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| Ometepe's two volcanoes: Concepcion and Maderas |
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| Volan Concepcion |
Arriving into Ometepe is a magical experience. From the boat we could see Concepcion, the larger (and more active) of Ometepes two volcanoes, rising up to meet us. Concepcion is possibly the most beautiful mountain I have ever seen, green with violent gashes running down her side, and spectacular cloud formations around her peak.
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| Dock at Moyogalpa, Isla de Ometepe |
We spent the first night at Charco Verde, a hotel/restaurant on an ecological reserve. At dinner, we met a couple from Oakland: Linda, a doula, and Don, a documentary filmmaker (go figure). Don owns property on the west coast of Nicaragua, and they were taking a small vacation before heading back to California. The next morning we hiked with them through the Charco Verde reserve, looking for the howler monkeys we kept hearing. (No luck, unfortunately.) We paddled in a kayak (with Elliot, in a lifejacket, hanging off the side), then shared a cab with Don and Linda over to Playa Santo Domingo.
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| Laguna Charco Verde |
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| Linda and Don |
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| En route to Playa Santo Domingo |
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| The paved part of the road |
It's supposed to be low season here, but all of the Eco-lodge b-and-b's I called were full. So instead we stayed at Casa Istiam, a modest little hotel just past where the paved road ends. Amazingly, this road (unpaved except for the occasional steep incline) continues on around Volcan Maderas, with communities along the way. The villages are serviced by the most intrepid buses, which navigate the boulders and hillocks of the horse track every hour or so. (Most of America's Blue Bird school buses, after retiring, go on to live out a second life somewhere in Central America.)
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| Casa Istiam |
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| Ometepe's main road |
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| View from Casa Istiam of Volcan Concepcion |
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