Granada to San Carlos....stops in ometepe on the way down and back..
Hope it's up and running...overnight...sleep on the covered deck'''leave late PM and gets in in the early AM.
It's not only a good way to travel but a destination in itself.
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1018 results for Ometepe
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josekevo
That it is a very good analogy. Things had been so quiet in Ometepe; nothing happened until the Monday after the protests had mostly stopped, and they blocked the only road connecting the two sides. In the meantime, all the red/black Sandinista markings on telephone poles and things have been painted over blue and white, as has the Sandinista headquarter building for the island.
Wandergurl
Hi! I've been looking around and can't find the information I'm looking for. I have two questions, both about shuttles to/from Leon.
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The trip from Ometepe to Leon looks harrowing, with many transfers of different busses after taxis and the boat. So I'm thinking of taking a shuttle directly to Leon from the port. Has anyone done this, or know if there are shuttles after 1pm?
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My flight leaves at 2am, but I'm a solo woman and I don't want to spend the day in Managua beforehand. Does anyone know of any late night shuttles to the airport, or how much a prearranged ride would be?
Thank you! Enjoying Nicaragua very much so far.
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mrmoto
The boats to Ometepe island from San Jorge (near Rivas) are two different types.
They have regular small boats that carry only passengers, almost hourly, then they have a car ferry, every 3 hours or so, that can take many passengers and about a dozen cars.
I don't think getting a seat would be a issue, especially if you arrive early. I don't even know if Nicas go to Ometepe for the holiday, maybe ask the lodges/hotels there about their bookings that week. I would not just show up on Ometepe anytime of year, as its a very spread out and hard to get about islands, just a huge ring road around it, that in areas is not even paved...
Do keep in mind winds pick up on the lake after lunch, and ride on either side boat can be topsy turvy, especially the smaller Pangas that are passengers only...
I liked staying in the center area between the two towering volcanoes in Santa Domingo. We had the lodge meet us at the ferry dock with a taxi and bring us to the lodge, was like $30 each way or so, but that was 10 years ago...we put everything on the room charge and just paid by CC at end of stay including taxi back to docks, kayak rentals, guides, and all meals at the lodge.
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soniaberode
Again, I can't help with El Salvador. But Leon is 2 hours from Managua by minibus. The highest volcano in Nicaragua is not too far from Leon (San Cristobal). Instead of Ometepe you could also consider the Matagalpa area in the northern highlands. Or closer to Leon the nature reserves near Esteli and the Somoto Canyon.
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mstep
There have been many recent posts on this forum detailing the extreme dangers of travel in Nicaragua, including reports from knowledgeable in country people. Page down and read all the comments to get an idea of how dangerous:
In addition to all the roadblocks, it's also been reported that ordinarily safe places for tourists like Ometepe have become dangerous, since criminals know that all the police have been pulled to Managua, Masaya, etc.
carieh288164
Hello all,
We are spending 2 weeks in Nicaragua on second half of April. We are a family of 2 parents + 3 children (15-12-9 y.o.). We are fond of travelling and we have always travelled a lot, everywhere on the planet, with our children including when they were babies. We do not like organized groups, except when we have no choice (e.g. in the middle of the jungle). We generally organize everything on our own.
We do not like staying too long at the same place, we are not mad about beach (except for relaxing a bit after a long journey). Last but not least, our itineraries are generally quite "packed" and, to avoid loosing time in transportation, we mostly rely on self-driving (either rental car, or taxi, or car&driver), even if this puts away opportunity to socialize with local people.
For our Nicaragua trip, we would like to focus on both nature (wildlife), adventure (volcanoes) (our children are good trekkers) and culture (cities & villages). We plan the following:
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D1: late arrival (07:30PM) at Managua International airport (flying from distant France through Atlanta USA), night at Las Peñitas (beach near Leon) => it seems this is too late for public transportation, would you advise a rental car (what about night driving?) or a private transfer?
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D2: relaxing from jetlag and trip at Las Peñitas beach (not the turtle season but any chance to spot some?)
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D3: transfer from Las Peñitas to Leon (private transfer? rental car? public transportation?), put our luggage in a hotel in Leon, Telica volcano trek, overnight at Telica crater campground (are children allowed?)
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D4: Telica volcano trek (cont'ed), back to Leon
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D5: Cerro Negro volcano (is volcano board safe for children?), Leon
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D6: Granada, Masaya volcano short night tour (boiling lava lake), Granada
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D7: Mombacho volcano trek (seems it can be trekked with our good trekker children?), Granada
- D8: Ometepe
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D9: Ometepe
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D10: road from Ometepe (actually Rivas) to Colon (southern bank of Lago de Nicaragua) (private transfer or rental car or public transportation?), private boat to Los Guatuzos wildlife reserve (does such private boat exist?)
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D11-12-13: Los Guatuzos wildlife reserve, focusing not on crocs but on sloths (chance to spot any?), ant-eaters (chance to spot any?), toucans (chance to spot any?), monkeys
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D14: Los Guatuzos back to Managua (which way and which mean of transportation would you advise?)
- D15: early flight back to Atlanta USA and eventually France
Any comment and advice welcome, thank you!
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soniaberode
I have not been to El Salvador. I like Nicaragua a lot. I would also choose Ometepe and Leon. If a week means 7 full days I would spend 3 days on Ometepe Island (volcanoes, lake beaches, rural communities, hiking, waterfall, natural spring pool, nature reserve, kayaking...) and 4 days in Leon. If you want a beach town stay in Las Penitas, 30 minutes from Leon. A fishing village with a nice beach, fun waves and a nature reserve. Leon is a great colonial city and volcanoes Cerro Negro and Telica are great too.
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soniaberode
In July/August you will get rain but not all the time. Everything will be green and it will be much nicer than March/April for example.
We have always felt safe in Nicaragua. Common sense goes a long way.
As for your itinerary: from Managua you can fly to San Carlos or take the bus. To get to Ometepe from San Carlos it might be best to fly. The ferry from San Carlos to Ometepe is not running and by bus you would have to get back to Managua first and then to Ometepe. Flights from Managua to San Carlos and San Carlos to Ometepe are only available on Thursdays and Sundays, I believe (check La Costena).
After Ometepe this makes sense: San Juan del Sur, Granada, Masaya, Leon, Matagalpa, Jinotega.
On the Rio San Juan I loved Los Guatuzos and enjoyed El Castillo. I would skip San Juan del Sur and go to the beaches near Leon (Las Penitas, Jiquilillo).