Uphill from Here: Isla de Ometepe

Sorry for the delay between blogs, friends. I´ve been (literally and figuratively) attached to my surfboard for the better part of a week.

Let me back up just a little bit: after Granada, the next stop on my trip was Isla de Ometepe, an island consiting of twin volcanic peaks, in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. I had Googled pictures of the island before leaving on my trip, and needless to say, it was one of the things I was looking forward to the most. It did not disappoint, providing some of the most incredible scenery of the entire trip.

It´s fairly easy to get to Ometepe from Granada. I took a bus to the town of San Jorge, and from there, took the ferry across the lake. Although it was by no means a trecherous ride like the lancha to Little Corn Island, the water was surprisingly choppy. Still, the ferry was nice and slow, and the view of the island approaching was a lovely distraction.

Getting around once you get to Ometepe is a little bit more complicated, as I learned. Since there were several people on the ferry looking to be dropped off at various guesthouses and hostels on the island, I was able to take a shuttle for a reasonable rate to my hostel, but I learned that the buses run few and far between, are often slow and cramped, and the schedule was inconsistent. The best way to get around the island is to rent a bicycle or motorbike. I discovered the perils of the bus on my way off the island, standing wedged between people, chugging up the steep hills. My arm kept bumping the immaculate hair of the man next to me (due to lack of room, and lurching movements!) He was none too pleased. I´m sorry, guy.

I had heard from fellow travellers that El Finca Zopilote, a working organic farm, was a great place to stay on the island. This was where I dropped off. I was not disappointed. The farm was rustic but comfortable, offering organic food grown right there, as well as products such as homemade Nutella, coconut oil and soaps for sale. It was a surprisingly long uphill trek from the main road (okay, five minutes, but this seems like a lot with a heavy backpack in the heat!) I enjoyed staying at Zopilote. It was a beautiful area, lush, comfortable, with birds and the occasional monkey lounging in the trees, and the food was awesome. Really, that is about all I need. As a bonus, they have an amazing mirador (lookout) that you can climb, and see incredible views of the sun setting over Volcan Concepcion in the distance.

The day after arriving on Ometepe, I decided to hike Volcan Maderas. The two volcanoes on the island are both hike-able. Concepcion, the active volcano, is known as a gruelling, masochistic, twelve-hour trek, and I wasn´t sure I was up to that one. Maderas, the smaller of the two, was advertised as an eight hour hike. I assumed that as an experienced hiker, with a guide to show me the way, this was totally do-able. As I can now attest...it was. But I can quite confidently say that it was the most difficult hike I have ever done. I didn´t think I could possibly reach the point of saying this, but it made Table Mountain feel like a nice, chill stroll. The entire hike (eight hours is NOT an estimate, people!) is incredibly steep. Most of the way up involves big steps, which may be slightly easier if you happen to be on the tall side, but I have the leg-to-body ratio of a corgi, and found this incredibly difficult. In addition, because Maderas is in a cloud forest, the trail is muddy, slippery, and you are often dodging large rocks, making the footing sketchy at best. There are no breaks from the steep climb, and I know for a fact that I have never produced as much sweat as I did on the hike. It was...amazing. After three and a half to four hours, you finally reach the top. Depending on the day, you may have beautiful views from the top...or complete cloud cover. I hiked on a cloud cover day. However, there is a lagoon at the top, and the water is chilly! The highlight was putting my feet in after hiking.

The hike down was also brutal, only this time, it was my joints taking a beating, not my cardiovascular system. I found that I was looking at my feet most of the time, as falling and rolling an ankle seemed like a very high possibility. It has now been over a week since the hike, and I´m able to say that I´m glad I did it. At the time though, I´ll admit it: it was the worst! Protip: bring as much water as you can carry! The level of fluid loss is astounding.

The next day, my muscles were incredibly stiff, so naturally, I rented a bike, and rode aroud most of the (rocky! Hilly! Difficult!) Maderas side of the island. The bike I rented had no brakes, no gears...and helmets aren´t a thing on Ometepe. The roads were very up-and-down, and I often had to get off the bike and walk up the hills, as the lack of gears was not working in my favour. The downhills involved speeding over rocks and potholes, and basically hoping that I wouldn´t hit anything at a bad angle. As well as the bike ride, I also walked to a waterfall on the other side of Maderas. I was told that this was an easy 3km walk, and that it was do-able in flip flops. While it turned out to be, I would say that it is definitely longer than 3km! Not to mention another horribly steep walk...but at least the footing was more solid than the day before. The waterfall was definitely worth it. The water was cold and refreshing, and it cascaded down a huge rock face. There were lush green plants and mangroves all around....here was my Central American jungle, friends!

On my last day on Ometepe, I kayaked in Lake Nicaragua. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the mythical bull sharks who supposedly live in the lake. No such luck, burt I did see a few turtles, and lots of birds. While it was hot and humid, the kayaking over relatively calm waters was a nice change from the extreme hill-walking from the past two days. I would definitely recommend renting a kayak during a trip to Ometepe!

I technically did spend one final day on Ometepe, but this consisted mostly of drinking coffee, lying in a hammock and reading. Nothing to see here.

My conclusion: Ometepe is uphill everywhere you go, hot, spaced out (making getting around a real effort), and consistently 1000% humidity. Would I go back? In a second.

Questions? Comments? Criticisms? I´d love to hear them all!
the-wanderingjew@hotmail.com