Ometepe

Two volcanoes in Lake Nicaragua

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.

By Asesordeviaje.com Editorial Team · updated October 5, 2026

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

Plan your visit

The practical information you need to plan your visit

The essentials

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: 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).

Tips and precautions

For Concepción, set off early and with a local guide: the climb takes 8 to 10 hours there and back.
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 and current operation are unconfirmed.
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 14 October 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?

Go with a local guide to climb Maderas and Concepción. What Nicaraguan rules require is unconfirmed; a local guesthouse calls a guide for Maderas 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 travel guides disagree: US$3 and US$10 per person. The owners' fee is unconfirmed.

Sources

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

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

Concepción Volcano
NatureStatus unconfirmed
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.
Current status and alert level unconfirmed: INETER considers it active and 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.
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 source gives US$20 to US$30 per person for the guide. The official fee is unconfirmed.
Time needed
8 to 10 hours there and back, according to INTUR.
Source
INTUR (visitanicaragua.com) – Volcán Concepción · 2026 · +5
Tip: Canada says you must be accompanied by a local guide to climb Concepción (advice of 14 October 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 · Gobierno de Canadá – Nicaragua travel advice (act. 14 oct. 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 · INETER – Boletines volcanológicos y geológicos mensuales (el más reciente publicado: mayo de 2026)
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
Photo: ElmerGuevara · CC BY-SA 3.0
Maderas Volcano National Park
NatureStatus unconfirmed
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 unconfirmed: the latest MARENA note on the park dates from 2023 and does not regulate climbs or fees; accounts disagree on whether a guide is mandatory. The absence of an alert does not guarantee safety.
Practical details and sources
Entry
The park fee is unconfirmed. 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.
Source
INTUR (visitanicaragua.com) – Volcán Maderas · 2026 · +4
Tip: Canada says you must be accompanied by a local guide to climb Maderas (advice of 14 October 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 · MARENA – Parque Nacional Volcán Maderas (11 sep. 2023) · Gobierno de Canadá – Nicaragua travel advice (act. 14 oct. 2026) · Selvista – Maderas hike (© 2018-2022) · Hostal Casa Moreno – Volcán Maderas
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
Photo: Mat Honan · CC BY 2.0
Ojo de Agua
NatureStatus unconfirmed
A natural spring pool of crystal-clear water, with swimming areas rimmed with cement, according to a travel guide.
Status unconfirmed: travel guides disagree on the fee.
Practical details and sources
Entry
Two travel guides disagree: US$3 and US$10 per person. The owners' fee is unconfirmed.
Source
Ometepe Nicaragua Travel Guide – Ojo de Agua · 2026 · +1
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 · Ometepe Info – 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
Photo: maspangler · CC BY 2.0
San Ramón Waterfall
NatureStatus unconfirmed
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 unconfirmed: access, fee and hours data date from 2024 and come from secondary sources.
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). The official fee is unconfirmed.
Hours
According to that guide, nobody is allowed up after 2:00 p.m., for safety.
Time needed
A walk of just over an hour (press, 2024) or 3 to 4 hours on foot from the bottom (travel guide, 2024), depending on the source.
Source
Canal 4 – Cascada San Ramón (12 sep. 2024) · 2024 · +1
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)
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
Photo: BluesyPete · CC BY-SA 3.0
Charco Verde Reserve
NatureStatus unconfirmed
A protected area between Ometepe's two volcanoes with a lagoon, forest and a beach, according to ViaNica.
Status unconfirmed: the information comes from a ViaNica page.
Practical details and sources
Entry
ViaNica gives an entry fee of less than one dollar that includes the hotel's changing room and shower. The current fee is unconfirmed.
Source
ViaNica – Charco Verde · 2026
Nearby: Concepción Volcano (6.9 km) · Ojo de Agua (8.5 km) · Ometepe Museum (11.4 km)
Sources: ViaNica – Charco Verde
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

Living culture · 1

Ometepe Museum
CultureStatus unconfirmed
A museum opened in 1994 with three rooms, on the environment, ethnology and archaeology, and pre-Columbian statues, according to the INC.
The INC publishes its hours, but whether they are current and the fee are unconfirmed.
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.
Source
INC – Museos y sitios históricos · 2026 · +1
Nearby: Ojo de Agua (5.3 km) · Concepción Volcano (5.5 km) · Charco Verde Reserve (11.4 km)
Sources: INC – Museos y sitios históricos · Ometepe Island Info – Museo de Ometepe
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

Before you go, understand the place.

Themed guides

Ometepe's volcanoes

Water, forest and museum

Plan your visit

The essentials

Tips and precautions

Safety and precautions

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Everything you can do

Nature and jungle · 5

Concepción Volcano

Maderas Volcano National Park

Ojo de Agua

San Ramón Waterfall

Charco Verde Reserve

Living culture · 1

Ometepe Museum

Keep exploring Nicaragua