Nicaragua – Ometepe Island

As part of a 17-day group tour through Central America, I spent two days on Ometepe Island in Nicaragua. During this time we stayed with local families in their own homes which was a very unique experience.

Day 1 – Traveling to Ometepe Island

We left Granada, Nicaragua early to head to the island of Ometepe. But first, we took a detour to Playa Hermosa Beach. We visited the Playa Hermosa Eco Resort which was awesome – our group got our own shaded section with tables and hammocks. There were servers delivering food and drinks to our table, and you could get massages or rent surfboards for $10 USD a day. The area was also the site of Survivor: Nicaragua which was cool.

Survivor in Nicaragua!

I decided to go surfing with a few group members which was a lot of fun. I tried a smaller board first but didn’t have any success. The employee let me switch to a bigger foam board, and after awhile I finally started catching some waves. It was my first time standing up without an instructor which was a very exciting milestone! We surfed until lunchtime, where I ordered a burger, fries, and a Fresca (a popular Central American soft drink). I was glad we had gotten some more beach time before our homestay.

Catching my first wave

After lunch we headed to the Ometepe Ferry which took us to the island. We got lucky and the water was smooth during the hour-long journey. After arriving on the island, we had a short drive to the Puesta del Sol community center. There we met our host families; me and another girl from the group would be staying with Concepción, her 21-year-old daughter, and her 4-year-old nephew. We also had two dogs, Luna and Keira. The daughter spoke a very small amount of English, while the other family members only spoke Spanish. I was able to speak some Spanish with the family which they appreciated and which was a good learning opportunity for me.

After getting settled at our individual homes, the whole group ate a traditional dinner at the community center which was really good. We spent the evening there and then headed to our homes for the night. At first we were sleeping okay since we had fans to combat the heat, but then the power went out due to a thunderstorm. It was already hotter than normal that day, so without the fans it was unbearably hot and probably one of the worst sleeps I’ve ever had. To make matters worse, the power would turn on for a bit (waking me up and giving me hope when the fan turned on), only to go out again! It was a very long night…

Sunset on Ometepe Island

Day 2 – A Tour of the Island

I woke up fairly early the next morning due to the heat. Unfortunately the power was still out, so I took a cold shower which was pointless since I was drenched in sweat 5 minutes later. Our family cooked us a typical Nicaraguan breakfast of rice, beans, eggs, and juice. Later that morning, most of the group went to the community center to join a cooking class taught by our host moms. They taught us how to make a traditional meal with beans, rice, salad, cubed veggies, steak, plantain chips, and juice. We learned that they have switched to cooking with wood fires since the cost of propane has increased so much. One of the women had worked in kitchens for years, and she would reach right into the pots and move burning logs with her bare hands! It was a really interesting cooking lesson, and the food tasted good too.

Food from our Nicaraguan cooking class

After the class, some of us joined a half-day tour of the island. Our first stop was Ojo de Agua, a natural spring with crystal clear water. The waters were really beautiful, but there were biting fish everywhere so I opted to sit by the edge and eat an ice cream instead. Once we had spent some time at the springs, we went kayaking in a nearby river. We saw lots of birds from our boats as well as a turtle popping out of the water. We also had amazing views of the Concepción and Maderas volcanos. These are popular for hiking, but the hikes are both really, really difficult so only 3 boys in our group chose this excursion.

Kayaking on Ometepe Island

Concepción Volcano

We headed back to shore to watch the sunset, and then we went back to the homestay to have dinner with our host families. They made us chicken, beans, rice, plantain chips, and juice. There wasn’t a lot to talk about since we had already had breakfast together, but I did try to make a bit of conversation in Spanish. Thankfully the power was back on and the weather was cooler as well.

I headed to the community center for a bit, and we all admired the rare super blue moon. I didn’t stay too long, however, since we had to leave at 5 AM the next day. The second night’s sleep was much better than the first, and although there were barking dogs all night (including Luna and Keira), I was so relieved to have electricity that it didn’t even bother me! Overall, the homestay was a very unique experience and one that I certainly wouldn’t have had if I had been traveling solo. I really appreciated my host family being so welcoming, and it was illuminating to see what life on a small Nicaraguan island is like.

The super blue moon from Ometepe