Nicaragua · Rivas

Ometepe.

Two volcanoes in Lake Nicaragua

6 places
6 unconfirmed
checked Oct 2026
14 sources

Before you go,
understand the place.

Ometepe, in Lake Nicaragua, gathers Concepción volcano, which INETER considers active, and Maderas, which INTUR describes as inactive and covered in cloud forest; as well as Ojo de Agua, San Ramón waterfall, Charco Verde and the Ometepe Museum. Every card has unconfirmed status: almost all data come from travel guides.

Best time to go: According to Canada, the rainy season runs from May to November, with October the wettest month, and the hurricane season from mid-May to the end of November on the Pacific and from early June to the end of November in the Atlantic and the Caribbean. It is an approximate national pattern, not a climate record for each region. Follow the civil protection authorities’ instructions.
Getting there: This guide does not calculate road routes or travel times and offers no arrival points. Ferries and smaller boats leave San Jorge for Moyogalpa (about 60–70 minutes) and San José del Sur (80–90 minutes), according to two travel guides (2024 and September 2026): the ferry costs C$50 and the boat C$35, there are fewer crossings on Sundays and holidays, and the timetables differ between sources. In April 2026 the boat operators warned that, without dredging, the low lake level could interrupt transport to the island (Despacho 505).

Get your bearings before you set out

Destination map

6 places with their status. Open a pin for details and sources, or use the list.

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Status unconfirmed

Groups: the number in the middle is the total of places; the ring shows their statuses. Open a group to see the breakdown.

The “Open and seasonal” filter covers open (0) and seasonal (0) places. Check dates and conditions on each place.

Map: © Stadia Maps © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap

Two ways to explore

Themed guides

Places grouped by theme, to plan your day.

2 places
Ometepe's volcanoes
Concepción, which INETER considers active, and Maderas, which INTUR describes as inactive: both with unconfirmed status and, according to Canada, with a mandatory local guide.
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4 places
Water, forest and museum
Ojo de Agua, San Ramón waterfall, Charco Verde and the Ometepe Museum, all with unconfirmed status.
Open the full guide

The place, in context

Everything you can do

Closed or restricted places are included and flagged, so you know what to expect.

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Showing 6 of 6 · 6 unconfirmed, flagged

Nature and jungle · 5

NatureStatus unconfirmed
Concepción Volcano
Ometepe Island. The pin is the approximate summit in OpenStreetMap; it is not the entrance.7 km in a straight line from the regional map centre
Entry
Not confirmed
Hours
Not stated
Booking
Not stated
A 1,610 m volcano that dominates Ometepe and that INETER considers active; INTUR gives a climb of 8 to 10 hours there and back, and the press reported a small explosion of gas and ash on 16 May 2024, according to INETER.
Status not confirmed: INETER considers it active and no current status or alert level was read (its latest published monthly bulletin is May 2026); INTUR gives March 2010 as the last eruption, and the press an explosion in May 2024. The absence of an alert does not guarantee safety. Check before you go.
Source: INTUR (visitanicaragua.com) – Volcán Concepción (sin fecha) · 2026 · +5
Practical details and sources
Entry
A travel guide (updated January 2025) gives a US$3 park entry fee, paid at a hut at the entrance, on top of the guided tour (about US$28 per person including entry); another undated source gives US$20 to US$30 per person for the guide. No official fee was read.
Time needed
8 to 10 hours there and back, according to INTUR.
Tip: Canada says you must be accompanied by a local guide to climb Concepción (advice of 31 August 2026).
Nearby: Ometepe Museum (5.5 km) · Ojo de Agua (6.5 km) · Charco Verde Reserve (6.9 km)
Sources: INTUR (visitanicaragua.com) – Volcán Concepción (sin fecha) · Gobierno de Canadá – Nicaragua travel advice (31 ago. 2026) · Confidencial – Explosión en el volcán Concepción, según INETER (17 may. 2024) · Along Dusty Roads – Hiking Concepción (act. ene. 2025) · Hostal Casa Moreno – Volcán Concepción (sin fecha) · INETER – Boletines volcanológicos y geológicos mensuales (consultada oct. 2026; el más reciente publicado: mayo de 2026)
NatureStatus unconfirmed
Maderas Volcano National Park
Ometepe Island. The pin is the approximate summit in OpenStreetMap; it is not the entrance.9 km in a straight line from the regional map centre
Entry
Not confirmed
Hours
Not stated
Booking
Not stated
A 1,394 m volcano that INTUR describes as inactive, covered in cloud forest and with a lagoon in its crater; the national park, of 2,638 ha and declared in 2013, lies in the Ometepe Biosphere Reserve, according to MARENA.
Status not confirmed: the latest MARENA note read on the park dates from 2023 and does not regulate climbs or fees; sources disagree on whether a guide is mandatory. The absence of an alert does not guarantee safety. Check before you go.
Source: INTUR (visitanicaragua.com) – Volcán Maderas (sin fecha) · 2026 · +4
Practical details and sources
Entry
No park fee was read. An operator (© 2018-2022) charges US$35 for one person, US$25 per person for two and US$20 per person for three or more for the guide, plus the park entry fee, without giving its amount.
Time needed
About 8 hours, according to that operator, which advises leaving around 8:00 a.m.
Tip: Canada says you must be accompanied by a local guide to climb Maderas (advice of 31 August 2026); a local guesthouse gives it only as highly recommended.
Nearby: San Ramón Waterfall (1.4 km) · Ojo de Agua (10.2 km) · Charco Verde Reserve (13.7 km)
Sources: INTUR (visitanicaragua.com) – Volcán Maderas (sin fecha) · MARENA – Parque Nacional Volcán Maderas (11 sep. 2023) · Gobierno de Canadá – Nicaragua travel advice (31 ago. 2026) · Selvista – Maderas hike (© 2018-2022) · Hostal Casa Moreno – Volcán Maderas (sin fecha)
NatureStatus unconfirmed
Ojo de Agua
About 5 km from Altagracia, along the road to Playa Santo Domingo, according to the same guide. The pin is the pool in OpenStreetMap; it is not the entrance.2.2 km in a straight line from the regional map centre
Entry
Sources disagree
Hours
Not stated
Booking
Not stated
A natural spring pool of crystal-clear water, with swimming areas rimmed with cement, according to an undated travel guide.
Status not confirmed: there are only undated travel guides, which disagree on the fee, and no source from the site. Check before you go.
Source: Ometepe Nicaragua Travel Guide – Ojo de Agua (sin fecha) · 2026 · +1
Practical details and sources
Entry
Two undated guides disagree: US$3 and US$10 per person. No fee from the owners was read.
Nearby: Ometepe Museum (5.3 km) · Concepción Volcano (6.5 km) · Charco Verde Reserve (8.5 km)
Sources: Ometepe Nicaragua Travel Guide – Ojo de Agua (sin fecha) · Ometepe Info – Ojo de Agua (sin fecha)
NatureStatus unconfirmed
San Ramón Waterfall
Altagracia, Ometepe Island; the entry point is the Ometepe Biological Field Station in Mérida, according to that guide. The pin is the waterfall in OpenStreetMap; it is not the entrance.9.3 km in a straight line from the regional map centre
Entry
Not confirmed
Hours
Not stated
Booking
Not stated
A waterfall on the slopes of Maderas reached by a trail from the Ometepe Biological Field Station in Mérida, the point of entry, according to a travel guide (December 2024).
Status not confirmed: access, fee and hours data date from 2024 and come from secondary sources; no source from the farm or the field station was read. Check before you go.
Source: Canal 4 – Cascada San Ramón (12 sep. 2024) · 2024 · +1
Practical details and sources
Entry
About US$3 (C$100) per person for access to the farm, according to the press (September 2024) and a travel guide (December 2024). No official fee was read.
Hours
According to that guide, nobody is allowed up after 2:00 p.m., for safety.
Time needed
Sources disagree: a walk of just over an hour (press, 2024) or 3 to 4 hours on foot from the bottom (travel guide, 2024).
Nearby: Maderas Volcano National Park (1.4 km) · Ojo de Agua (10.8 km) · Charco Verde Reserve (13.3 km)
Sources: Canal 4 – Cascada San Ramón (12 sep. 2024) · Hidden Nicaragua – San Ramón waterfall (15 dic. 2024)
NatureStatus unconfirmed
Charco Verde Reserve
Around km 12 of the Moyogalpa–Altagracia road; you enter through the hotel, according to ViaNica. The pin is the lagoon in OpenStreetMap; it is not the entrance.7 km in a straight line from the regional map centre
Entry
Not confirmed
Hours
Not stated
Booking
Not stated
A protected area between Ometepe's two volcanoes with a lagoon, forest and a beach, according to ViaNica.
Status not confirmed: the only source read is an undated ViaNica page. Check before you go.
Source: ViaNica – Charco Verde (sin fecha) · 2026
Practical details and sources
Entry
ViaNica, undated, gives an entry fee of less than one dollar that includes the hotel's changing room and shower. No current fee was read.
Nearby: Concepción Volcano (6.9 km) · Ojo de Agua (8.5 km) · Ometepe Museum (11.4 km)
Sources: ViaNica – Charco Verde (sin fecha)

Living culture · 1

CultureStatus unconfirmed
Ometepe Museum
Next to Altagracia town hall, according to the INC. The pin is the museum (way 1173111514) in OpenStreetMap; it is not the entrance.7.3 km in a straight line from the regional map centre
Entry
Not stated
Hours
Mon–Fri 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 1:00–5:00 p.m.; Sat 8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Booking
Not stated
A museum opened in 1994 with three rooms, on the environment, ethnology and archaeology, and pre-Columbian statues, according to the INC.
Status not confirmed: the INC publishes its hours on an undated page and no source read publishes its fee. Check before you go.
Source: INC – Museos y sitios históricos (consultada oct. 2026) · 2026 · +1
Practical details and sources
Hours
Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.; Saturdays, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., according to the INC.
Nearby: Ojo de Agua (5.3 km) · Concepción Volcano (5.5 km) · Charco Verde Reserve (11.4 km)
Sources: INC – Museos y sitios históricos (consultada oct. 2026) · Ometepe Island Info – Museo de Ometepe (sin fecha)

Ometepe · Practical guide

Practical tips

For both volcanoes, Canada says you must go with a local guide (advice of 31 August 2026); the guide and entry prices on the cards come from travel guides and operators.
MARENA opened Plan de las Flores Natural Park in May 2023, in the San Ramón community (Altagracia), with three trails, an arboretum and green iguana breeding; its hours, fee or any later confirmation were not read.
At San Ramón waterfall, according to a travel guide (December 2024), nobody is allowed up after 2:00 p.m.: go in the morning.

Safety and precautions

The United States advises travellers to reconsider travel (level 3, advisory reissued on 14 May 2026) due to crime, limited healthcare, wrongful detention and arbitrary enforcement of local laws.
According to the United States, Nicaragua has denied entry to or expelled US citizens, particularly people linked to NGOs, universities, churches or the media, and checks their social media.
Canada advises a high degree of caution throughout the country (update of 31 August 2026) due to the political situation, the potential for civil unrest and crime.
Spain advises extreme caution (update of 26 May 2026).
The United Kingdom has no resident embassy in Nicaragua and supports its citizens from San José (Costa Rica).
Nicaraguan law bars foreigners from any political activity: taking part in protests or spreading criticism, including on social media, can lead to detention or deportation, according to Canada and the United Kingdom.
Use authorised red-plate taxis or radio-dispatched taxis: the United Kingdom warns of express kidnappings in unauthorised taxis.
Canada says you must be accompanied by a local guide to visit some volcanoes, including Maderas and Concepción on Ometepe; the United Kingdom advises against hiking on volcanoes without an experienced guide. INETER considers Concepción active.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a guide to climb Ometepe's volcanoes?

Canada says you must be accompanied by a local guide to climb Maderas and Concepción (advice of 31 August 2026). The Nicaraguan rule was not read; a local guesthouse gives a guide for Maderas only as highly recommended.

How long does it take to climb Concepción?

8 to 10 hours there and back, according to INTUR. A travel guide (updated January 2025) gives about 12 km in total.

How much is Ojo de Agua?

Two undated guides disagree: US$3 and US$10 per person. No fee from the owners was read.

Ometepe · Practical guide

Sources consulted

Information checked in October 2026. Prices, hours and rules change: confirm them with the official source before you travel.

Before you go,understand the place.

Themed guides

Ometepe's volcanoes

Water, forest and museum

Everything you can do

Nature and jungle · 5

Concepción Volcano

Maderas Volcano National Park

Ojo de Agua

San Ramón Waterfall

Charco Verde Reserve