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The twin volcanic island of Ometepe in Lake Nicaragua is bursting with things to do, especially if you love nature like we do!
Hiking volcanoes, swimming in natural springs, spotting monkeys and birds, kayaking on the lake and enjoying magical sunsets, there are so many amazing things to do in Ometepe.
In fact, it’s a little overwhelming to plan your trip because there are so many great things to see! This island is much bigger than you’d expect, and attractions are spread far and wide.
It’s confusing to know what activities really are the best to do, how to get to them, and how to combine them to maximise your time and minimise constant driving around the island.
To help with your planning, I’ve put together a list of the 20 best things to do in Ometepe, and broken it down into three sections, based on the layout of the island:
- Things to do on the Concepcion side of Ometepe
- Things to do in the isthmus area of Ometepe
- Things to do on the Maderas side of Ometepe
Planning a trip to Ometepe
Planning a trip to Ometepe? Don’t forget to read our Ometepe travel guide too. It covers all the important info you need to know about the island, like getting there and away on the ferry, how to get around, the best places to eat and other handy tips to get your bearings.
🌋 Everything you need to know about Ometepe, Nicaragua
Getting around Ometepe
Before you start planning all the great things to do in Ometepe, you have to know how you’re getting around the island.
I’ve got extensive details about all the transport options in my Ometepe travel guide, but I would highly recommend renting some kind of vehicle. Whether that’s a car, ATV, motorbike or scooter.
The best things to do are spread far and wide, and I truly believe having your own wheels is the only way to experience Ometepe.
I’ve written the rest of this post with the perspective that you have rented a vehicle. We splurged on an ATV for our time here and it was the best money we could have spent.
Things to do in Ometepe: Concepcion side
1. Hike Volcan Concepcion
Ometepe is an island made of twin volcanoes, with Volcan Concepcion on its north side and Volcan Maderas on its south.
Volcan Concepcion is known as the ‘fire’ volcano because it is still active, with a lava-filled crater and frequent plumes of smoke billowing out. Maderas is known as the ‘water’ volcano, as it has not been active for tens of thousands of years and its crater contains a lake.
It’s possible to hike both of these volcanoes.
Concepcion is the taller volcano at 1,610 m (5,280 ft) and it is a tough hike. The most popular trail starts from the small town of La Flor, 15 minutes out of Moyogalpa.
It’s 12 km (7.5 mi) round-trip, but the steepness and elevation gain is gruelling. It’s an all-day affair, and you’ll want to get started as early as possible to beat the heat.
Hiking with a guide is mandatory. The trails are poorly marked and this is an active volcano after all, so don’t be one of those people who feel it’s their right to hike independently.
If you’re planning to hike Concepcion, I’d recommend spending a couple of nights on this side of the island in Moyogalpa, so you can get to and from the trailhead easily.
Most accommodations can help organise a guide for you, and there are a slew of travel agents along the main road in Moyogalpa. Otherwise, this tour is a highly rated option and saves you from wandering around.
🌋 Book your Volcan Concepcion hike here
Full disclosure? We didn’t hike Concepcion. It was late April by the time we got to Ometepe and the heat was unbearable, we couldn’t bring ourselves to spend an entire day slogging up the slope. We’d already hiked Telica and Mombacho, volcano boarded at Cerro Negro and saw lava at Masaya. We did hike part of Maderas though, so more on that below!
2. Explore Moyogalpa
No matter where you decide to stay in Ometepe, you will pass through Moyogalpa at some point.
This is the landing point for the island’s main ferry and the biggest commercial hub. It’s a small but bustling little town with plenty of accommodations, restaurants, cafes, tour agents, ATMs and the biggest supermarket on the island.
It doesn’t feel necessarily pretty or natural like other parts of Ometepe, and there’s nothing in particular to do here, but I’d still suggest spending an hour or two wandering around. It’s part of the island’s identity and it’s a cute little town.
We used it as a lunch stop when we were driving all the way around the Concepcion side. We highly recommend The Cornerhouse for excellent coffee and sandwiches!
There are also some great thrift shops along the main road.
3. Visit Reserva Charco Verde
This small nature reserve located inside the Hotel Charco Verde isn’t anything to get too excited about, but it’s a nice stop on your explorations of the island.
The forested area has a handful of short trails around the Laguna Charco Verde and along the coast of Lago Nicaragua.
It’s a great place to spot howler monkeys, and we were lucky to see huge troops of them swinging around and howling.
There are a few stretches of black sand beaches with excellent views of Volcan Maderas. It would be a nice spot for a swim and a picnic lunch, as the reserve is rarely busy.
There is also a mariposario aka butterfly enclosure but we didn’t think it was very nice or well maintained, so you can safely skip that.
Entrance is $5 USD per person and the reserve is open daily from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm.
Lots of people think it’s expensive for what it is, and I’d have to agree, BUT we really wanted to see howler monkeys and we did, so I was happy to pay for it.
4. Walk on water at Punta Jesus Maria
Punta Jesus Maria is a unique sandbank in Lake Nicaragua that forms in the dry season.
The water recedes and you can walk almost a kilometre along a sandy point out into the lake, and look back to see a view of both volcanoes.
The beach area has become a popular tourist spot and there are various stalls selling trinkets and souvenirs, a few bars and a restaurant. It’s still very laidback, but you’ll find the typical Instagram photo props and decorations around the area.
The beach is a nice stop on your explorations of the island, and you can swim to cool off or grab a bite to eat. It’s also an excellent place to see the sunset, and you can grab a Toña from one of the bars and relax on the black sand.
If you’re staying on the Maderas side of the island (we were), remember it’s almost an hour’s drive back, which isn’t ideal to do in the dark. Playa Mangos or Playa El Peru is a closer sunset spot.
During and after the rainy season the water level rises in the lake and the sandbank disappears. It’s still a really nice beach area, but don’t expect the iconic view of both volcanoes as you can only see them when you can walk further into the lake.
Entry is free.
5. Check out the airstrip
Yes, there is a tiny airport on Ometepe, and yes in typical, laidback, island style, you actually drive right across the runway!
There is a gate they close if there is a plane landing, but this is rare as the airport isn’t officially operational.
The other cool thing about this airstrip is the incredible view of Volcan Concepcion behind it. It looks so close! It’s a great spot to pull over and take some photos.
6. Explore Altagracia
Altagracia is the second largest town in Ometepe and we thought it was much prettier than Moyogalpa.
The small town is a square grid of streets radiating out from the leafy Parque Central. It’s full of art and murals, decorative ‘Altagracia’ letters and statues, and it has a really lovely local vibe.
There aren’t too many attractions or things to do here as such, but if you circumnavigate this side of the island, you’ll pass through it. Stop for a snack or a drink as there are some nice local restaurants (including an ice cream shop in the square!).
If you’re interested in the pre-Colombian history of the island, the Museo Altagracia is an excellent visit and complements seeing the petroglyphs around the island (more on that below).
7. Circumnavigate the Concepcion side of the island
Assuming you’ve rented a vehicle (car, scooter, motorbike, ATV etc.), you can pull all these attractions together into a one-day road trip around the Concepcion side of the island.
With the exception of hiking the volcano, of course, that’s a full-day slog.
The journey holds just as much appeal as the attractions themselves, and honestly, the best thing you can do in Ometepe is drive!
You’ll have mindblowing views of the volcanoes, pass rural villages with cows, horses and pigs trotting along the road, see beautiful forests with monkeys swinging in the trees and have an unmatched sense of adventure as you cruise down bumpy dirt roads with your hair blowing in the breeze.
The majority of the road around the Concepcion side of the island is paved, with just a small section of gravel between La Flor (where the trailhead to Volcan Concepcion is located) and Altagracia. I’m sure this will change soon though as they continue paving.
There are plenty of dusty side roads to explore though if you’ve got a motorbike or ATV and a sense of adventure!
The island is so much bigger than you expect, and the driving takes a lot longer than the map suggests. So if you want to go all the way around, you should set aside an entire day.
This is how we spent a day:
- 🐒 Reserve Charco Verde
- 🏖️ Punta Jesus Maria
- 🛬 Airstrip
- 🥪 Moyogalpa (with stop for lunch)
- 🌋 Cruise around Volcan Concepcion and stop for views and photos
- ☕️ Altagracia (with stop for a drink)
We were staying on the Maderas side of the island so you might like to adjust the order if you’re starting from Moyogalpa or elsewhere on the Concepcion side.
If you’re staying on the Maderas side, you will have to drive over the isthmus area to get back to your accommodation. This narrow strip of land has several attractions which I am about to share below. I don’t think you could feasibly include (all of) them in your Concepcion day, even though you’ll drive past them, unless you were really rushed for time and kept to a strict schedule.
Things to do in Ometepe: The isthmus
8. Swim at Ojo de Agua
Ojo de Agua is a natural spring fed by an underground river from Volcan Maderas. It reminded us of the open cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.
The water is so clear and blue, and surrounded by lush forest, it was like a tropical fairytale. It is said the water has healing properties and is rich in minerals because the spring is fed by the volcano.
The springs have been developed into a popular tourist attraction, so it’s not completely natural, but we still really enjoyed ourselves. There are lounges and chairs and tables around the edge of the pool, a restaurant and bathrooms and changing areas.
The best part is the rope swings and jumping platforms! We had so much fun swinging, flipping and bombing into the pool and watching everyone else try different tricks.
The entrance fee is $10 USD, but you get $5 of that back as a consumable in their restaurant, which we thought was pretty fair. They have a decent menu with all kinds of drinks, meals and snacks.
The pool is open daily from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. I would highly recommend arriving first thing in the morning to beat the crowds. We got there just after 8:00 am and used our $10 worth of consumables to buy a tipico breakfast and coffee which was really nice.
Skip weekends and holidays if you can, it’s not so magical when it’s jampacked with people!
9. Hike the Sendero Peña Inculta Biometepe
I hadn’t read anything about this trail prior to visiting Ometepe, but when we drove past and saw capuchin monkeys right on the roadside, I knew we’d found something good!
The Sendero Peña Inculta Biometepe is a jungle trail through a protected wildlife reserve.
It’s an excellent place to spot capuchin monkeys (which we saw nowhere else on the island), howler monkeys and lots of birdlife.
Entrance is $3, and the trail takes about an hour.
It was one of the best surprises on the island for us with a lot of rewards (wildlife!) for not a lot of effort. If you’re not up for hiking the volcanoes, this is a short, relatively flat hike through gorgeous forest.
It winds through the forest and finishes a little further up the road near Playa Santo Domingo. If you’ve parked a vehicle at the trailhead, it’s only a 5-minute walk back along the road to where you started.
10. Hang out at Playa Santo Domingo
Playa Santo Domingo is a long stretch of dark sand, with warm waters and a view of the Concepcion Volcano.
It’s supposedly one of the best beaches on the island, but the east coast is on the windward side, so we found it quite choppy and not-so-nice for swimming.
The sandy coastline is a great place for a long beach walk though, and there are often people kitesurfing here.
11. Or Playa Santa Cruz
Playa Santo Domingo stretches south and runs seamlessly into Playa Santa Cruz.
Where in Santo Domingo the beach is concealed by a thick boundary of trees and the main road is behind a stretch of hotels, by the time you get down to Santa Cruz, it opens up and the road runs right along the beach, with houses and restaurants on the other side.
There are lots of little open areas to pull in your bike right in front of the water.
Similar to Santo Domingo, it’s windy and choppy here, and Santa Cruz is another popular spot for kitesurfing. Kitesurf Ometepe and Ometepe Kitesurf Center are based here if you’re interested in taking lessons or renting gear.
Santa Cruz is a lot closer to the Maderas side of the island and the hippy town of Balgue so it felt quite different to Santo Domingo, which is more traditionally a local family holiday destination.
There are a handful of restaurants on the road behind the beach, and every Saturday morning a little farmers market, Ometepe Mercadito, sets up along the shore.
Things to do in Ometepe: Maderas side
12. Hike Volcan Maderas
Unless you’ve got a week or more on the island, or you’re a glutton for punishment, you probably won’t hike both Concepcion and Maderas.
As I mentioned earlier, Maderas is an inactive ‘water’ volcano, so instead of smoke and lava rocks, you should expect lush greenery and a crater lake at the summit.
It’s slightly shorter than Concepcion at 1,394 m (4,573 ft), but you can still expect a pretty challenging, all-day hike. It’s not quite as steep, but the trail winds through a very dense cloud forest, with slippery, muddy trails to navigate.
There are three different trails to hike Volcan Maderas:
- 🥾 Finca Magdalena
- 🥾 Fina El Porvenir
- 🥾 Northeastern Route via Balgue
They all charge a fee to access, I believe between 50 – 100 Cordobas.
As far as I understand, a guide is technically mandatory to hike Volcan Maderas, as it is for Concepcion, but in practice, I think this is less enforced.
I’d recommend one if you’re planning to get to the crater lake as the trails are poorly marked and the forest is extremely dense. We got very lost and we only hiked a small part of it!
The accommodations at each of the trailheads can organise a guide for you, otherwise, most other accommodations around the island can coordinate, or you can book this tour online.
🌋 Book your Volcan Maderas hike here
Hiking part of Volcan Maderas
The beauty of Maderas is that it’s possible to hike just part of the volcano, and still get a great view.
There are miradors a short way up all of the trails, so if you’re not up for a full hike, you can still experience the cloud forest, trail and views of Volcan Concepcion.
We did the trail from Finca El Porvenir.
After paying 50 Cordoba per person, we followed the trail for about 3.5 km (2.2 mi) to the mirador. We got very lost, and I don’t think we actually made it to the official mirador, but we still found a stunning view of Volcan Concepcion and the isthmus of the island.
All up we hiked for 2.5 hours and 7 km (4.4 mi) round-trip. We really enjoyed the forest, it was so thick and beautiful and I’m glad we got to experience it without needing to slog the entire day.
13. Go kayaking on the Rio Istian
This river and swampy wetlands dominate the narrow isthmus connecting the two volcanoes. It’s a haven for all kinds of birds, and wildlife like monkeys, turtles and caimans.
Renting a kayak and paddling upriver is one of the best things to do in Ometepe, and even better if you time your visit for golden hour!
You can either join a guided tour or independently rent kayaks.
While it’s possible to rent kayaks from Caballito del Mar in Merida and Playa El Peru, we recommend renting from Playa Mangos.
This is the closest point to the river, so you’ll spend less time paddling across the lake which can be windy with strong currents, and more time in the calm river and smaller channels.
We rented a double kayak for $10 USD per hour. We organised 1 hour, but 2 hours would have been better as we rushed a little, and we ended up having the kayak for more like 90 minutes.
Time your rental for about 2 hours before sunset and you will be able to enjoy a stunning view out on the lake, watching the sun set behind Volcan Concepcion.
This was one of my favourite things to do in Ometepe. We almost didn’t do it as we were tired from hiking Cascada San Ramon, but you cannot miss it! It was so beautiful and peaceful.
14. Watch the sunset at Playa Mangos or Playa El Peru
These two beaches are located on the western side of the island, near the small town of Merida. We stayed in this area, and think it is one of the prettiest places on the island!
It’s the best place to swim in the lake with clean, calm waters and an exceptional view of Volcan Concepcion looming in front of you.
Both beaches are popular hang-out spots with activities like kayak rental and hammocks, in-water swings, docks and floating pontoons. They each have a restaurant on-site too, and it’s a good place for a local meal as there are very limited restaurants in this part of the island.
Both beaches are stunning and we spent time at each of them. I’d say Playa El Peru is a quieter, more local spot and Playa Mangos is more popular with backpackers. There was louder music and a busier bar, we preferred El Peru.
While it’s a beautiful spot to come at any time of the day, both these beaches have incredible sunset views.
Our accommodation was just next to El Peru (read more about where we stayed in Ometepe), so we were treated to these spectacular sunsets every night. Honestly, they were some of the best we saw during our 6 months in Central America, it was magic.
Spend one evening kayaking the Rio Istian from Playa Mangoes and another enjoying the sunset from the shore at Playa El Peru. Trust me, it’s worth the trip to come back to this area twice!
15. Hike to Cascada de San Ramon
On the southwestern slope of Volcan Maderas is the San Ramon Waterfall. Standing at an impressive 40 – 60 metres (this figure varies wildly on the internet!), it’s an impressive fall dropping down a sheer cliff face.
To see the waterfall in all its glory, you’d need to visit during the rainy season, but this would mean a tough, muddy hike.
During the dry season, the curtain of water reduces to not much more than a trickle, but it’s still a gorgeous hike through the rainforest and there’s at least some water to see.
Access to the waterfall is via the Ometepe Biological Field Station. Entrance is 100 Cordobas per person plus 50 Cordobas per vehicle if you plan to drive to the trailhead.
This is where things get a little tricky.
You can start walking from the field station, and it’s a 7.4 km round-trip. A lot of that is along a boring dirt road. If you can get up to the car park, it’s only 3 km round-trip.
The problem is that the road to the actual trailhead is very steep, narrow, unpaved and bumpy. It’s not recommended to try it on a scooter, and this road (among others) is why it’s recommended to rent an ATV over a scooter.
We did see plenty of scooters at the car park and if you’ve got some experience you’d probably be fine, on the condition it was dry. We got up with no problems on our ATV.
The rest of the walk is through a beautiful forest before the trail opens up into a rocky valley. It’s very steep in parts with a lot of rock scrambling and small river crossings.
Luckily the waterfall is waiting and you can cool off under the natural shower! Swim is not the right word as in the dry season there’s just a small shallow pool, but it’s fun to stand under the spray.
There is nowhere to get changed at the waterfall, so if you plan to get wet, come wearing your swimmers. We also packed a little picnic lunch which we enjoyed at the base of the falls.
16. Treat yourself at El Pital Chocolate Paradise
I have a sweet tooth, so ‘chocolate paradise’ immediately caught my eye when we were planning our time in Ometepe.
El Pital is a hostel / chocolate factory / organic farm / vegan restaurant / wellness hub located just outside of Balgue.
This eco-friendly, hippy haven sits right on the lakefront with a partial view of Volcan Concepcion. It’s a popular place to stay, but you can also pop in for a tour of their farm and chocolate factory, or simply enjoy a sweet treat in their vegan cacao bar.
We opted for the latter and spent a few lazy afternoons parked up on our laptops in their outdoor restaurant by the lake, enjoying a delicious chocolate brownie and iced chocolate.
We also tried some of their main meals and can vouch for that too, the vegan chile sin carne was delicious.
El Pital also runs a weekly schedule of yoga classes and wellness workshops and often has different events and themed food nights throughout the year. The El Pital Facebook page is the best place to check for current schedules.
17. Enjoy coffee at Finca Magdalena
Another farm-to-table experience you can have on Isla Ometepe is enjoying a fresh cup of coffee at Finca Magdalena.
This coffee farm is located just outside Balgue and doubles as a hostel. Their property also has access to one of the trails up Volcan Maderas, a trail with different petroglyphs and apparently a natural swimming hole which we didn’t see but would love to know more about!
You can take a tour of their coffee farm, or simply pop in to enjoy a coffee on their big wooden deck. Head up to the second floor for the best views of Volcan Concepcion.
18. Eat at Cafe Campestre
I don’t usually include food spots in my ‘things to do’ lists, but this is an Ometepe INSTITUTION!
Cafe Campestre is located in Balgue and is hands down the best place to eat on the island. We ate here every single day of our stay.
They’re most famous for their Thai and Indian curries, which we were so excited about after 4 months of Central American food. Every curry we tried was so delicious and tasted very authentic.
As if being good at curries wasn’t enough, they also make delicious homemade pasta, a huge range of interesting burgers, sandwiches and burritos, tasty light bites like hummus, shawarma and chicken satay and a whole breakfast menu! Oh, and their smoothies are delicious.
Make sure to schedule a few meals at Cafe Campestre; I’m sure you’ll be back for rounds 2… 3, and 4!
19. See ancient petroglyphs
I’ll admit, this isn’t something we did but with hindsight, we probably should have prioritised.
There are ancient rock carvings, stone statues and remnants of pottery found all over the island, the oldest dating back to around 1,000 BC. There were many different Indigenous pre-Colombian tribes that inhabited Ometepe, mostly on the Maderas side of the island.
You can see petroglyphs in their original location at:
- 🗿 Finca Magdalena
- 🗿 Finca El Porvenir
I’d recommend hiring a guide at these sites if you want to understand more of the history.
Alternatively, there are lots of artefacts housed in a few museums around the island. Museo El Ceibo and Museo Altagracia (both on the Concepcion side) have a lot of interesting pieces.
20. Circumnavigate the Maderas side
As you can see, there are a lot more activities on the Maderas side, and it takes a lot longer than just one day to see and do everything.
If you follow our advice on where to stay in Ometepe, you’ll probably be staying in Merida or Balgue so you can spread these sights across multiple days, but I would still recommend driving a complete loop of this side of the island at least once.
We did this on the day we hiked Cascada de San Ramon. The waterfall is tucked in the southwest corner so it makes sense to drive there one way and back another, completing a loop.
The stretch of road between Merida and Balgue on the far east of the island was the most remote place we experienced. The road is all unpaved (but in pretty decent condition), and except for a few small towns, it was just rural farmland, friendly farmers, horses roaming in fields and adorable baby pigs running around on the road.
The coastline here is quiet and beautiful and every now and then you’ll find a random mansion or hotel perched right against the lake. Most have restaurants which is a nice stop for lunch after hiking the waterfall, but I wouldn’t rely on anything being open.
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Final thoughts: Things to do in Ometepe Nicaragua
There are so many amazing things to do in Ometepe, but I was so confused before we visited about the best way to fit them all in.
The island is much bigger than you think, so understanding where each attraction is and how to combine them to maximise time and minimise driving is important.
I hope this post has clearly laid out the best things to do and you can easily plan your time on the island.
If you’re still confused, check out my Ometepe travel guide too, which has a lot more context and information about the island.
MORE OMETEPE POSTS
