Probably our favorite place on Ometepe was Charco Verde (translated as Green Lagoon). What a great place, especially to see insects!
It’s an ecological reserve located along the isthmus between the two volcanoes. On the day we were there we were the only visitors.
Our visit began in the beautiful butterfly pavilion. It ended there too, because we just had to go back before leaving.
Butterflies are super hard to photograph. They were flitting everywhere: the sudden flash of blue and then black and white, blue and then black and white.
Lovely music is piped into the pavilion. There are water features and turtles and glorious flowers and fruits. And of course all of the butterflies.
Beyond the pavilion there’s a trail circumnavigating the lagoon (see the featured photo at the start with a view of Volcan Concepcion) and going out to a black-sand beach with a great view to the south of Volcan Maderas.
We asked the park ranger which shoes he’d suggest we wear on our hike and he said closed tennis shoes because of the occasional swarming ants on the trails. And yes, indeed, the swarming ants and termite tunnels were quite the sight to see along the trail. I shot a couple of videos for you to see for yourself.
And had it not been rainy, I’m sure the bird life would’ve been equally spectacular.
Entry fee: $5/international visitor. There are clean bathrooms and a gift shop at the entrance.
