have to arrange your own transport).However, the islanders are friendly and crime non-existent.Once there you can enjoy the views of the two volcanoes, visit nature reserves or visit the main town of Altagarcia. Don't expect too much from this town. There is a small square and a church. There are all sorts of hotels and resorts with varying quality but the food at Hotel Villa Paraiso is highly recommended.There is also the Porvenir Ecological Park (not much to see) and Ojos Aguas twin pools. The latter is rather tacky.Being an island, expect everything to be expensive, however no trip to Nicaragua is complete without a visit to this lovely island.Beware that climbing the volcanoes is not easy and could be dangerous. The islanders talk about several deaths of tourists who took the risk.

I'd heard that Ometepe was a magical place and it lived up to its reputation. Everywhere you look there is a stunning view! We spent a few days exploring the island and found some beautiful, secluded beaches. We walked up the road from our hotel to the nearest beach bars and restaurants in Santa Domingo and enjoyed the peaceful walk back along the beach under the moon every night. There's a vibe that feels as if you've just discovered a well-kept secret island.

Ometepe is a jewel in Nicaragua and was the highlight of our trip. It's so natural and there are no crowds, other than birds and monkeys! There are many things to do, mostly connected to nature, including seeing ancient petroglyphs on Maderas volcano. With a guide, the experience is even better as you get the stories and can see things that otherwise you may not see, like baby alligators in the Istiam creek (this was our own highlight). Climbing part of Maderas was also very interesting with many interesting encounters (monkeys and birds) and by the way, there is a small trail in Santo Domingo, right by Villa Paraiso where you can see lots of monkey families. Taxis can be expensive but effective, so it's a choice one has to make...

Isla Ometepe is a beautiful island. The people were friendly and helpful. The main feature is the volcanoes, however, there is so much more to the island. We took taxi-driver Jose's guided tour and really felt we would have missed a lot of cultural tid-bits if we had gone on our own in the short time we were there (2 days). For me, the top spots are: Ojos de Agua and the peninsula. I don't know about swimming in the lake...however, Ojos is a really beautiful place to swim, relax and spend several hours at. The peninsula was cool, because if you walk to the end of it, it feels like you've reached the edge of the world because you're surrounded by water as far as the eye can see. A very cool feeling-but be careful to stay on visible land!

Beautiful place. More than "Close to the nature", you will be in the nature, the people is friendly, a lot of place to spend time, walk, make friend, swim, play. Pay attention: The best places are close to the Maderas Volcano. We stayed at Finca Mérida for two night and two times (3 nights each) in Hotel Omaha always with family and friend. Don't forgot to walk to the San Ramón Waterfall, is hard but pay.

But do the right thing: stay at Santo Domingo Beach, choose an accomodation accordingly (if you can afford it, try Xalli Beach Hotel) and, please, don't even think about staying there less than 3 days. It is a place to relax at the beach and/or face some real hard activities, such as climbing the volcanos, preferrably both. So you need time to really take in Ometepe.

felt like being in jurrasic park with amazing wildlife views and no big hotels , true paradise on earth

We went to the island for a day and that was enough. First of all, don't hire a guide from the people at the parking lot where you park your car. Our guide spoke very little english, and basically took us from place to place and dropped us off, didn't tell us anything about it, just pointed in the direction to go. We went to Santa Domingo beach, yes, it was nice but nothing special, just a very expensive restaurant to have lunch at. We also went to Charco Verde ( I think thats what its called) and took a 20minute hike through trees, nothing really spectacular to see. We then went to Ojo de Aqua and that was the best place of all-a natural swim hole surrounded by beauty but the water is cold and seating is limited and no lounge chairs to lie on, just plastic chairs to sit on if they are available. Our guide didn't even take us to the last location, just dropped us off at the dock to catch ferry back. Every location has an entrance fee which we were unaware of but the worst part was not really learning anything about the different places because we basically had a taxi driver take us from place to place instead of a guide.

I am still on holiday in Nicaragua - travelling all over the country!It is beautiful..no question! The people are nice...!But it is much tooo expansive for a 3rd world country, as say so!Many people sugested me to come..so I came and see, that everything is much too overpriced! I really do not know where they get the idea of pricepolicy! Maybe the bad influence from too many wealthy visitors who do not care how much they spend on whatever?Accomodation is too expansive for what they offer, the same is food, not to speak about renting a motorbike or bike!I am disappointed!

I have been in Nicaragua for 8 weeks and I had my worst experiences in Ometepe. They really use the tourist, it's way worse than other places in Nicaragua. I got ripped off all the time, at restaurants, getting a scooter, the hotel, on the street, it never ended. NEVER RENT FROM RICHARDS BIKE RENTALS next to the Landing Hotel, he rented us a bike and we broke down on the side of the road, we had to get a car to transport it back, on the way back the mirror broke and we were forced to still pay 60 extra dollars, this ruined the day. I'm really disappointed by it, I spent a lot of money to be here, but there were just problems after problems. I am not the only person to say that. I've spoken with many tourist who hiked the volcano and they regretted ever doing it. It was muddy, there was no view at the top, one girl hurt herself really badly too. One thing to keep in mind is that the guides here are not concerned about safety. They just want your money, expect helmets that are too big, no helmets for horses, no contracts, and to hike in bad weather, it's not good. There is no hospital around either which is something to really think about when trying these big adventures, be careful.

Ometepe is so different to the rest of Nicaragua. The boat journey from San Jorge on wooden boats reminded me of the Greek Island boats of the 70s, work-worn, rugged and scruffy but totally reliable to get you there in all weathers. Our journey was quite calm although we choked on the diesel fumes despite sitting on the deck. the island is full of things to do from volcano activities to walking down tracks as we did to find some amazing ways of life. Great photo opportunities such as animals, birds and cattle herders by the score taking their animals to the lake to drink. There is something to please everyone on this island and it feels very safe day and night.

Man and nature seemed to be in sync on Ometepe - so much wildlife living side by side with the local farmers eeking out a living from the land and lake. No thoughts of destruction of the environment nor mindless building. So glad we visited this unspoilt part of Nicaragua - long may it last!

Loved the island, there's great places to go and wonderful permaculture farms. I would recommend staying at least 5 days. If you have money to spend, rent a scooter around the island. If you're on a budget, some permaculture farms offer $3 camping (bring your own tent) or $4/night hammocks (hammocks provided)