How to get to Ometepe island by bus and ferry
Ometepe is reached by ferry or small boat from the port of San Jorge, 15 minutes from Rivas. From Managua the whole trip takes about 3 hours and costs under C$200 (US$5).
Reviewed Oct 29, 2026
Step by step
Step 1: Managua → San Jorge or Rivas
From Mercado Roberto Huembes there are direct express buses to San Jorge (the port) several times a day and express buses to Rivas every 40 minutes. From Granada, the market bus to Rivas takes 1 h 30.
Step 2: Rivas → San Jorge port
If you arrive in Rivas, buses and shared taxis run to the dock (15 minutes, C$10–30 per person). A private taxi costs C$80–120.
Step 3: Ferry or boat to Moyogalpa
Ferries (El Che, Ferry I, Ferry III) and small boats run from 7:00 AM to 5:45 PM, about C$50 per person. The small boats are cheaper but do not run on Sundays. If you are heading to Santo Domingo, Balgüe or Maderas volcano, the ferry to San José del Sur saves you the ride across the island.
Step 4: Getting around the island
From Moyogalpa there are local buses to Altagracia, Santo Domingo and Balgüe (few departures, C$20–40), shared taxis, and scooter and bicycle rentals. Hostels usually arrange a pick-up if you tell them your ferry time.
Approximate cost
Managua–San Jorge C$90–100 + ferry C$40–50 + island transport C$20–40. About C$160–200 (US$5) in total.
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Tips
- From November to February the lake is choppy: take the ferry and sit on the lower deck if you get seasick.
- On holidays, buy your return ticket at the Moyogalpa dock the day before.
- The last ferry back leaves Moyogalpa at 5:30 PM; from San Jorge there are buses to Rivas until 6:30 PM and express buses to Managua until 6:00 PM.
What travellers report about this trip
Granada to Ometepe
They went from Granada to Ometepe by public transport: a bus to Rivas, a taxi to San Jorge and the ferry. The whole trip took about four hours and cost under US$10 a person. On the island the highlight was seeing the volcanoes from almost everywhere, and on the whole they found the locals the nicest people they met on their Central America trip.
Road to 197, Apr 14, 2024. Read on Road to 197
Granada to Ometepe
They just missed the 9:15 bus to Rivas and took the next one to Nandaime (C$18). The driver told them where to get off at a highway junction and helped them onto the Rivas bus pulling up behind (C$70). A shared taxi to San Jorge got them to the 12:00 ferry just in time: four hours and C$297 per person in all.
Melissa MacIntyre, Feb 13, 2026. Read on Centro Coasting
Ometepe to San Juan del Sur
They went from Balgüe on Ometepe to San Juan del Sur in a day: a taxi to Moyogalpa, the ferry to San Jorge (an hour, C$50), a taxi to Rivas bus station and a 70-minute bus (C$50 with bags). They reached the dock at 10:50 for the 11:30 ferry and left on an 11:00 one. Callum calls the journey very smooth and says it felt very safe; in Rivas, locals showed them where the bus left from.
Callum, Dec 20, 2024. Read on Centro Coasting
Times and fares in this guide are indicative: they come from public information and traveller reports. Confirm at the terminal before you travel. Travelled recently? Help us verify it.
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