Off The Grid on Isla Ometepe, Nicaragua — Carry On, from Amanda Kellner Klein

Until a recent trip to Jordan's Wadi Rum desert in March of 2018, Isla Ometepe in Nicaragua was the most remote place I had ever been. This island formed by two volcanoes (active Concepción and nonactive Maderas) holds a certain allure. The course of natural history that created this place feels so unlikely to have occurred, two massive volcanoes rising out of Lake Nicaragua to form an island, that getting to spend time here holds a bit of unexpected magic. Add in the low clouds hanging over the volcnaano tops and the endless wild animals we met on the road and you have quite the travel narrative.

A view of the two volcanoes from the lancha boat to Ometepe

We departed from our serene lodging at Laguna de Apoyo to meet a shuttle at a nearby hotel. The bumpy ride took an hour and a half until we arrived at the port of San Jorge. This is where we learned rule #1 of transportation to Isla Ometepe: the lancha and the ferry are not the same form of transportation! When we noticed that boats leave the port every half hour, we asked a local the difference between the two and they replied, simply, just the time that they leave. This was decidedly untrue.

The lancha is a very small boat filled almost entirely with commuters from the mainland to the island. We selected this route because it left the earliest but our seats once inside were so low to the water that there was a fear of getting wet when a medium sized wave passed. Silly of us to bring along lunch, expecting to eat en route, because the ride itself was nausea-inducing even without the added element of food. Having the bull shark population of Lake Nicaragua in mind as we rode along, the entire process was a bit stressful.

When we returned to the mainland the next day, we selected a ferry ride from the schedule - the cost difference was marginal (a matter of US cents) and we had a completely opposite experience. The ferry was huge (larger than the Fire Island Ferry for reference) and even boasted a waitress taking food and drink orders. We were required to wear life vests the entire ride which caused a strange stir of suspicion but the boat moved quickly and efficiently. Lesson learned: take the ferry.

The view from the second floor of our Airbnb treehouse; from the hammock to Volcán Concepción

Our Airbnb on the Isla Ometepe was one of the places I was most looking forward to staying on the trip. Understandably hard to resist the tag line of "Luxury Suite w/ Volcano View - Jungle House," I felt that the real Nicaraguan experience involved some connection with the jungle and a true disconnection from the mainland including the world we interact with on a daily basis. Ometepe was certainly a departure from the everyday.

After driving about an hour from the ferry port on Ometepe, and getting stuck in a heard of cows, we arrived at the Airbnb property. It was a jungle farm with several tree house Airbnb rooms and an open air kitchen. The room itself was rustic chic; a big bed with mosquito net and bamboo decor bathroom. In the listing we were warned that you must be able to tolerate a certain amount of critters to be able to stay here. While the room had most modern comforts, we also found a large beetle type bug hanging out under our sink that led to a dance between Joe, myself, a broom and a half held open door (we were instructed to try to sweep the critters outside as opposed to taking care of them in other ways).

On balance, however, the stay was more than comfortable. A highlight was the roof deck with two hammocks that overlooked the jungle top and volcano in the distance.

Ometepe in general is not a walking around kind of place. Casually we were told that we could rent a moto, a scooter or an ATV to get around. Turns out that knowing how to drive a stick shift car and being able to drive a moto (dirt bike) are not equivalent so our imaginations running wild thinking we would be whipping around the island on the dirt roads, hair flowing in the breeze was short lived.

A scooter can only handle the one main road and an ATV was not cost effective so we did what one may do in a country where everything seems blissfully less expensive than at home in New York: we hired a driver for the day. The 80 USD it cost allowed us a driver who took us everywhere we wanted (and had time) to go, along with our luggage, so he could drop us off at the ferry to the mainnland at our requested time.

A challenge of spending 1 week visiting 4 places in Nicaragua was that we were constantly on a time crunch. It turned out that small luxuries like this one went a long way, especially considering we had 24 hours total on the island from the moment our feet hit the port in Moyogalpa.

Being that we were on our way to spend three days on the beach in San Juan del Sur following our tryst to Ometepe, we decided against visiting one of the main points of interest on the island, Playa Santo Domingo. Instead, we opted for a hike on Volcán Maderas up to the Cascada de San Ramon (San Ramon Waterfall) and a visit to the man made watering hole that received a ton of hype, called Ojo de Agua. The hike was challenging, rewarding and beautiful while Ojo de Agua was a bit of a disappointment...

Arriving at the entrance to the San Ramon Waterfall hike, our driver patiently told us that he would wait until we were done and to take our time. All in, the hike was 6 kilometers round trip but it certainly felt longer and more difficult! The hike up, spending time enjoying the falls, and hike back down took about 3 hours.

A great excitement was sighting a howler monkey sitting on a tree branch right above our heads on the trail. We were alone most of the way, passing only a few other hikers. The trail allowed incredible views of Lake Nicaragua as we ascended and was an interesting mix of gravel and paved road, rock climbing, walking through grass, and navigating on the ledge of cliffs.

After a while of strenuous hiking it became difficult to believe that the waterfall would actually be worth such a trek. As we started hearing the sound of trickling water and, soon, full blown falls, we peered around the final, rocky bend and saw a massive waterfall, hidden on this volcano for only those brave enough to hike up.

Feeling deeply rewarded, and sweaty, we splashed in the refreshing pool of water at the bottom of the falls and sat in silence in awe of the scene. As is often the case when capturing a travel moment, the photos don't do this waterfall justice.

The hike back down was completed in bathing suits and sneakers as the sun grew warmer and we knew what the downhill would entail. On the way back, I was better able to appreciate the surroundings - high up on the edge of a volcano the sky is vibrantly blue, wisps of white cloud roll past and tropical birds sang to accompany us.

As I mentioned, when we arrived back to our vehicle we headed to Ojo de Agua. This was billed to us as a man made but naturally magnificent watering hole where you can spend the day relaxing, swimming, and spotting howler monkeys. When we arrived, it became evident to me that this was not exactly the kind of place I wanted to spend a day, especially immediately after the dazzling San Ramon waterfall.

Ojo de Agua was a concrete pool with water quality that I would not classify as clean. It had pipes running through the bottom that were clearly visible. Indeed, there was a rope swing and a tight rope area and it was fun to watch people attempt both of these. But generally, sitting next to a rather loud couple from the Tri-state area, this felt to me like a poor excuse for time that we could all be spending at an actual beach or natural body of water. In the end, we spent about an hour drinking a daiquiri and people watching. There were no monkeys in sight.

When I talk about Ometepe since the trip, I advise to visit for more than just a single day. To really experience the darkness that is a remote island at night (a flashlight was little comfort) and to see what it's like when walking home from dinner to be feet away from wild pigs grazing on the street side. On Ometepe, the focus is on the present moment with no technological distractions. The beauty is in how concurrently simple and intricately fascinating a small island can be.

Next stop: San Juan del Sur