I had been wanting to visit Ometepe for years! Grant and I were supposed to go on our 2018 backpacking trip through Central America but plans changed when my grandmother passed away. Then we were going to visit when I was pregnant with Marin in 2019, but I was nervous about riding around pot hole-filled roads on a moped while pregnant with our first child so we stuck to San Juan del Sur instead.
Flash forward to 2024 and Marin is now in kindergarten and his school was on summer break longer than most of the other school’s in the area so I decided instead of paying for another week of summer camp or doing our usual activities again, we would take a family vacation to Nicaragua!
Getting to Isla Ometepe with Toddlers
We live in Costa Rica so we drove to Penas Blancas and then walked across the border to Nicaragua. We passed several taxis offering us a ride. We knew where we were headed…the chicken bus!
Riding the Chicken Bus to Rivas
I wanted the kids to have a true backpacking experience. We had stayed at the Waldorf Astoria in Laguna Beach for Grant’s birthday the month prior so I didn’t want them to think that was normal. We were ready to rough it! The chicken bus is a packed former public school bus (There were no chickens on our trip this time though!). Grant and I took them all the time when backpacking Nicaragua and Guatemala years prior and were excited to relive it! It was the same; crowded, hot, and CHEAP. Like it literally costs $1.00. We boarded the chicken bus to Rivas and then caught a cab to the ferry dock in San Jorge. (The cab cost around $6.00.)
Ferry to Isla Ometepe: San Jorge to Moyogalpa
This is where we boarded our ferry to Ometepe. The ferry ride is beautiful! You cross Lake Nicaragua and can see both volcanos. It just seems magical! On the way there we sat on top and soaked up the sun, listened to music, snacked on plantain chips, and drank Toñas.
While on our return trip, we were tired so we sat below and watched the Olympics! Marin got a kick out of the figure skating.
Taxi from Moyogolpa to Playa Mangos
In San Jorge, a man working at a tourist booth asked if we had a ride coordinated once we arrived on the island. We didn’t so he called one for us. Once the ferry docked in Moyogalpa we hopped in our taxi (he was waiting for us with a sign) The taxi was $35 but the ride was about an hour so it seemed fair.
There is a public bus on the island but apparently it is infrequent so we were tired at this point (We had left our house at 3 am to drive to the border!) and paid for convenience. Another backpacker hitched a ride with us too but I’m assuming she paid less because he asked her to ride in the bed of the truck. We invited her in the cab but I think she’s rather take her chance with potential rain than potential cranky toddlers!
Getting Around Isla Ometepe with Toddlers
Most travelers rent a moped, but we are a family of four (and I don’t like to drive things that aren’t cars) so we opted for a quad. On the phone the guy assured our host that we would all fit no problem so we were expecting a large quad. What we got instead? A tiny one but we made it work.
We actually had a blast! We had arranged to have a driver take us around one day for the same price of the quad but after spending one hour with the driver we missed the quad and re-rented it! The driver was a little shady too so we were happy to ditch him. I wish I would have brought kid-sized helmets. They didn’t have any small enough to fit Hobie’s head. They aren’t mandatory and many kids go without them but I would have felt more relaxed had we had one. He rode in the ErgoBaby carrier with me.
Where to Stay in Isla Ometepe with Toddlers
Again, I wanted this trip to be a true backpacking adventure so while there were some nicer accommodations we may have typically opted for, we glamped instead! We stayed at La Sirenita and it was so cute. There are only a few little palapa camping huts but they are right on the water and you can see the volcano from your room!
The staff was so sweet. We stayed up and chatted with the manager one night and they helped us find Hobie’s beloved stuffed turtle we lost. The best part for kids? There are cute farm animals roaming the property. We had four nights booked initially but then decided we had explored the majority of Ometepe in three. We like camping but heading out a night early for a hotel with A/C is nice too!
Right next door is Playa Mangos which is a fun restaurant and bar. They have kayaks you can rent and a swing the kids loved. If you’re on a budget, don’t hesitate this place is perfect! We stayed for around $30 a night. Nicaragua is cheap, y’all! Even if you decide you want to stay at a nicer place I recommend staying in this part of the island rather than in Moyogalpa.
What to Do in Isla Ometepe with Toddlers
Spend the afternoon at Playa Mangoes
Like I mentioned, our glamp-site was right next to Playa Mangos so we went twice. It is the perfect spot to rent a kayak (for $5.00!), swing on the swing, jump on the water trampoline, or simply relax on the beach. The food and drinks are pretty good too! It is a really nice vibe. Make sure you go for sunset!
Coffee at Finca Magdelena
I thought this was going to be much more of a production with coffee tours and tastings but instead it is a semi dilapidated plantation house serving good breakfast and decent coffee. The surrounding grounds are full of beautiful flowers and butterflies and if you go to the top you can see a nice view of the island. The staff seemed surprised we were there and it almost seemed like their house. They were super friendly and it was nice for a quick stop.
Chocolate Tasting at Pital Chocolate Paradise
This place is so cute! It is a hotel but they have a restaurant right on the water that is open to the public. I unfortunately had to take an hour long work call while we were here so I hid out in a cabana but Grant and the boys sampled all of the chocolates and hot chocolates! If you are an authentic cacao lover you are in for a treat!
Swim in Ojo de Agua
This is a public swimming hole that is made up of natural spring water. it reminded me of the many cenotes we visited in Mexico. I imagined this to be much more of a natural pond in the jungle but it was very touristic with a restaurant, bar, gift shop, and rope swing! it’s definitely a great place to cool off on a hot day!
Eat at Zapote
This farm to table restaurant is in boutique Hotel Selvista. The hotel is literally hidden in the jungle and we went for a beautiful sunset dinner. The restaurant has amazing volcano views. The boys were tired and kind of a mess at dinner but the food was deliciously cooked with local ingredients and the server was so knowledgeable and kind. Great experience!
Shop at the Farmer’s Market in Santa Cruz
I love a farmer’s market and frequent them so this one was a little underwhelming if I’m honest. It was more of an artisan market as there wasn’t much produce. We tried some local street food and found one vendor down on the end who made awesome handmade products. We bought powdered deodorant and toothpaste, lip balm, solid shampoo… you name it! We got there early so perhaps they were still setting up!
Hike the San Ramon Waterfall
This was my favorite thing we did on Ometepe but it was no joke! This hike is moderate-intense meaning it is super intese with kids. Agile backpacking couples in their 20’s would pass us as they were descending and give us unconfident looks and hesitant “good lucks”. But hey, we made it! At the top we cooled off in the pool beneath the 40 m cascading waterfall.
Hobie did great on the hike but cried the whole time we were at the summit. You never know with kids! Nevertheless, swimming in a waterfall is always exhilarating! The hike took us about 2 hours but that’s because we drove our quad to the upper parking. If you arrive in a car or moto you have to park at the bottom. (Some motos made it up but it is sketchy with all of the rocks!)
Have Breakfast at Cafe Campestre
This place is so cute! We had a delicious breakfast with excellent coffee and juices. Don’t miss out on the store! We snagged some handmade jams and hot sauce to take home with us.
What You Can Skip: Punta Jesus Maria
Everything I read said this is a beautiful sunset spot. We started to head that way after our waterfall hike but realized it was going to take over an hour to get there, meaning we would be driving back an hour in the dark on our quad. We turned around and ending up spending the afternoon at Playa Mangos which was perfect! We even saw other hikers we had met there. And our detour didn’t end up being that bad as we saw some cute capuchin monkeys hanging out near Playa Santo Domingo!
On our taxi ride to the ferry dock the next day we paid a little extra so we could stop here and eat lunch. It was okay but not worth the stop (especially because it made us miss the soonest ferry time). The restaurants didn’t look good so we checked out the beach and then got some mangos to eat and coconuts to drink for a little tailgate party.
Isla Ometepe is pure magic and a little slice of backpacker paradise I had missed since “settling down” in Costa Rica. It’s not the most kid-friendly destination in terms of logistics but we made it work and had an amazing time!
Only in Ometepe,
– Ray