08/08/2022 From San Juan del Sur to Ometepe
On Monday morning it seemed like every backpacker was leaving San Juan del Sur after the Sunday Funday party.
What to expect
Ometepe
Island on Nicaragua Lake
We caught the chicken bus to Rivas and took a collectivo (=taxi) to the port. From there we had a one-hour-ferry-ride to Ometepe, which is an island on Nicaragua Lake – the biggest freshwater lake in Central America.
Hotel Casa Morena
Our hotel “Casa Morena” was only a ten-minute-walk from the ferry port away. So we could say “no, gracias” to all the locals that tried to sell us overpriced taxi rides and other tourist traps.
The rooms were basic (still seemed luxurious after the dorm room in San Juan del Sur), but the location was great and the outside area had some comfortable hammocks and rocking chairs.
Get a massage
After the kayaking, scuba diving, and after carrying my backpacks for a long time when crossing the border, my back and neck were really sore. Of course, it’s not a must to get a massage on Ometepe. But it felt like the perfect thing to do after we arrived on the island and checked into our hotel.
09/08/2022 Ometepe
Rent a scooter and explore the island
In the next morning we rented a scooter and explored the island. We were both quite excited about today since it brought back great memories from our time in Bali on a scooter.
Visit Punta Jesus Maria
Our first stop was only 5 km away from our hotel. Punta Jesus Maria is a long sandy stretch in the water, from where you have a great view onto both volcanoes that are on the island. We were lucky since we had this viewpoint entirely to ourselves.
The ride to the next place was a lot of fun. Besides local kids waving at us, we passed a lot of cows, horses, pigs and dogs that were all running around on the street or standing beside it. And the entire time we had a perfect view onto the volcanoes.
Take a dip in Ojo de Agua (freshwater pools)
The next stop was a bit commercialized: Ojo de Agua. These are freshwater pools that get their water from an underground river that comes from the volcano. It was really refreshing to swim in the pools and also the coconut with rum was very tasty. But I could have done without the touristy swings, the slackline and the rope in the water.
Indulge at El Pital Chocolate Paradise
Everyone who knows me, also knows that I love chocolate. So when I heard that there is a “chocolate paradise” on the island, I got quite excited (to say the least). On the way to the chocolate café we saw lots of howler monkeys in the trees. The café was situated right at the lake. There was only one guy sitting on one of the chairs: Olli, the German guy, who we had met when crossing the border. Small world!
raw snickers 
chocolate shake
The “chocolate super power shake”, the raw snickers and the chocolate energy ball all tasted amazing! (Blake liked the treats almost more than I did. That’s how much I’ve been rubbing off on him with my chocolate addiction.)
Watch sunset at Playa Mangos
For sunset we rushed (as we left too late – again) to Playa Mangos, from where you can see the sun set behind the volcano. It was a nice bar with swings in the water and a floating dock you can swim to.
A complicated scooter ride back
Okay, our ride home in the dark got a little messy. I’d say it was “partly” my fault as I found a shortcut that probably would have only saved us 2 minutes. In the end it added an extra two hours to our trip back to the hotel…
The shortcut went through complete darkness and was really bumpy. At some point the road became so rocky that our scooter’s engine broke down. And we weren’t able to turn it back on. Suddenly, four locals came out of nowhere and walked right towards us – still in the pitch-black dark without anyone else near us.
Luckily, the four of them just wanted to help us, pushed the scooter onto the main road and tried everything to turn it back on. In the end it was another local woman who stopped by and who was able to turn the scooter back on. So kind!
“We have a situation!”
However, at the same time the owner of our scooter called and said: “Buddy, we have a situation! You’ve taken the wrong scooter!” Apparently at one of the stops throughout the day, someone must have taken our scooter, as there was usually only one scooter left by the time we left each place. But how did our keys work for two different scooters??
We had to wait for another half an hour for the two guys to come to us and exchange scooters again. In Germany, I’m pretty sure people would have been quite angry about such a mix-up. But when the guys arrived, they only laughed and said that this has happened before.
In the end it was 9.30 p.m.: We still hadn’t had dinner, still needed to fill up the scooter with gas and buy food and 6 litres of water for the activity that was going to start at 7 a.m. in the next morning…
10/08/2022 Ometepe
Hike up Volcano Concepcion
Today we are hiking up Volcano Concepcion! Together, it is our third hike up a volcano after the two volcano hikes we did in Guatemala in 2019.
Our guide picked us up at 7 a.m.. We followed him on our scooter to the base of the volcano. I think we are either pretty unfit or this volcano hike was especially hard (I’m guessing the first one). But we were both sweating quite a lot right from the start of the hike.
Amazing guide
However, our personal guide Jonathan was amazing!! He was so knowledgeable and told us so many interesting facts about the flora and fauna, the government, Nicaragua’s economy, the food and so much more! It was fascinating!
We gave him a great tip in the end, but if you ever get to Nicaragua and want to hike up Volcano Concepcion on Ometepe, please ask for Jonathan from “Green Day Adventure” (whatsapp: +505 8828 8849 – together we paid $50 USD for the private tour and the scooter rental, plus another $3 USD each for the entry fees for the volcano).
After a total of 7 hours from bottom to top and back down to the starting point, we were ready for a cold shower and a cold drink – it was such a great experience!
Stay at Totoco Eco-Lodge
Back in town we picked up our backpacks from the old hotel and took a one-hour-taxi-ride to the other side of the island to stay in an eco lodge in the jungle.
We’ve read great things about this eco-lodge. Even though it was “more expensive” than the last hotel (9€ p.p. vs. 32€ p.p., but incl. breakfast), we thought after hiking up a volcano, we were allowed to splurge.
Incredible accommodation
And it was so worth it! The views from the lodge onto the volcano were amazing! We just got there in time for taking a shower and then enjoying sunset with a cold drink!
After a really tasty meal at the lodge, we turned on our torch and walked back to our jungle lodge.
An uninvited guest
We were so ready for bed (even though it was only 8p.m.)! However, when I crawled underneath the mosquito net, that was surrounding our bed, I wasn’t the only one in bed! There was such a massive spider with huge legs right next to me INSIDE the mosquito net.
Usually I’m not scared of spiders at all (cockroaches, yes!), but this one was from another planet! I jumped out and sprinted back to the reception while I left Blake alone with the big spider (I mean someone had to watch it so that it wouldn’t hide and this someone was definitely not me).
The receptionist reacted quite relaxed when I told him about the monster spider in our hut. He answered that this happens rather frequently as we are in the jungle after all. We knew that (of course ;-)) but I’m sure he didn’t know about what size of a spider I was talking about. Apparently, he did because he just stretched out his arm and let the spider crawl onto it and together the two of them walked out of our hut again – just like that!
We turned off the lights quickly and hoped strongly that this was the only spider in our cottage…
What an adventurous day!
11/08/2022 Ometepe
In the next morning we woke up to pouring rain onto the roof of our cottage which was actually really nice.
Free breakfast
After taking a shower at our private outdoor shower, from where you have great views onto the volcano, we enjoyed porridge with fresh fruit, a coffee and the fruit juice of the day (today it was passion fruit, yesterday it was dragon fruit and the next day it would be pineapple juice – so good!).
After the last two rather adventurous days, we took it easy today and let all the impressions from the previous days sink in.
The downside of travelling
I know people can laugh at that, but travelling constantly can get tiring too – especially when you’re moving every three days, while figuring out where to stay, what to see, where to eat and where to go next.
So far, however, we are both still full of energy and are just so grateful to be on this world trip together! Today it’s been exactly a month since I’ve left home and I feel really blessed to be able to spend another 11 months with Blake on this trip of a lifetime.
Infinity pool
In the afternoon the sun came out which was perfect for relaxing in our infinity pool that overlooked the volcano.
Delicious seafood
In the evening we enjoyed fresh red snapper with plantains (fried bananas – really common in Central America which I love) and fresh veggies. I guess we’ve become one of those couples now that often order (by accident) the same food (minus the meat for me). Oh well, there are worse things in life than enjoying the same type of food 😉.
Luckily, we survived the second night without having to be rescued by the receptionist again.
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Keep those amazing pictures coming and all the information is like a history lesson. Great to see the LOVE in your faces on your travelling experiences. Enjoy and can’t wait till the next blog. Be safe .❤️❤️