Ometepe Island - A Trip to Paradise!

With a population of about 37,000 people on a land area of 171 square miles (276 square kilometers), Ometepe is actually full of people, although the pace of life is slow and easy.

The island of Ometepe is actually two volcanoes, Concepcion and Maderas, joined by an isthmus. It is located in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, or Lago Colcibolca, in southern Nicaragua.

We took a whirlwind 3-day trip there that I've written about in several past posts (April 8, 9, 13, 29, 2008 and June 13, 2008). But it is such a lush and richly creative place that there is still more to say! The photo at the top of this page was taken as we rode the ferry from San Jorge to Moyagalpa on Ometepe Island. The panorama of the 2 volcanoes rides faintly on the horizon. The photo above left, is coming into Moyagalpa port, and above right, the dock at San Jorge as we began the ferry journey. To the right, we watched the vehicles loaded onto the ferry -- they all had to back in, in order to drive straight out at the other side.

We were lucky to have tickets in the upper cabin, which was air conditioned. It was full of wealthy Nicaraguans, North Americans and Europeans. But many other people rode along the lower decks, overlooking the water. We ventured out several times over the course of the 1.5 hour trip, and found beautiful vistas in every direction.

This was the start of a great trip; we learned so much about the local artists and artisans, ate delicious food, and made some great friends! More to come in another post!