El Zopilote, Ometepe

El Madroñal
7.9
546 Reviews
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El Zopilote Reviews

Description

The El Zopilote Farm started as a family business in 2002 when Bruno and his sons Cristiano and Daniele bought the first piece of land which is now part of the Farm. The father and son team had travelled extensively beforehand and during these travels had started dreaming of creating a farm and space for visitors and other travellers which would be functional, productive and completely respectful of the natural environment. This project was born during these travels and eventually in 2001 the family reunited in South America and started searching for some land where they could put into practice their dreams and vision. They intended to plant their ideas and to watch them grow strong roots and nurture them in the rich soil of the natural paradise they eventually arrived at: the island of Ometepe. In this beautiful and fertile land the team spent the first five months building huts, installing an irrigation system and planting the first plants.
Since then the project has grown rapidly. Over 10.000 plants have been planted, other huts have been built, constructed wetlands to purificate and recycle the waste water have been created, paths and look-out towers have been made. There are now eco friendly compost toilets and bathrooms with a system of natural waste disposal, ovens made of terracotta bricks and mud for making bread and pizza and solar panels for the production of electrical energy. Most of the buildings and constructions have been built manually without the aid of machines. The building materials which were not found on site were transported by foot along the 300 meters path which leads to the nearby road. Even today the goods which are not produced by us, such as some drinks, for example, are transported on foot along the path.
For the first ten years of the project all earnings were reinvested in the farm, Even today most income is spent on improvements, maintenance, new projects and embellishments. Now that the Patriarch Bruno has retired, Cristiano and Daniele are running the farm. Both sons have diplomas in Permaculture design and the farm and lands are run following these principles. The owners have close ties to the local economy. They employ over thirty workers from the surrounding villages and all goods which cannot be produced directly on the farm are purchased in local markets. Many volunteers have provided support to the project over the years and we are always welcoming travellers and volunteers who would like to participate.

Location and Contact

Location

• HOW TO GET TO EL ZOPILOTE
• BY BUS: From Managua, Granada, San Juan del Sur or Penas Blancas (the border) you should go to the town of Rivas. From there you may take a shared taxi ($1 per head) or a private taxi ($3-$5 ) to the port of San Jorge. This takes about 20 minutes. The taxi ranks are situated near the bus station in Rivas. From the port of San Jorge there are various ferry boats ($2 per head)or boats ($1.50 per head) which will take you across the lake to the town of Moyogalpa (1 hour from land), or to the town of San Jose del Sur (1 and a half hours from land).
• From Moyogalpa or San Jose del Sur you can get a bus to Merida ($1 per head) or to Balgue ($1). If you take the bus to Merida you must get off at Santa Cruz, the journey takes about two hours and you must ask the bus driver to let you off at Santa Cruz. From there walk in direction of Balgue for about 300 metres until you find the entrance to El Zopilote.
• If you get the bus to Balgue you can get off directly in front of the entrance to the farm. You will spot an old yellow school bus which is our bushop. Ask the bushop girls if there are free places on the farm and if the answer is yes, just walk along the signposted route to the reception (10 minutes walk).
• Please Note: There are NO buses on Sundays.
• BY TAXI: From Moyogalpa you can get a taxi directly to the farm.(1 hour) the taxi drivers offer their services at the port. It is a good idea to contract the price before getting the taxi. The price depends on the number of passengers and is usually about $20-$25.
• BY CAR: You must reserve a place for your car on the ferry beforehand. There are 3 ferry boat companies. “Rey del Cocibolca” (tel. 86913669) is the largest ferry boat and goes to San Jose del Sur port. Or there is “Che Guevara” (tel. 25634779) to Moyogalpa and “Milton Arcia” (tel 25694284) also to Moyogalpa.
• Then follow the direction to Balgue at the junction of el Cino take right, after 8 km at the junction of Santa Cruz take left, you’ll find the entrance of El Zopilote on your right after 500 meters. Ask in the house behind the Bushop to park there they will charge you something but your car will be safe there.
• You can also find El Zopilote in google maps
• Plese note: if you think to arrive in the evening it should be useful to bring a torch with you

Map

Map

Address: Calle Principal, 300 metros al sur (al oeste de Balgüe), Del Madronal, El Madroñal, Ometepe (Isla de Ometepe, Altagracia, Moyogalpa), Rivas, Nicaragua

Distance to city center: 10.88 km

El Zopilote is listed on the following booking sites:

Hostelworld Booking.com Not listed at HostelsClub

Website

Website El Zopilote Ometepe (if you know the URL of their website, let us know and we'll add it)
Phone Number: +505 836 906 44 / +505 836 90 644
To add or correct information for this listing, please use the Listing Correction Form.

Facilities and Amenities

Family-Friendly Hostel

Groups (10+ people)

Older travelers (+50)

Party Hostel

Quiet Rest

Solo Traveller

Bedsheets

Lockers in Rooms

Luggage Storage

Safe Deposit Box

Wi-Fi in Lobby/Commons

Bike Rental (6 usd day)

Breakfast (3 usd)

Dinner (5 usd)

Parking (1 usd)

24 Hour Security

Bar

Camping Allowed Onsite

Credit Card Payments

Cultural Tour/Class

Currency Exchange

Entirely Non-Smoking

Evening Entertainment

Food/Restaurant

Gameroom

Gym/Fitness Room

Hot tub/Jacuzzi

Jobs/Work Available

Laundry

Live Music/Performance

Lounge Area

Nightclub

Outdoor Seating

Power Point/Sockets in Rooms

Sport

Table Tennis

Walking Tours

Yoga Classes

Airport Pickup

Kitchen

Towels

Wheelchair Accessible

Wi-Fi in Rooms

Pet-Friendly

Service Animals

Genders: Males & Females

Max. Age: All Ages

Min. Age with Parent (dorms): All Ages

Min. Age with Parent (private room): All Ages

Min. Age without Parent: 16

Checkout: 11:00 (11 AM)

Curfew: No Curfew

Lockout: No

Maximum Stay: Unlimited

Minimum Stay: 1 night

Open Dates: All Year

Reception Hours: 6am to 20 pm

Size: Large (60-100 beds)

Awards & Features

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