Is ometepe and corn islands too much for 8 days?

Personally I wouldn't bother going to Ometepe with that little time.

You will spend more time traveling there and back than actually doing anything on the island. ...

Hi danielfe - I like your #1 plan, and yes - it's doable perhaps even better than you realize. If your plane lands at 11am, you could possibly be out of the airport before noon and maybe already to Mercado Huembes where buses frequently leave for Rivas. I just did this, took 4:45 to get between Managua and Moyogalpa on Ometepe. Unless there is a specific reason for why you would want to stay in Rivas or San Jorge, you will be able to catch the 5pm boat or 5:45 ferry to spend your first night on Ometepe.

This would give you two full days on Ometepe with the possibility of a partial or 3rd full day if you decided to skip Granada by leaving on the 7am ferry for returning to MGA and catching the 2pm flight to Big Corn.

You're wise to plan spending the night on Big Corn before your morning flight back to MGA, plus it's also an interesting place to explore. For what it's worth I've taken the early flight out of Big Corn, gotten back to MGA at 9:30am, and been in León checked-in and already walking around before noon.

For some this would all be inconceivable leaving too much to chance, and yes there's always the possibility something could go wrong. The Costeña flights and Ometepe ferries are fairly reliable. Delays with the buses or boats not running between Big > Little Corn less so. Only you can determine how much your willing to gamble that everything can and will run smoothly - as it usually does!

Enjoy what ever you decide ~

Whether to choose Ometepe or Granada with side trips depends on your interests. Granada is a pretty colonial city and has nightlife (some will say it is too touristy) and can be seen in a few hours. A kayak trip or boat tour through the isletas is fun. You don't need a whole day for the isletas. 3-4 hours is fine. That means you could definitely go to Masaya, Lake Apoyo and Mombacho. Friday walk through Granada, Saturday isletas and Masaya. Sunday Mombacho. Monday Lake Apoyo. You won't see many tourists in Masaya and we like to sit in the central park for people watching, walk through streets with hammock makers to the malecon and there is the artisan market (which is quite touristy). The big draw of course is the volcano just outside of town. They drive you right up to the steaming crater and you can walk around an old crater, nice views. Lake Apoyo can be combined with some of the white villages. Catarina for the viewpoint and trails, San Juan de Oriente for pottery... And/or you can go down to the lake where there is a public beach but there are also hotels where you can buy a day pass and go swimming, kayaking... Mombacho is covered in cloud forest. Often cloudy (especially in the rainy season) so views not guaranteed. But the cloud forest is lush with weird plants and you might be able to spot wildlife like monkeys, birds and if you are very lucky a sloth.

Ometepe is a rural island composed of two volcanoes. If you have decent weather approaching the island on the ferry is amazing and you have a view of the volcanoes from many spots on the island as well. You can choose to climb a volcano. Both tough climbs, especially Concepcion but with both you can choose to only go to the viewpoint. Concepcion is active, great views but chances are the top will be shrouded in clouds. Still, it is amazing to be right on the edge of the active crater. Maderas has cloud forest (and if you are climbing Maderas you could consider skipping Mombacho) and there is only one viewpoint. You do this steep, very muddy and slippery hike for the forest, all the plants... maybe wildlife as well (we saw monkeys). At the top you can descend to the crater lake which is also often shrouded in clouds. You can rent a scooter to explore the island or go by bus (hardly any buses on Sundays though) or taxi. There is Charco Verde with a nice beach, a nature trail with wildlife, apparently a new butterfly garden and next door there is fun ziplining with great views. There is Ojo de Agua, a natural spring pool. Kayaking on the Rio Istian. San Ramon waterfall hike. Horseback riding...

So it depends on which of those appeal to you most. I love Ometepe so that is what I would choose but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the day trips from Granada. You could go to Granada on Friday, see the sights. (But you could also go straight to Ometepe your day of arrival.) Leave early for Ometepe on Saturday and spend Saturday afternoon, Sunday and Monday on Ometepe. Then leave early on Tuesday like Jose says.

I agree w/ #2. Arriving at the Managua airport before noon, you could easily make it to Moyagalpa town on Ometepe by 5-6 pm. Then make a plan to hike a volcano or some other activities to see the island the next day. Ometepe is an awesome place to see.

But for you, the non Ometepe trip version might be better. It's always easier to relax if you don't need to worry about making essential travel connections the very next day.

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the advice! I really appreciate it. It sounds like most people would suggest Ometepe for all that it offers, but basing out of Granada if we really prefer to take it easy. It sounds actually easier to get to and away from Ometepe than I thought, and like maybe we could make it all the way from Moyagalpa to Big Corn on tuesday if we left early. Still need to decide which path is more of what we're looking for, but this helps a lot. Thanks again,

Daniel

I made 3 trips by taxi during my 12 night stay last year:
Ometepe to San Juan del Sur
San Juan to Laguna Apoyo
LA to Managua airport
and was always able to find others to share so the price was reasonable. taxi drivers were eager and even made stops at fruit stands and for photographs. first place i've ever been where i warmed up to a taxi driver. Sure beats knocking around in a sweaty old bus!

We actually enjoy the buses. Yes, they can be crowded but we like the vendors and the hustle and bustle. It is part of the whole experience to us and cheap as well.

Getting to Ometepe is easy : bus to Rivas from mercado Roberto Huembes in Managua, taxi to San Jorge and boat/ferry to Ometepe. Ometepe to Managua : 6 am ferry to San Jorge, if you are lucky a direct bus to Managua will be waiting for the ferry. If not, taxi to Rivas and bus to Managua.

Left to my own devices I prefer a bus because I'm cheap but the people I was traveling with preferred taxi so I went with the flow. Didnt miss buses that much (I've ridden my share and so eroded the novelty is).