The ferry to Ometepe leaves from a small town just outside Rivas called San Jorge. They run from 7am until 5:45pm. You can double check the sailing times: Ometepe Boat and Ferry Schedules**. The 12pm sailing is only on weekends.
** We have received reports that the ferry schedule online isn’t as accurate as it used to be! We will try to find a more accurate one for you.
Rivas to Ometepe
You need to get yourself to San Jorge for the ferry. There is a bus that costs 7C$ and passes on the north side of the Rivas terminal. Or, you can get a taxi which should cost 20C$.
Managua to Ometepe
If you are coming from Managua you need to head to the Mercado Roberto Huembes terminal. Your best option is to catch one of the expreso buses heading all the way to San Jorge from Managua. The expreso buses leave every half hour and cost 75C$. Check the Ometepe Ferry Schedule** to be sure you don’t miss the last one.
Have a read through traveller comments below to get more first hand details.
Schedules and information for buses running on Ometepe can be found here: Ometepe Bus Schedules . **We are told however that the bus schedule online for Ometepe is no longer correct. One of our awesome contributors, Bob, snapped this photo of this one posted at a hostel on the Island (March 2018)
Ferry from Granada to Ometepe?
This service has been suspended due to low water levels. Have a look at the notice here on this page: Ometepe Boat and Ferry Schedules**
Help your fellow traveller
If you have taken any of the buses on this page, please drop us a comment below about how the trip went, what time you left, how long it took and what it cost. And, definitely let us know if we have anything wrong.
Lets help each other in our travels!
Went from Ometepe to La Fortuna today.
Got the 06:40 ferry to San Jorge 50 Cordobas each. Arrived at the port at 08:00am.
Bus at port told us that they weren’t going to Rivas bus terminal so we got a taxi for $1/40 Cordobas each.
At Rivas bus terminal, we had missed the 8:00 bus to Peñas Blancas. We asked some locals and they told us the next one would be at 09:40 for 100 Cordobas each with our backpacks.
Decided to get a taxi for 300 Cordobas in total from Rivas to Peñas Blancas. Talked the taxi man down from 750.
Taxi took 45 minutes.
There is men offering to exchange Cordobas for Colons, only on the Nicaraguan side of the border.
$4 Nicaragua exit fee
ATM on Costa Rican side dispenses Colons or Dollars.
There is a 10:00 and 11.15 bus to San Jose that also stops in Liberia, and Cañas, along the way. Costs 2600 Colóns each to Cañas.
Took 3 hours as there was a police stop where they checked all local/Nicaraguan travel documents.
At Cañas, the bus drops you off opposite the “Bus Station Liberia” on Google Maps.
To go to Tilaran, you have to walk 200/300m to the bus stop on “Av. 7” between “C. Central” & “Calle 1”.
The bus stop is beside “Gimnasio Municipal Manuel “Melico” Corella” on Google maps. We got the 2:10pm bus from the bus stop. Bus costs 600 Colóns each.
30/40 minute bus to Tilaran and you are dropped off at the bus station, where the La Fortuna 3:30pm bus leaves from. Cost 3600 Colóns each.
Arrived in La Fortuna at 5:40pm
We went from Ometepe to Granada last week and were able to skip Rivas.
When you take the Ferry from Ometepe to San Jorge (a Ferry not the small boat, e.g. at 9 or 10 in the morning) there is a bus waiting within the San Jorge ferry dock that goes to Managua. You can see it waiting when you leave the boat. This is an express bus to Managua, that doesn’t stop so often, so it’s a quick options, but it can drop you off at Guanacaste 15km outside of Granada (c$80 incl. bags). From there you can take another bus (c$20 incl. bags) (it might even be waiting for you over there) or take a taxi or Tuctuc.
Went from Rivas to Ometepe a few weeks ago.
From Rivas to San Jorge : took a shared taxi or collectivo taxi with two other people. It costed 30 cordobas per person.
At the San Jorge “harbour”, you need to pay 36 cordobas to enter in it, it’s a recent tax for any travelers apparently.
Then the ferry costed us 50 cordobas per person.
In Ometepe you will arrive in Moyogalpa and if like us you need to go to Altagracia, there is local buses every hour and the price is 20 cordobas.
2/12/2022 – Hi fellow Travelers!, I`m more than glad to share some FRESH FINDINGS for the Ometepe Island Ferry Schedule (https://ometepeislandinfo.com/Ferry-Schedule) & (https://ometepenicaragua.com/ferryboat.php).
This was used this during a recent 4 month backpacking travel through Central America starting in Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize & ending in Guatemala.
Safe travels,
#aviajarpuñeta #queelfindelmundomepilleexplorando