Photo of the Week: Ometepe Island, Nicaragua

Ometepe Island Nicaragua

One of the highlights of Nicaragua, Ometepe Island, or La Isla de Ometepe, should not be missed on a trip through Nicaragua.

Get to the island on a ferry boat ride from Rivas, crossing the choppy waters of Lake Cocibolca. The twin Volcano peaks Concepcion and Maderas rise out of the lake and dominate the island. There are a few villages around the island with hostels, guesthouses, and farms to stay at.

There is no shortage of places to volunteer around the island either. An orphanage, organic farms, and a biologic field station all welcome volunteers. I met an American couple staying at Hotel Hacienda Merida who lingered there for a couple of weeks teaching English to the local kids in exchange for free accommodation.

Besides volunteering and farming, you can swim in clear springs and climb the volcanoes. But don’t expect any views from the top of Maderas or Concepcion because their peaks are covered in cloud forest. It was actually so cool and wet at the top that my hiking party didn’t even want to continue down into the crater of Maderas.

For an awesome guidebook to Nicaragua, I recommend Moon Nicaragua (Moon Handbooks)

For more photos of Nicaragua visit my album on Flickr.

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