9 Wonderful Things to Do on Ometepe, Nicaragua

Welcome to Ometepe, Nicaragua’s Incredibly Unique Island

Ometepe, Nicaragua is a beautiful island located on Central America’s largest lake. There are tons of great things to do on Ometepe, and we’ll give you our top picks! From summiting volcanoes to cooling off in natural springs to admiring the amazing views, Ometepe has it all. It is extremely popular to rent a moped or ATV on Ometepe so you can get around much easier and explore the island with more freedom. Ometepe is not only unique because of its two volcanoes, but it has some great history, an impressive blend of cuisines, and a variety of adventure activities.

Whatever your travel style is, Ometepe is sure to impress! Let’s get into 9 wonderful things to do on Ometepe!

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9 Wonderful Things to do on Ometepe

1. Cool Off at Ojo de Agua

Nicaragua is HOT!! Ometepe Island is no exception to this. Honestly, Nicaragua being so hot is what makes cooling off in the Ojo de Agua the best thing to do on Ometepe. Ojo de Agua is a natural spring with crystal clear waters where locals and foreigners come to relax. It costs $10 for entry per person, although $5 of that can be used as a voucher for food or drinks at the restaurant.

2. Explore Ometepe Island Via Moped

Ometepe is a great place to wander aimlessly, and much different from the Corn Islands, it is fairly big. However, the best parts can all be explored by moped. There are various roads (some in poor condition) shaded by the over-arching trees that eventually give way to marvelous views of the volcanoes. We recommend putting some time aside to ride through Ometepe and enjoy the views! You can rent mopeds in the bigger towns on the island, such as Balgüe and Moyogalpa.

3. Hike the Volcanoes

There are two volcanoes on Ometepe, Volcán Concepción and Volcán Maderas. Volcán Concepción is active, much bigger, and harder to hike. Volcán Maderas is dormant and has a crater lake surrounded by many trees. Both volcanoes take around 8 hours to hike, but Concepción is a little steeper. While we were in Ometepe, the clouds around Volcán Concepción didn’t clear up until around 1 pm, so you may not have the best views from up there. You can book your tour for Volcán Concepción here and Volcán Maderas here.

4. Admire the Best View of Both Volcanoes on Ometepe

Punta Jesús Maria is a beach that stretches ~100 meters out and has amazing views of volcanoes. We don’t recommend going in the morning as it’ll likely be super cloudy around the volcanoes, but it usually clears up midday. Punta Jesus Maria is also a great place to watch the sunset, although we prefer Mangos Beach! This is free but someone may try to charge you for entrance, which is not official and likely a scam!

5. Learn About (and Eat!) Delicious Chocolate

El Pital Chocolate Paradise is a chocolate factory, farm, restaurant, and hostel. You can tour their chocolate farm, participate in an ancient cacao ceremony, and or just relax and enjoy the delicious desserts. The ambiance at El Pital is unmatched, and the views of Volcán Concepción and the lake make this another great place to watch the sunset!

6. Watch the Sunset at Playa Mangos

Playa Mangos is THE place to watch the sunset on Ometepe. With a great view of Volcán Concepción, Lake Nicaragua, and the mainland in the distance, this is one of the most relaxing things to do on Ometepe. There’s a bar and restaurant, music, and plenty of seating where you can enjoy the sunset while the gentle waves crash against the shore.

7. Go on a Wildlife Tour Through Charco Verde

Charco Verde is a beautiful nature reserve that is great for spotting wildlife. Monkeys, birds, iguanas, lizards, caimans and more can be seen while enjoying the 4km of walking trails that surround the lagoon! Entrance to Charco Verde is $5 which gives you access to the Butterfly Garden, the walking trails, a locker, and access to the beach inside the reserve! You can also do the $25 canopy tour, which didn’t seem that impressive, but it might give you a closer look at the monkeys!

The standard loop takes around 1 hour but you can do the two additional loops which take another hour. We recommend doing the extra hikes, where you can get some great views. If you prefer exploring by kayak, you can kayak down Rio Istian, which will provide even better chances at spotting caiman! You can book a kayak tour of Rio Istian here.

8. Admire the San Ramon Waterfall

If you need another place to cool off and want amazing views, check out the San Ramon Waterfall! Most people hike the 3 hours round trip from the parking lot, but if you have a good moped, you can take it up the dirt path. The waterfall is 65 meters high, and will definitely be more impressive during wet season or shortly after!

9. Delve Into Ometepe’s History

Ometepe is famous for its ancient petroglyphs, which are basic designs usually carved on rocks and pottery. El Ceibo museum is the best place on Ometepe for learning about the history of both pre- and post-Columbian life. There are actually museums here: one for the history of money and one for archeology. It costs $7 for one museum or $10 for both, which come with a Spanish-only-speaking guide. If you’re into history and archeology, this will definitely be your favorite thing to do on Ometepe. However, if you’re on a time or financial budget, you can probably skip this.

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Where to Eat on Ometepe

• Cafe Campestre: For amazing Indian food, sandwiches, and coffee!
• Centro Puma: For delicious coffee
• Bustavo Food Bus: For delicious Mediterranean food
• Café Comedor Isabel Traditional Nica Food: For cheap, authentic Nicaraguan food
• Isla Bonita Comedor: For more cheap, authentic Nicaraguan food
• El Pital Chocolate Paradise: For amazing desserts!

If you plan on cooking at all on Ometepe, we recommend going to the La Colonia grocery store in Rivas to stock up before heading to the island. The grocery stores on the island are super small and will likely not have all of the ingredients you want.

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Best Time to Visit Ometepe

The best time to visit Ometepe is during Nicaragua’s dry season that runs from November to May. This time of year is ideal for warm weather, perfect for exploring the island and hike its volcanoes! November through January tend to be a bit cooler than February through May, so if you’re sensitive to hot weather you may want to plan for those months. However, it’s always going to be hot on Ometepe no matter when you visit!

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Where to Stay in Ometepe

The island of Ometepe is fairly large, so we definitely recommend getting a motorbike or ATV to explore. That being said, if you get your bike in the port town of Moyogalpa, and rent it for the entire duration of your stay, it doesn’t really matter where you stay. However, if you plan on taking the bus to your accommodations, you’ll want to be somewhere where it is easy to get a bike.

We recommend staying in Balgüe; it’s a little town with bike rental services and a few good restaurants. When we stayed on Ometepe, we stayed at El Bamboo Cabins (in Balgüe) and it was absolutely wonderful.

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How to Get to Ometepe, Nicaragua

If you’ve rented a car to explore Nicaragua (we recommend this service), you can bring it to Ometepe on the ferry as long as you call ahead! However, you definitely don’t need a car on Ometepe (or if you do, you can rent one there!) and it seems like more of a hassle than anything to bring one over.

Note that there is a $1 USD tourist charge to get to Ometepe, which you’ll pay at the gate to the ferry terminal in San Jorge.

How to Get to Ometepe by Bus

How to Get to Ometepe from San Juan Del Sur by Bus

First you’ll need to take the bus to Rivas, which leave frequently from the Market Bus Stop and cost 50 cordobas ($1.25). From Rivas, you can take the minibus which costs 30 Cordoba and takes 30 minutes that goes to San Jorge, the port town. This drives slowly on 3a Avenue Noroeste which is next to the bus station, picking up passengers on the way. It leaves every hour or so. From San Jorge, you can take the ferry to Ometepe for 50 cordoba or ~$1 USD. This takes about an hour.

How to Get to Ometepe from Granada by Bus

Take a bus from Nueva Terminal de Buses a Rivas which costs 70-100 cordobas (~$2-$2.50) and takes 1.5 hours. Then follow the above instructions for getting from Rivas to Ometepe.

How to Get to Ometepe from Managua by Bus

Buses leave every 30 minutes from Mercado Roberto Huembes and take around 2.5 hours and cost 100 cordobas (~$2.50). Then follow the above instructions for getting from Rivas to Ometepe.

Check out the Ferry Schedules from San Jorge to Ometepe (and back)

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How to Get Around Ometepe

You can rent a moped for $15/day in Balgue,  or $12/day in Moyogalpa. The rental service we used can be reached at +50557083858 and they will drop the scooter off and pick it up from your accommodations when you’re done with it! You can also rent both moped and ATVs here! If you’re not comfortable on a moped or ATV, you can rent a bike or take the buses.

Check out the Ometepe Bus Schedules

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Keep Exploring Nicaragua….

• The Best Things to do in Nicaragua
• The Absolute Best Places to go in Nicaragua
• Your Amazing Nicaragua Travel Itinerary: 1,2,3, or 4 weeks
• Amazing Things to do in Granada
• Best Things to do on the Corn Islands: A Complete Travel Guide
• Somoto Canyon Day Trip: Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting
• Miraflor Cloud Forest: Nicaragua’s Emerald Jewel
• The Best Things to do in Estelí, Nicaragua
• The Best Things to do in Stunning León
• El Salvador to Nicaragua by Boat: Your Ultimate Guide
• How to Get to the Corn Islands
• How to Get From Nicaragua to Costa Rica by Bus

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Our Favorite Travel Resources

Accommodations: We use Booking.com for hotels and HostelWorld for hostels. We also use VRBO or TrustedHousesitters for longer stays.

Flights: We recommend using Skyscanner to find the cheapest and best flights.

Ground Transport: We use 12Go and Omio for buses and private transfers, and rentalcars.com and Discover Cars for rental cars.

Activities: GetYourGuide and Viator are the best websites for booking organized tours.

International Medical Insurance: We highly recommend SafetyWing for Digital Nomads and HeyMondo for those not traveling full-time, or who frequently engage in higher-risk adventure activities.

eSIM: We recommend Airalo or Holafly for getting data internationally.

Check out our Travel Resources Page for more of our favorite travel-related products and services!