2024 El Madronal Travel Guide: Must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transportation routes (updated in November)

Nicaragua's Ometepe Island, a niche travel destination

The 95th stop on the world tour—Nicaragua Once a barrier in Central America Now accessible with a multiple-entry US visa, a landing fee of $60 (Other countries pay $10, and we have to wait for the staff to issue a separate form...) The plane landed smoothly in Managua, 💡be sure to prepare cash Since Masaya Volcano was closed This time we went to the twin-volcanic island Ometepe, with very limited time It's indeed a hassle to visit this place once... If it's not for more than a week, it's not worth it, the travel is exhausting After leaving the airport, we planned to take a taxi directly to Ometepe However, the driver thought it was too far and dropped us at 📍Terminal de Autobuses Mercado Roberto Huembes This is a bus station in the city center of Managua, closer to the airport We were immediately put on a bus to Rivas 🎫180C for two The bus driver said we could ride to San Jorge and then go to the pier We got off early in Rivas and took a taxi to the pier for 120C Later we found out that the bus could actually go directly to the pier No need to take another taxi in between, it's advisable to ask clearly before getting off... Then we bought ferry tickets at 📍Ferry Tickets for Ometepe Foreigners are charged a $1 island entry fee, then the ferry ticket 🎫one-way 50C After that, it's about an hour by boat to Moyogalpa pier We wanted to go to San José del Sur pier, but were told there would be no boats until after 5 pm After arriving at Moyogalpa, we took a taxi to the hotel 🏨El Pital Ometepe, Chocolate Paradise The 45-minute ride generally costs between $15-25 Transportation on the island is really indescribable... Previous guides mentioned renting a scooter for $12 a day They seemed to double the price for us as foreigners With luggage, we could only take a taxi After finally getting a taxi to the hotel, we still had to walk five minutes to check in... The hotel environment was not bad, staying in a standalone treehouse Very suitable for a vacation, the hotel's bar is by the lake At sunset, you can see the beautiful volcanic scenery Because we arrived late, we didn't go to Playa Mangos We ate at the nearby Café Campestre, which was tasty In the evening, we went back to the hotel to enjoy the lake breeze and fruit juice, which was very pleasant The next day we wanted to visit other places Everything was far away, requiring a car rental or taxi The hotel rented motorcycles for $25 a day, and there was a risk of being checked Prepare to be overcharged by taxis, $15 for a ten-minute ride Locals seem to see foreigners as walking money Which is why I didn't have a great impression of Ometepe... Spent a day doing nothing at the hotel, didn't even go to Mangos Beach, and hurriedly left... The return trip was direct from the pier on a chicken bus to Managua Got off at Guanacaste and took a 15-minute taxi to Granada The whole trip took two hours, very smooth! By comparison, I prefer Granada... I'll write about it separately next time! Overall, Nicaragua's tourism resources are better than Honduras' But the development of the tourism industry really lacks something... From infrastructure to local customs, being niche has its reasons Many hotels don't have air conditioning or hot water, and don't provide hair dryers With Masaya 🌋's reopening being indefinitely delayed Other attractions also lack irreplaceable uniqueness It's just that since we've come this far, we've completed Central America Next stop, Ecuador 🇪🇨