Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
noes, as well as a few stone sculptures, petroglyphs and lots of pottery thoughtfully dis-
played as part of a timeline.
Monoliths
(admission US$0.50)
A place to see some of the finest remaining ancient excavated statues
on Ometepe is beside the Altagracia church, close to the Parque Central, where a handful
of softly eroding monoliths still stand sentry.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
Isla Grande
OFFLINE MAP
Close to Altagracia, this island, basically a plantain
finca
(farm) gone feral, is rarely vis-
ited despite being a fantastic place for bird-watching. If you're interested, you could cer-
tainly arrange a custom trip; ask at Hotel Castillo or at the artisan cooperative in the
Parque Central.
ISLAND
Artesanías Altagracia
(Parque Central)
Check at this artisan cooperative for guided tours (US$15 to US$30 de-
pending on the size of your group).
GUIDED TOUR
Manuel Hamilton Silva Monje
( 8939-9911; manuelhamilton2000@yahoo.com; Museo Ometepe; workshops or tours US$35)
En-
quire at the museum for this local historian, who offers workshops on the island's history
and town tours.
GUIDED TOUR
Festivals & Events
Altagracia's
fiestas patronales
( November 12 to 18)
honor San Diego, whose feast day is
coincidentally the same as that of Xolotl, the ancient city's original patron deity. The
party's most famous dance, Baile del Zompopo (Dance of the Leaf Cutter Ant), was
clearly choreographed long before the Christians got here.
Sleeping & Eating
All the hotels have restaurants. The cheapest eats are served up at the Parque Central -
during the day a couple of kiosks serve snacks, and starting at dusk several
fritanga
setups
offer roast chicken and more, until 9pm or so.
