"Isla de Ometepe" Top 5 Page for this destination Isla de Ometepe by MalenaN

Isla de Ometepe Travel Guide: 130 reviews and 482 photos

On the way to Isla de Ometepe - Isla de Ometepe

There was a heavy short shower along the road

Isla de Ometepe is a wonderful place that is easy to fall in love with. It is an island with natural beauty, kind people and a very tranquil atmosphere.

The island consists of two volcanic peaks, Concepsion which is 1610 m and Maderas that is 1395 metres, and between them there is an isthmus. Isla de Ometepe is situated in Lago de Nicaragua and with its 276 km2 it is considered to be one of the largest islands in the world in a freshwater lake (the largest is Manitoulin Island with 2766 square km (Thank you Glenn!)). On the island about 42 000 people are living and the main economical activities are agriculture, livestock and tourism. The average temperature on the island is between 28 - 32°C and the rainy season is between May - October.

There are archaeological finds indicating that people might have lived on Isla de Ometepe for the last 3500 years. Around the island you can see pre-Colombian petroglyphs and there is a small museum with archaeological finds in both Altagracia and Moyogalpa. The island has got its name from the indigenous language Nahuatl in which ome means two and tepe means mountain/hill.

Vulcán Concepción in the distance

As a tourist there are lots of activities you can do. You can climb the volcanoes, swim in the lake, go kayaking, horseback riding and biking, and there are many nice walks to do.

Last July Isla de Ometepe was one of the candidates for The New 7 Wonders of Nature, but it didn’t go further than the second phase in the voting. Anyway the entire island is a Cultural Heritage and a Natural Reserve of Nicaragua.

Last visit to Isla de Ometepe: Jul 2009
Intro Updated Mar 28, 2010
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Reviews (17)

Playa Santo Domingo Things to Do (11)

At the isthmus between the Concepción side and the Maderas side of the island is Playa Santo Domingo. Here you will find... more travel advice

Merida Things to Do (11)

Merida is a village on the west side of Vulcán Maderas. It is the end stop for the buses and there are a few cheap... more travel advice

Altagracia Things to Do (11)

Altagracia is a small town situated northeast of Volcán Concepción. Before the arrival of the Spaniards the name of the... more travel advice

Altagracia Church Things to Do (11)

Altagracia church is situated next to Parque Central. It is a yellow building dating from 1924 and it is connected to an... more travel advice

Hotels (2)
See All Albergue Ecológico El Porvenir
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Comments (9)

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Elisabcn Dec 18, 2010 at 6:08 AM

Nice page Malena! Vulcano hiking, kayaking and biking with 28 ºC sounds like a PARADISE to me now :-) Are you going to prepare ginger bred? Hugs!!
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Spacemanspiff Sep 28, 2010 at 10:13 AM

Nice page Malena, It was helpful for me on my recent visit to the island. Thank You.
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toonsarah Apr 13, 2010 at 9:27 AM

Excellent page, especially your detailed description of the hike and atmospheric photos :-) The petroglyphs sound fascinating.
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starship Mar 31, 2010 at 5:57 PM

This is a 5-star page! Great descriptions and accounts of your travels here. Your photos are 1st class!
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Bwana_Brown Mar 27, 2010 at 8:49 PM

What a fantastic page Malena! Your Central America pages make me want to return there myself! Loved your hike up the volcano and the lush vegetation on the island. The weather was not the best but it allowed you some excellent photos! Thanks for the tour.
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hunterV Mar 26, 2010 at 10:56 AM

Helo, Malena! Thanks for your page! <><><>
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Nemorino Mar 20, 2010 at 11:48 AM

It's good that the sudden roar you heard was just the rain, not the volcano erupting! Great that you could go hiking on the volcano and also rent a mountain bike for half a day. I don't think I would want my soul to become a cow!
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mircaskirca Jan 24, 2010 at 10:19 AM

Great hiking on Volcán Concepción! Renting a bike sounds like a great idea to see around. Poor girl, I can imagine your situation with the taxi driver and how you felt. It happened to me once in Peru but at the end everything was just fine.
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cachaseiro Jan 19, 2010 at 3:24 PM

that looks like such a cool place.