This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel. We share our insider knowledge of tips, tricks and important things to look out for in Ometepe.
Ometepe is a must-go for anyone visiting Nicaragua. This beautiful, volcanic island is comprised of two volcano peaks jutting out of spectacular water. The island itself has many different communities, each with its own hostels, with many different activities to offer from volcano climbing, kayaking, horseback riding, bike tours, fishing trips, windsurfing, tubing, and wind sailing.
Getting to, from, and around the island can be tricky, especially in the rainy season. There are a few places from mainland Nicaragua where boats depart a few times a day for an inexpensive fee to San Jorge. Private boats can also be chartered, but are very expensive. Getting around the island is hard and time consuming -- although the place is not large, the bumpy dirt roads cause driving speed to often be at walking pace. There is a chicken bus that goes around the island a few times per day. The one road around the outside edge of the island makes town-hopping easy.
There are quite a number of Ometepe hostel choices around the island, including party hostels and ones that fund charities and community projects around the island. Most come with restaurants and bars attached, as buying food on the island is rather difficult. It is a good idea to come with lots of cash (there is only one ATM on the island) and clean clothes (all the inhabitants hand wash their clothes).
Ometepe, Nicaragua, is an amazing island surrounded by beautiful scenery and inhabited by amazing people. Make sure to talk to some locals and keep your eyes peeled for exotic wildlife.
Hostels in Moyogalpa
Moyogalpa is the largest town on the Isla de Ometepe and also the main port where the boats dock in from San Jorge. From the docks, you walk up the main street, and you will find many of the Moyogalpa hostels along or close to this stretch of road. The buses to other areas of the island also leave from a small way up the street from the dock.
While there is not a great deal to do in Moyogalpa itself -- other than eat some of the amazing foods that they have in the small cafes and restaurants here -- there is a substantial amount to do in and around the island of Ometepe.
The biggest attraction is the Volcan Concepciones and you can pay local guides to take you up here for a magnificent view over the lake. Be mindful that if you do this, it is illegal to go without a guide, and you can get fined by the police trying to do it solo, or worse.
You can hire bicycles or cars from Moyogalpa to drive around the island also, which will give you access to attractions such as Punta Jesus Maria, which is only four kilometers from Moyogalpa and is one of the few places you can swim out to on the island. With a car or buses, you can access the Playa Santo Domingo on the bridge section of the island between the two volcanoes, and it is possible from here to hike the other smaller volcano Maderas too.
Ometepe has a great vibe and plenty of things to do, and the locals are super friendly, so talk to them and get amongst it!
Written by local enthusiast for Ometepe hostels
Fro
