Category: Nicaragua

A Kayak Tour of Ometepe

One day of rest was enough! Yesterday Lyna and I wanted to get out and see more of the wildlife of the Ometepe Islands. We biked our way to the town(?) of Mérida to meet up with the people at Caballito’s Mar Kayaks for a kayak tour of Ometepe.

Overview of the Day

It was not an easy bike ride or kayak but wow was it worth it. Perfect weather – sun and some wind, and tons of wildlife! I am not an experienced kayaker, so it took me a little while to get the hang of it. For most people, including Lyna, it isn’t hard. The bike ride was also mainly difficult because of the potholed roads and worn bicycles. This isn’t the Alps or anything folks!

Here is a partial list of what we saw: a caiman, turtles, blue herons, monkeys, ospreys, sleeping bats, egrets, ibises, tiger herons, magpie jays, and parakeets. There were more but I can’t remember them!

About the Kayak Tour of Ometepe

The kayak tour took about 3 hours and we paddled from the lake into this beautiful river where we were able to get up close with the birds and other creatures. Once we were in the river, which was very calm and fairly narrow, we went really slowly so we could watch the animals and try to get photos. I did my best! Here are the photos of what we saw on our kayaks.

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And Sometimes We Relax: Ojo de Agua, Ometepe Islands

I know this blog is called Mel On the Go, and I usually am pretty active trying new things or repeating activities I love in new places, but sometimes I need a break. And Lyna is on vacation, so we opted for a chill day and found it easy to relax at Ojo de Agua!

how to relax in the ometepes

The Ometepe Islands is a good spot for a relaxing day. While I couldn’t find any spas, the lakefront here is similar to an ocean, with sandy beaches and waves lapping onto the shore. It’s lovely and calming. And the water temperature is perfect!

Wednesday’s epic hike made us tired and sore, so we kicked back and took the day at a leisurely pace and enjoyed ourselves.

Our yummy lakeshore breakfast involved watching the waves and the horses walking through them outside our hotel. $3.50 for breakfast at our hotel fueled us for the day. After eating, we debated a dip in the lake or just a chill in the hammock. We had a very limited agenda.

Ometepe Islands
Horses on the beach – breakfast view
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Hiking Maderas Volcano on Ometepe Islands

We did a long hike yesterday up one of the two iconic Ometepe Volcanoes: Maderas. I am very tired and sore and damaged after hiking Maderas Volcano on Ometepe.

Facts about maderas volcano

  • Maderas Volcano is 1394 meters at the peak, making it the shorter of the two volcanoes on Ometepe Island
  • At the top is a cloud forest
  • There is a crater lagoon on the summit of the volcano
  • There is abundant animal life, including monkeys
  • And I quote “The Maderas hike is an ardous endeavour on a steep defile dug into the rock and excavated by water. The humidity transforms the trail into a muddy, slippery path and sometimes you have to really climb instead of walk”

about the hike

Our hike took 9 hours, we were a little slow going. We saw lots of monkeys, lots of mud(!), and great views including the crater lagoon. We did it but oh boy sore muscles (and a swollen ankle) are the aftermath! And we still have mud stuck to our feet and a lot of cuts and bruises!

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