There’s something magical about volcanoes – the stark shape, the implied danger, the breathless views from the top. Now imagine a huge lake, 160km long and 70km wide; the only lake in the world containing sharks, nonetheless; with two volcanoes, joined by a lava isthmus, covered in jungle. A place like this holds magic in it, the potential for almost anything. Welcome to Isla de Ometepe – formed by the twin volcanoes Concepcion and Maderas, in the Lago de Nicaragua, our final stop in Nicaragua: but more on this later.
We took the Tika Bus into Nicaragua – a 12 hour bus trip with air conditioning, minimal stops and comfortable seats – nice. We had an overnight stop in grungy and crime filled Managua, before bussing to Léon. Léon is an old city, and the cultural capital of Nicaragua. It’s the birth place of Ruben Dario (for those who know poetry) and was a centre of resistance during the civil war. Aside from the fascinating murals celebrating the martyrs from the civil war and giant cathedral, a lot of the city is in a fairly poor state of repair.
Neither of us were particularly inspired by the city, but there are some great activities to be done around town. On Bron’s birthday, we tried volcano boarding, went swimming in crater lakes and visited Léon Viejo – old Léon, abandoned after it mined all the gold, and then got flattened by earthquakes. The crater lakes were gorgeous, and there were some great views from the old city, as well as some interesting history. For dinner that night we decided to try the local sushi, with a little trepidation. It was better than we’d hoped, although the nigiri wasn’t up to scratch.
Next stop was Granada, a beautiful old city located on Lago de Nicaragua, the biggest lake in Central America. The city had a bit of a rough past, being looted by pirates a couple of times, and having large chunks burnt to the ground in some douchebaggery courtesy of general ass William Walker. Since then, it’s been tastefully restored, and is probably one of the most attractive cities we’ve visited to date, even if it does have more than its fair share of touts. The city had a gorgeous cathedral, nice cobbled streets, well-kept Spanish style buildings complete with huge courtyards and rocking chairs everywhere. As the sunset, the views went from good to stunning, and it was good, especially with a refreshing evening breeze pushing through the streets.
The final stop in Nicaragua was the biggie though – Ometepe. Heading across on the ferry, we were able to soak in the sight of the two volcanoes defiantly pushing out through the lake, covered in jungle. We met up with a friendly Canadian girl, and headed to Charco Verde. The hostel was based on the lake, and we had incredible sunset views, with fish jumping, flocks of birds drifting past and incredible hues of reds, oranges and violets. Whilst at Ometepe, we decided to try out ziplining. We were led on horses to the ziplining area, and then climbed up to the top, where we were rewarded with some great views over the canopy. In total there were 10 ziplines, and we were able to pick up loads of speed rushing down from one line to the next. The rest of our time was spent relaxing, chilling out in hammocks and enjoying the views. Incredible place, a totally different world.
We had to leave early in the morning, and after a couple of relatively clear days, the clouds set in with gusto. Looking back, it was kind of amazing. The sky was completely blue, but a large batch of clouds had settled around the island. If you didn’t know it was there, you’d never guess there was an island there, let alone two big volcanoes propping out. It was kind of fitting for a place that feels like dinosaurs or dragons should be roaming around, ruling the roost. Great times.
