Posts tagged Lake Nicaragua
Isla De Ometepe
Feb 7th
Rising from the “sweet waters” of Lake Nicaragua, Isla de Ometepe is the largest freshwater lake island on the planet. Essentially two volcanic islands connected by a slender piece of land, the 171-mile Ometepe is one of the most bio-diverse places in the world. The tropical island has two wonderful volcanoes rising from the blue waters; the dormant Maderas and the active Concepcion, for which the volcanic ash has made the soil extremely fertile. The undulating landscape is green and lush, with an amazing range of species and habitats. This beautiful, unspoiled and remote, which can make this a challenge to reach, but once there it will prove to have been well worth it. Ometepe is being developed as an ecotourism hot spot, with jungle canopy tours, beautiful beaches, adventure hikes up volcanic slopes and stays on organic plantations and farms. You may have to rough-it a bit as development is in it’s infancy.
Due to Ometepe’s tourist infrastructure is rudimentary, you will find the roads here are potholed, bumpy, dusty and rough. So if you wish to get around on your own, you will need a 4WD or a motorcycle. A mountain bike or motorcycle are a good way to see the sites and rentals are available through your hotel. The hotel or inn also can arrange most tours and activities for you as well. The hotel can also arrange for a car and driver to show you around. If you choose, the island does have a bus system, which is inexpensive, but said to be quite slow.
For the adventurer, if you are planning to hike up the volcanoes, especially Concepcion, it would be highly recommended that you hire a guide. To hike up Concepcion is very strenuous and the trails very steep and approximately several hours long. But along the way, you will scenic views, banana and coffee farms and a tropical forest. The hike up Maderas, make certain that you bring along a good pair of hiking boots. Although this hike is not as long as the one for Concepcion, this hike will take you through forested terrain, which leads you to the volcano’s crater lake. After giving in to your adventurous side, some have been know to spend a few days on the beautiful black sand beach at Playa San Domingo, the most resorty place on the island.
For those who have a taste for the wildlife that inhabits this island, the forest of this island is the home of the mantled howler monkeys and the white Capuchin monkeys, the yellow neck parrot, the Mexican anteater and the Northern naked tailed armadillo.
So if you enjoy a challenge and don’t mind getting a little dirty or sweaty, this is the island for you. Come take a break on the Sweetwater Island of Nicaragua.
Make New Memories on a Trip to Nicaragua
Sep 21st
Nicaragua is well worth a visit. It’s a beautiful country smack bang in the middle of Central America. The country reaches from the Caribbean in the east to the Pacific on the west. Within it’s borders you’ll find towering volcanoes, world-class surf breaks, the 10th largest lake in the world (Lake Nicaragua) and the oldest continually inhabited colonial city in the Americas (Granada).
You can choose from a wide range of tours and packages designed to show you the country’s top attractions. But so often the experiences that stay with you are more subtle. Catching sight of a monkey in a tree, enjoying a cool drink while the sky turns pink at sunset, practicing Spanish in the local market, watching a turtle hatchling scurry to the ocean, surfing on the ocean in solitude, getting caught up in a local fiesta, digging your toes in the sand and getting that tingling feeling that comes with experiencing a new place. This is how memories are made and new adventures started. It’s no surprise really that tourism was a non existent industry not long ago but is now the country’s top earner.
The expatriate community is growing rapidly in Nicaragua. Many visited the country for the first time as tourists, loved what they saw and moved to live here full time. For those that make the leap, the kind of lifestyle that you can have in Nicaragua is highly addictive. Many talk about escaping the drudgery of a 9-to-5 world, spending more time with family and friends, and joining a rich, energetic, adventurous community packed with personalities they’d be hard pressed would to find at home.
So if you are interested in a new travel destination – one that is not yet a firm fixture on the world tourism map – then we encourage you to visit Nicaragua. Come here with an open mind, don’t expect things to work in the same way as back home, and be ready to immerse yourself in a new culture.
