Is Ometepe Worth Visiting? My Experience on the Island

Ometepe was our first stop in Nicaragua during a three-week trip backpacking all eight countries of Central America by land. We had just left Costa Rica, which really wasn’t for me, and by the time we crossed the border into Nicaragua I was more than ready for a change.

Then we arrived in Ometepe. We got off the ferry, found cheap motorbikes to rent right outside the port, piled ourselves and our ridiculous amount of backpacks onto one and started exploring. I loved the island almost immediately, and if I had been traveling alone with nowhere I needed to be next, I probably would have stayed much longer than we did.

In this guide, I’m answering the simple question: is Ometepe worth visiting? I’ll go through what made me love the island, my favorite parts of our time there, what I absolutely did not enjoy, and whether I would go back.

Quick Answer: Is Ometepe Worth Visiting?

Yes, Ometepe is absolutely worth visiting. It was one of my favorite places in Nicaragua and one of the places from our Central America trip that I would happily go back to.

For me, it had everything I ended up loving about Nicaragua: it was cheap, the people we met were kind, the beaches were beautiful, the volcano views were insane and the whole island just felt like the kind of place I wanted to keep exploring.

Even after the waterfall hike from hell, I still left wishing we had more time there. That probably says enough.

What I Loved About Ometepe

I loved Ometepe pretty much from the moment we arrived.

We had only just crossed into Nicaragua that day and I was already much happier than I had been in Costa Rica. Then we got on the ferry, arrived on this island with two volcanoes, rented a bike and suddenly the whole trip felt fun again.

The island also felt really local. We barely saw other tourists while driving around and there was normal life happening everywhere around us. Local houses, little places to eat, people going about their day and us just passing through on the bike trying to see as much as possible before we had to leave again.

The people were another big part of why I liked Nicaragua so quickly. Even before reaching Ometepe, the driver who took us from Rivas to the port had waited patiently while we spent forever trying to get cash from an ATM. Nobody was rushing us or making things difficult, and I remember feeling really comfortable almost immediately.

And yes, after Costa Rica, the prices made us extremely happy too. Our private room at Cocos Hostel was $12 total, the ferry had cost around $1 and even food was less than half of what we had been paying before. We were traveling on roughly €20 a day each, so Nicaragua was much easier on our budget.

→ Find Cocos Hostel here

What I Didn’t Love About Ometepe

The waterfall hike.

I had never hiked before and genuinely thought we were going for a nice easy walk to see a waterfall. Instead, I ended up in the middle of a jungle in Birkenstocks, listening to howler monkeys roaring somewhere around us and getting more anxious by the minute.

Then I lost sight of my friend, the path split, I had no idea which way he had gone and I eventually turned around and walked back alone while crying and trying not to think about snakes, monkeys or anything else that lived there.

So yes, that part was absolutely not for me. But even after that disaster, I still loved Ometepe and would go back.

My Favorite Things to Do in Ometepe

Explore the Island by Bike

This was easily my favorite thing we did.

I can’t drive a bike myself, so when I travel alone I miss out on this kind of freedom. Luckily my friend could drive, which meant I could sit on the back while we crossed the island, stopped whenever we wanted and went looking for beaches.

This is exactly how I like exploring islands. No complicated plan. Just get on the bike and go.

Spend Time at the Black-Sand Beaches

One of our first stops was a black-sand beach with warm water and an active volcano behind us that we could actually hear roaring.

I had never experienced anything like that before and I thought it was SO cool.

We changed into beach clothes almost as soon as we arrived at the hostel and went straight back out, which was exactly what I wanted after spending most of the previous days moving between countries.

Drive Around the Island With the Volcanoes Everywhere

Ometepe has two volcanoes sitting right in the middle of the island, and they completely dominate the scenery.

I had zero interest in climbing either of them, especially after discovering what a simple “let’s go see a waterfall” could turn into, but I loved seeing them everywhere as we drove around.

The whole island just looked ridiculous in the best way.

Eat Very Cheap Food Again

After Panama and especially Costa Rica, Nicaragua felt like somebody had finally given our budget a break.

We stopped for lunch before taking the ferry to Ometepe and had the usual meat, rice and beans with a drink for less than half of what we had been paying in Costa Rica.

It sounds like such a small thing, but when you are trying to backpack eight countries in three weeks on around €20 a day, suddenly being able to eat without watching every cent makes a massive difference.

Just Explore Without Knowing Exactly Where We Were Going

This was probably the best part of having the bike.

We didn’t know every beach we were going to visit before leaving the hostel. We weren’t following some complicated schedule. We could drive, see somewhere interesting and stop.

That is basically my favorite way to travel.

Would I Visit Ometepe Again?

Absolutely.

Our biggest mistake was not staying longer.

We were trying to backpack all eight Central American countries in three weeks, which meant we were constantly moving. Ometepe was one of those places where I really felt that because I wasn’t ready to leave when it was already time to continue toward Granada.

Even leaving became another little disaster. We rushed to the port, couldn’t get tickets for the ferry we wanted and had to wait another two or three hours. By the time we finally reached Rivas, we couldn’t make it to Granada anymore and had to spend the night there instead.

If I went back to Ometepe, I would stay longer, rent another bike and have more time to explore without already thinking about the next bus, ferry or city.

Would I go back to that waterfall?

Absolutely not!

Final Thoughts: Is Ometepe Worth Visiting?

Ometepe was one of my favorite stops from our Central America trip and somewhere I would genuinely love to visit again.

I loved riding around the island, the black-sand beaches, the volcanoes, the people we met and how happy I felt there almost immediately after arriving in Nicaragua.

I also cried alone in a jungle, lost the hostel key, missed the ferry we wanted and ended up stuck in Rivas.

And I still wish we had stayed longer.

So yes, Ometepe is worth visiting.

Read My Other Nicaragua Guides

Costa Rica to Nicaragua: Journey to My Country #53/197

Ometepe Island: The Nicaragua Stop I Immediately Fell in Love With

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