Uñt’ayata: 17.12.2019
We have breakfast at 7 am and then leave at 8 am. We take the bus. The bikes are transported on the roof, the luggage goes in the bus. We drive for about an hour to the town of San Jorge, from where we take the ferry to the island of Ometepe. The ferry here is nothing like the ship in Costa Rica. It is very small, and also a bit old. There are not enough seats, so Esteban advises us to stand at the front entrance and sprint to the seats. This small ferry can fit about five to eight cars. After an hour and a half, we arrive at the town of Moyagalpa on the island.
Ometepe (Spanish: Isla de Ometepe) is an island in Lake Nicaragua and the largest volcanic island in a freshwater lake worldwide, with an area of about 270 km². There are 29,684 people living on Ometepe. It is already quite warm. My bike thermometer shows 31°.
We stop at a small restaurant in the town. They have sandwiches with homemade bread and very tasty smoothies.
At 1:30 pm, we start cycling. At first, we pedal on a paved road, but then we continue on an unpaved road in very poor condition. It is filled with stones of various sizes, so we have to be very careful. Today's hilly route is only 20 kilometers. We can see one of the two volcanoes, the Concepcion volcano, from time to time. We stop at a town called Altagracia and visit stone sculptures from 800-1000 BC. Our hotel, Santo Domingo, is located right on Lake Nicaragua. Completely remote. Pure solitude. The rooms are beautiful, with wooden roofs, spacious, and tastefully decorated. First, we all go for a swim in the lake. The bottom is sandy and you can stand for a long time. The water is pleasantly warm.