Wow, quads no longer enough. I don't recall side by sides, but saw...heard packs of quads thundering around. For that matter, even the scooter traffic has greatly increased. Please excuse; I just remember when Ometepe was still off the beaten path, and it wasn't that long ago!

My favorite places to stay on Ometepe are around Playa Santa Cruz and Baigue, on the opposite side of Ometepe from the ferry landing. Specifically Finca El Porvenir or Finca Magdalena. Both farms have hiking trails that go up to the summit of Volcan Maderas. Both are cheap; when I checked a few months ago El Porvenir was charging US$10-11 for walkups, but strangely the online listing for the same rooms was asking more like US$30. There are lots of other lodging places in the same neighborhood. El Zopilote is best if you want a hostel w/ hippie vibe.

And yes, you can rent a scooter on a daily basis. I haven't tried to do it at the Moyagalpa ferry landing. Only on the road in Baigue and Santa Cruz. Sometimes by mid morning the scooters have all been rented for that day.

It really depends on your interest? MX is a huge country, wont comment on that, as 8 weeks is just enough time to fly into Cancun, head down Yucatan via Tulum to Belize/Guatemala.

Scuba Diving? (Belize or Bay Islands Honduras)
Hiking? (Guatemala/Nicaragua/Costa Rica)
Surfing? (El Salvador/Nicaragua/Costa Rica)
Wildlife/Nature/Bio Diversity? Costa Rica
Great beaches and beach towns? Costa Rica
Culture/Indigenous Peoples? (Guatemala/Honduras/El Salvador)
Ruins? Guatemala/Belize/Honduras
Volcanoes (Guatemala/Nicaragua/Costa Rica)

The backpacker/Tourist trail, pretty much follows in general, the Pan American Hwy which connects all the capitals, the CA-1.

For most travelers, looking to take in the highlights in the guidebook-

Guatemala- Is the cultural gem of Central America, and 3-4 weeks would not be too much time.

Honduras- You have the Copan Ruins near Guatemala, and then the Bay Islands Honduras for scuba diving, cheaper than Belize, especially for PADI Courses. Mainland Honduras has security issues recently though. 3 days to 10 days. Many skip it though.

El Slavador- Suchitoto a nice spanish colonial city is popular, and also the coast and surf culture in areas near and around El Tunco. 7- 10 days, many skip it though.

Nicaragua- recovering from massive protest, strikes and militia crackdowns, its tourist infrastructure is in intensive care and needs tourist, many expat owned tourist business are now closed and owners fled. That said, the highlights are the north, Estelli/Somoto Canyon, Coffee Country, Leon, Granada, Ometepe, and Corn Islands/Blue fields. 7-14 days for most not including Islands.

Costa Rica- All about nature, wildlife, National parks, landscapes and great beaches on both coast, and a huge surf culture. The key parks are spread out and require a good 3 weeks with public transport, Caribe side Sarapiqui, Tortuguero, Cahuita and Pt Viejo area beaches. Rafting the Rio Pacuare.

Then the Osa/Corcovado in the southern zone, deep jungle and almost off grid.

Then you have the Central area, which is more touristic, Arenal Volcano, Monteverde Cloudofrest, Cane Negro wetlands/everglades, Tenerio/Rio Celeste and Rincon area. The northern area is also very popular for surf and beach time all along the coast, endless options.

So-

Yucatan 3-4 days
Belize or Honduras or El Salvador 1 week for 1 of them.
Guatemala 3 weeks
Nicaragua 1 week
Costa Rica 2-3 weeks

*8 weeks...will fly by

Thanks so much for all of your great responses. I think i have decided on the following:

Day 1 - Granada
Day 2 - iIsletas, Granada, volcano Masaya
Day 3 - Laguna de Apoyo or volcano Mombacho
Day 4 - Get to Ometepe. Charco Verde. Ojo de Agua.
Day 5 - San Ramon. Kayaking. Relax.
Day 6 - Volcano climb
Day 7 - Get to Leon and explore Leon
Day 8 - Cerro Negro and explore Leon
Day 9 - Telica overnight camping trip
Day 10 Las Peñitas
Day 11 - Las Peñitas. And get to Managua.

Can anyone recommend where to stay in Ometepe? I assume we should hire a motorbike whilst theres?
Also any recommendations on accommodation in Las Peñitas?

Thanks again everyone!

I'd say El Salvador makes the better one week trip. Only because the transport distances in El Salvador are so short. You never use more than 1/2 day going between places like the beach and the ruta del flores, even if you need to change buses in San Salvador.

But back to your question about Matagalpa vs. Ometepe. Matagalpa would be at least 3 hours closer to reach from Leon. There is a good hike you can do from the city center up into one of the mountain miradors without a guide. For multi day hiking from Matagalpa, you'd need to hire a guide.

Ometepe will take you at least 6 hours to reach by bus from Leon, and once you're on the island, you'll probably use almost 2 hours w/ public bus getting to the place you want to stay on Ometepe.

Živjo Klavdij,

Midva na tem potovanju obiskala Gvatemalo, Hoduras, El Salvador, Nikaragvo in letela nazaj iz Costa Rice. Od vseh držav nama je Nikaragva daleč najbolj všeč. Po mojem mnenju je Nikaragva tudi najbolj varna od vseh naštetih držav. V cca. 14 dneh sva obiskala Leon (ogled tovarne ruma Flor de Cana, Vulcano Boarding), Estelli (tovarna cigar), Masayo (market, Laguna de Apoyo), Granado (vulkan Masaya), Ometepe Island (jungle treking na vulkan Maderas, treking na slapove, ...), Playa Maderas (11 km severno od San Juan Del Sur - pravi raj na zemji).

Potencialen problem Nikaragve je, da se lahko kadarkoli ponovijo politični protesti (junij 2018), ki sicer niso zadevali tujce, ampak je bilo ogromno nasilja na ulicah, podobno kot v državljanski vojni. Tako zagovorniki, kot nasprotniki režima so razbijali trgovine, metali kamenje, itd. Lastnik hostla v Granadi je povedal, da so zabarakadirali vsa vrata hostla in s tem preprečili vdor. Po nekaj dneh je posredovala vojska. Skratka, vsi expati, s katerimi sva govorila so rekli, da imajo v primeru ponovitve protestov pripravljen plan B - evakuacijo. To se pozna tudi na obisku Nikaragve - kamorkoli sva šla, sva bila praktično sama. Veliko hostlov in restavracij je bilo zaprtih. Kjer sva spala nas je bilo morda 4, največ 6 popotnikov - odlična priložnost za druženje in izmenjavo izkušenj. Sama situacija glede osebne varnosti (možnost ropa, itd.) je v Nikaragvi boljša kot drugje v CA. Nobenih uličnih tolp, tudi ljudje so zelo prijazni in neškodljivi. Normalna previdnost ni odveč, če gresta zvečer ven, se pozanimajta v hostlu, če je varno. Če vas je več v skupini, še toliko bolje. Brez paranoje, samo normalna previdnost. So pa cene (ki so že tako nizko v primerjavi z ostalimi državami CA) drastično padle zaradi krize - dvoposteljna soba s kopalnica in zajtrkom cc. 20 usd, pivo na glavnem trgu pred katedralo v Leon-u 0,8 usd, mojito 1 usd. Vsi ki so prišli iz Costa Rice v Nicaragvo so povedali, da jim je bolj všeč Nikaragva, pa tudi bistveno cenejša je. V Costa Rici pričakujta 3-5X višje cene. Midva sva si npr. na Ometepe Islandu za 30 usd privoščila bivanje na organski farmi - https://www.fincamystica.com/ - kolikor stane dorm room v Costa Rici.

Za up to date situacijo glede varnosti, prevozov, itd. so najboljše informacije iz prve roke - lastniki hostlov, drugi popotniki. Lonely Planet, ipd. - nepopolne in netočne informacije.

Za potovanje med kraji priporočam lokalne t.i. chicken buse. Res so počasni in včasih neudobni, so pa ekstremno poceni v primerjavi s taksiji ali shuttli (le te si kadarkoli lahko rezervirata v hostlih), pa še lokalna izkušnja je dobra. Za primerjavo: Granada - San Jorge (shuttle = 30 usd/2 osebi; 2h, chicken bus = 3 usd/2 osebi; 3,5h). Prihranek je enak celodnevnemu trekingu za 2 osebi na Ometepe Islandu.

Priporočam ogled še kakšnega večjega vulkana v okolici Leona - San Cristobal, Telica (midva sicer nisva, ker sva pred tem bila na več drugih vulkanih v Gvatemali, El Salvadorju,...). Priporočam tole agencijo, s katero sva šla na vulkano boarding in vodi tudi druge ture - https://www.volcanodaynicaragua.com/

Še nekaj podatkov o nastanitvah:
Leon - hostel Poco a Poco - https://www.pocoapocohostel.com/; zelo priporočam
Granada - hostel De Boca En Boca - https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g580113-d7063235-Reviews-Hostel_De_Boca_en_Boca-Granada_Granada_Department.html; sicer zelo basic, ampak tudi OK
Ometepe Island - https://www.fincamystica.com/ (izjemno!!!; če bosta tam, pozdravita Ryana v najinem imenu)
Playa Madeiras - Buena Vista Surf Club - http://buenavistasurfclub.com/ (raj na zemlji; ; če bosta tam, pozdravita Sophie v najinem imenu).

Masaya in Esteli sva naredi v dnevnem izletu iz Granada / Leona.

Hostle rezervirajta vnaprej, za ceno pa pišita kar direktno na hostel - ker imajo ful popusta za direktne rezervacije. Booking.com, hostelworld, ipd. - imajo za enake namestitve tudi 2 X višje cene.

Če potrebujeta še kakšne informacije glede prevozov (potrebnih je kar precej prestopanj) oz. česa drugega, ti z veseljem pomagam, samo javi.

Drugače pa lepo potovanje :)

Uroš

Because you mentioned volcanoes, nature, wildlife...

In Guatemala volcano Acatenango overnight from Antigua. Volcanoes Santa Maria and Tajumulco (Tajumulco overnight) from Xela. Also Laguna Chicabal. Nebaj for hiking (to Acul and Cocop). Semuc Champey (caves, pools, rope swing, jumping...). Tikal and Yaxha for temples/ruins but also rainforest and wildlife... So 6 weeks with 2 weeks Spanish school: Antigua and Acatenango (consider taking Diamox as you will not be acclimatized), Lake Atitlan, Xela, Todos Santos, Nebaj, Lanquin and Semuc Champey, Rio Dulce (stay overnight at a hotel on the river like El Hotelito Perdido or Finca Tatin), Tikal (stay overnight in the park... there is a campground) and Yaxha. Oh, and at Lake Atitlan extreme ziplining in the nature reserve in Pana.

El Salvador: Tamanique waterfalls near El Tunco, 7 waterfall tour in Juayua (waterfall rappelling), El Imposible in Tacuba, Santa Ana volcano, El Boqueron (hike to the bottom of the crater)... Also, we actually enjoyed San Salvador and especially Santa Tecla with the feria gastronomica every weekend.

Nicaragua - volcano Concepcion and volcano Maderas on Ometepe, volcano Mombacho and volcano Masaya (you will see lava... go at dusk), volcano Cerro Negro (board or run down), the overnight volcano Telica camping trip (amazing crater and you can stand right on the edge) and the El Hoyo trek from Leon, volcano San Cristobal, volcano Cosiguina and go to Jiquilillo, Somoto Canyon, Rio San Juan: Los Guatuzos (Cabanas Caiman) and El Castillo.

Costa Rica - can still be done on a budget. Travel by public bus. Eat at sodas (the cheap ones where the locals eat). Do a lot on your own (tours are expensive). Highlights: Cano Negro, Sarapiqui, Tortuguero, Cahuita (amazing National Park), Manzanillo, rafting Rio Pacuare, Orosi Valley and Tapanti National Park, San Gerardo de Dota area, Cloudbridge, Osa: if the three day guided trek to the Sirena ranger station in Corcovado is too expensive stay in Cabo Matapalo for 1-2 nights (try Airbnb) and especially stay at rainforest hostel Bolita in Dos Brazos de Rio Tigre (cheap, amazing setting and trails), Uvita...

It is really challenging to base in any one area, and be close to access a National Park or area as a day trip, with your own transportation/rental, with public transport, very limiting.

A easier goal is the beach areas, which has lots of lodging and you are pretty much just enjoying the beach.

Will you have a rental car?

Spanish Schools in CR are mainly in tourist areas besides the capital San Jose, which you want to avoid overall.

The caribe side offers the most wildlife, nature, eco systems and bio diversity. Sarapiqui La Selva, Tortuguero and Cahuita, should be a focus, as kids can enjoy all these areas and see tons of wildlife and nature and is why you are going to CR...

The Osa and Corcovado is limited in many ways, for both lodging and also access to supplies/towns, and is a long way from everything, even with a rental car.

So here are places to consider the more local affairs and easy enough to navigate or live for a week-

Central/NW

Grecia
San Ramon
Zapote
Neuvo Arenal
Playa Esterillos
Parritta
Playa Marbella
Playa Samara/Nosora/Gouines/Garza

The Osa, in July, can be pretty rainy and wet as well, but check out these areas.

Playa Matalapo
Playa Carate
Playa Pavones
Playa Punta Baco
Ojochal (Expats Galore)

Other medium sized towns that are nice as a place to hang out.
Orosi
Turrialba
San Vito

Large towns that are easy enough.
San Isidro de General
Liberia (hot)
Santa Ana/Escazu San Jose (Ex Pats galore)
Nicoya
Santa Cruz

Areas fun with children, even if touristy, is Arenal/Hot Springs, Monteverde & Quepos/Manual Antonio

Playa Punta Uva Or Playa Chequita/Cochles. would be my ideal pick to rent a beach house, rent bicycles and chill out in a very relaxing low key town on the beach, and in the rainforest. Below Pt Viejo.

You might want get the MOON Guidebook, it has great detail and over views of all the areas, regions and towns I mention. Using the internet for off the beaten path will tough.

Do be aware with July being in the peak of rainy season for many areas, Dengue fever outbreaks are a issue to be aware of in lowlands and beaches. The direst area this time of year is the NW areas, Liberia/Tamarindo/Flamingo and Papagayo, but avoid Papagayo, all AI Resort package types.

Nicaragua is very hot in the southern half of the country, and not nearly as tropical or have the landscapes CR offers, and access to so many National Parks. But Granada, Ometepe, Leon and the Estelli region in the north would be a nice focus.