« Costa Rica’s Jaco Beach Is Casual, Relaxed, and Unbelievably Beautiful | Panama: Seeing Is Believing »
Ometepe Island, in Lake Nicaragua, and Its Two Volcanoes
By Jane Goodwin | March 23, 2007
Central America has its share of volcanoes, that’s for sure. In Nicaragua, two of the most popular volcanoes are Concepcion and Maderas, both in the center of Lake Nicaragua and connected by a low isthmus to form one island.
Ometepe is a popular destination for hikers, campers, and other nature-lovers.
It’s a little tricky to get there, but it can be done. Every day there are more boat connections, and Granada offers many different tours of the island.
But what’s there, once you get there? Well, besides the two huge every-smoking volcanoes, there is a nature-lover’s paradise! Lush rainforest covers most of Ometepe, and in that rainforest? Parrots and howler monkeys, for a start! also armadillos, possums, anteaters, deer, bats, and all kinds of reptiles and amphibians. And don’t forget about those GIGANTIC insects. (Bring repellent!)
There isn’t any nightlife on Ometepe, but that’s not why people love to go there, anyway. You can get your nightlife in Granada. On Ometepe, people love to hike up the sides of both volcanoes, and just savor the different kind of ’silence.’ Of course, the silence is often broken by those same howler monkeys, and the parrots tend to imitate conversations they overhear, but that just makes the atmosphere of Ometepe that much, well, cooler. On Ometepe there is peace, and it’s a peace unlike any you’ve ever experienced anywhere else, ever.
The lake, by the way, is great for swimming. Just keep an eye out for those sharks. Lake Nicaragua is home to the world’s only species of freshwater shark.
Sphere ItTopics: Travel / Relocation, Friends and Family, Lifestyle, Real Estate, Destinations, Retirement Overseas |
March 23rd, 2007 at 10:11 am
Oh and the grow some of the best organic, shade-grown coffee I’ve ever had!
Yeah you visit there, finding great coffee will not be a probelm!