Ometepe Info Page


HIGHLIGHTS:

- Getting to know the special people who live here
- Hiking in forest behind Finca Magdalena & viewing wildlife
- Playing in fresh water waves at Playa Santa Domingo
- Watching the sunset in beautiful Charco Verde

ALTAGRACIA:

A much nicer place to stay than Moyagalpa.

PLACES TO STAY:
Hotel Castillo: $3.00 per person with shared bath. This is a really nice hotel with helpful, friendly owners and a good restaurant.
Hotel Central: $3.00 per person with shared bath. The hotel is similar to Castillo but the not quite as friendly and there is a 10% tax added to your food bill.
Warning: There is a hotel on the same street as Central (closer to the park) with a bamboo restaurant in front. The restaurant is cheap, but watch for changing prices. This happens with their rooms as well. We met backpackers who had stayed here and many had bad experiences.

PLACES TO EAT:
The hotels all have good restaurants. You can get sweet and regular bread in local shops for breakfast and there are a few comedors.




MOYOGALPA:

We really don't like Moyagalpa. Seems every time we are here we are ripped off at least once. Altagracia is a much nicer place to stay

PLACES TO STAY:
El Campesino: Farmacia Veterinaria y Productos Chemicos: The owners operate a small hospedaje with only 3 rooms. $3.30 per person with shared bath. Cheap, quiet and very clean. The owners are very friendly.
Hotel Aly: Courtyard is nice, but rooms are bad and the restaurant is expensive. There's a disco across the street.
Hotel Bahia: Watch out for this place. They have a disco downstairs that goes till 2 a.m. After not sleeping at all the first night, we were told in the morning there would not be music that evening. In the afternoon the story changed so we left.

PLACES TO EAT:
Rancho El Chele: Good local food, big portions and a cheap price. Located across street from Hotel Ometepetl.
Los Ranchitos: Not cheapest in town, but not too expensive. Good food, nice atmosphere and friendly service.




SANTA DOMINGO BEACH:

INFO:
Santa Domingo has black sand beach with fresh water waves crashing on shore. It's a beautiful place to hang out and swim for the day. The cheapest hotel is Finca Santa Domingo ($5.00 per person) and the restaurant here is expensive. Villa Paraiso next door is more expensive. You can easily visit as a day trip from Altagracia or Moyagalpa.


LA FINCA MAGDALENA:

INFO:
This is a organic farming cooperative located near Balgue on the Madera side of the island. You start the climb up the volcano from here. It's often raining at the top and the trail is very muddy (be prepared to be covered in mud when you're done). The finca charges $1.50 per person to cover trail maitenance. We only hiked to the lookout point so we didn't pay the trail fee.

There are also lots of trails other than the volcano trail that you can follow up into the forest. This is when we saw the most wildlife.

They have a lot of petroglyphs on their property. We tried to find them on our own but couldn't. Ask around. They charge less than $1.00 for these.

You can stay at the finca. It's rustic but beautiful and friendly. Dorms ($2.00 per person), Private Rooms ($2.30 per person), Hammocks or Camping ($1.50 per person). They also provide food

To get there: Take a bus to Balgue. Look for large white sign announcing National Reserve and take that trail/path. Stay on in this main trail when it curves left. Its 20-25 minute of gradual uphill walking.



PORVENIR:

INFO:
There are petroglyphs here near a natural stream. It's a good 1-1 1/4 hour walk from Santa Domingo (not 30 minutes as in Lonely Planet). From crossroads at Santa Cruz head to the left. About 200 mts later there will be a trail on the left. Take that and just keep asking people. The views are really nice. You can take a bus to Santa Cruz and walk from there.



WATERFALL AT SAN RAMON:

INFO:
Right now there is no way to climb to the waterfall without a tour. There is only one public bus to San Ramon. It arrives there around 12 noon and leaves to return at 3:00 p.m. The hike is 6 hours. There are no hotels. It costs $1.50 to enter trail to waterfall.



CHARCO VERDE:

INFO:
This is a great place to end your visit to Ometepe. It faces west for beautiful sunsets with a view of Volcan Concepcion behind. You can watch the sunset in your hammock, sipping a fresh fruit juice and listening to the howlers in the forest behind the Hospedaje and think that you never want to leave this island. There is also a small trail you can hike with nice views of Volcan Madera. There is only one Hospedaje here. It's $3.30 per person and they serve food.

Just get off bus to/from Moyagalpa at the signed turnoff. Walk 20 - 30 minutes. Road curves to the left and then right again and you'll be at the Hospedaje right on the water.



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