Isla de Ometepe Overview

By Mike Karanicolas

Unquestionably one of Nicaragua's natural wonders, this double volcano-island offers visitors a wealth of spectacular natural beauty. It's a place that evokes a sense of wonder and magic, and has been mythologized from time immemorial.

Although evidence is lacking, it's thought that Ometepe's first inhabitants were Nahuas Indians who migrated from Mexico around 4,000 years ago. The area's rich volcanic soil allowed the settlers to thrive. The earth here is rich enough to support continuous planting without the need to let the land lie fallow. Successive waves of migration left Ometepe with a diverse archaeological record, best exemplified by the numerous petro glyphs found around the island. The twin volcanoes featured heavily in pre-Columbian mythology, and were a place of great spiritual important to the region's early inhabitants.

The Spanish annexed the island around the end of the 16th century, but its inhabitants had more contact with the Dutch, English and French privateers who used it as a base for their attacks. The island's isolation meant that it was spared from most of the destruction of Nicaragua's 20th-century upheavals, though it was subject to periodic scares from the rumbling Volcan Concepción. Today the island supports a population of around 35,000. The population is mainly agrarian, though tourism is playing an increasingly important role in the local economy.

Geographically, the island has an hourglass shape, with a low isthmus connecting the two volcanic cones. Volcan Concepción, the taller of the two, is one of the most perfectly shaped cones in Central America. First appearing during the Holocene Epoch, it lay dormant for a long period before literally exploding back to life 1880. It remains active, and is far too dangerous to summit. Its sister, Volcan Maderas, is dormant and holds a gorgeous lagoon within its crater. The area around this volcano is home to several farms that exploit the still-excellent volcanic soil to cultivate coffee and tobacco. Many of these also serve as hotels, in some cases offering the opportunity to witness or participate in their coffee harvest.

For the visitor, Ometepe offers an amazing range of activities. Active-lifestyle travelers have no shortage of options: biking, kayaking, volcano conquering and many other options. And if you just want to relax, the beaches of Playa Santo Domingo are a perfect place to work on your tan. Either way, Isla Ometepe is one of Nicaragua's premiere attractions. Don't miss it.