Lake Nicaragua

Lake Nicaragua is huge. It’s one of the worlds largest fresh water bodies. It even has the worlds only species of fresh water shark.

It’s got ferries that run across the lake and out to the twin volcanic island of Ometepe. Ometepe is the largest island in the world in fresh water. Ometepe is a principal tourist attraction of Nicaragua with a great number of ancient petroglyphs, waterfalls and beach activities. I had intended to take the car to Ometepe but the weather wasn’t cooperating. Next time.

I toured the Isletas of Granada yesterday. The Isletas are about 365 small islands just offshore from Granada in Lake Nicaragua. They were deposited there in a volcanic eruption around 10,000 years ago. It’s sort of fun to imagine these huge chunks of rock being spit from the volcana and splashing into the lake. The islands are around 1 to 5 acres in area and have each now become little bits of jungle.

I rode among them in a small boat. It’s one the best birding places I’ve seen. It’s very easy to get to and makes for a pleasant afternoon.

Mansions and a couple of hotels and restuarants are built on the islands. Each of the islands appears to be owned by a single owner, that is no island has multiple houses. Quite a few of the islands are owned by Americans, some Canadians, the usual mix of Europeans; however most seem to be owned by Nicaraguans. Many are for sale. You can easily see the town of Granada across the lake. It’d be quite easy to relax on your own island and take a small boat into town for dinner.