From San Jorge they are two cones in the lake, one pointed, one round.
On the trail the forest gets thicker and the ground steeper, until the clouds catch up with you.
And when they part for a moment, the whole island lies below you.
Scroll –
from the mainland onto the volcano
Tours up both volcanoes are on offer, and no closure by MARENA or the civil-protection agency SINAPRED has been reported. But one sentence from 2024 still stands: after Concepción's ash explosions of May 16 and 29, 2024, INETER recommended on May 31, 2024 that people avoid the crater. We have not found that recommendation lifted – operators have nevertheless been guiding to the summit again since 2025. Maderas is extinct and not affected.
Active, fumaroles at the summit, explosions in May 2024. The hike to Mirador La Flor (about 1,000 m / 3,280 ft) runs as normal; for the crater rim, INETER's recommendation of May 31, 2024 formally still applies. Guide and entry at the checkpoint.
Extinct, cloud forest, a crater lake you can swim in. Six to nine hours of mud from Finca Magdalena, Santa Cruz or Mérida – local guide required.
Daily from about 7:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., fewer on Sundays. In storms between November and February sailings are canceled. The service from Granada has been suspended since August 2023.
Photo: Hulivili · CC BY 2.0
Concepción is one of the toughest day hikes in Central America: a 5 a.m. start in the dark, banana fields first, then forest, then 500 m (1,640 ft) of loose scree at 45 degrees where every step slides half a step back. At the top: wind, fog, sulfur – and sometimes a window where the whole lake lies beneath you. Maderas is the opposite: cloud forest from bottom to top, roots, mud to the ankle, howler monkeys overhead, petroglyphs beside the trail. At the end, a cold crater lake you can swim in. Both are long. Neither is easy.
Affiliate links to GetYourGuide: if you book, we earn a commission and the price stays the same. Prices and ratings as of 22 September 2026. The volcano tours book the same island guides you can get through your accommodation – on site it is often cheaper, and much cheaper in a group. Whether the Concepción crater is reached is up to the guide, the weather and the gas.
Photo: ElmerGuevara · CC BY-SA 3.0
There is no numbered regulation and no MARENA fee schedule that we could find. There are checkpoints at the trailheads that collect an entry fee and let nobody through without a guide. That is what is documented, and that is how it works.
Through your accommodation, the finca or directly with the island cooperatives (Sociedad Unión de Guías de Ometepe). According to the press, six hikers per guide at most. Solo is expensive; from two people the price drops sharply.
So that you are at the top before the afternoon clouds and back before dark (about 5:30 p.m.). Shared taxi to the trailhead about C$100.
Concepción: El Floral/La Flor near Moyogalpa or La Sabana near Altagracia. Maderas: Finca Magdalena, Santa Cruz, Mérida. About $3 per person and volcano, cash.
On Concepción there are gases at the crater rim and a crack along the edge; during ashfall SINAPRED issues safety advice. The guide decides – according to a guidebook, about 70 % do not reach the actual summit.
| Entry Concepción at the checkpoint · Maderas / Finca Magdalena also about $3 | $3 |
| Guide Concepción per person – solo about $40, from 2 people about $25, island portal $15 with a $30 minimum per group | $15–40 |
| Guide Maderas per person – island portal about $10 with a $20 minimum per group, hostels $20–30 | $10–30 |
| Ferry San Jorge – Moyogalpa per person (about $1–1.50) · San Jorge port fee for foreigners C$36 (as of 2022) | C$35–50 |
| Nicaragua tourist card on entry – Managua airport / land borders | $10 / $13 |
Photo: Guillaume Baviere · CC BY-SA 2.0
Concepción has a western and an eastern route, Maderas several trailheads around its base. All start almost at lake level – which is why it is 1,500 m (4,900 ft) or 1,200 m (3,940 ft) of climbing in one go.
| Concepción via El Floral / La Flor (western route from Moyogalpa, about 4 km / 2.5 miles from town) – checkpoint with booth, Mirador La Flor at about 1,000 m (3,280 ft) as turnaround point, above it scree at 45 degrees to the crater rim (1,610 m / 5,282 ft) | 8–11 hours · to the viewpoint 4–6 hours |
| Concepción via La Sabana (eastern route from Altagracia) – same summit, similar length | approx. 10 hours |
| Maderas from Finca Magdalena (Balgüe) – petroglyphs on the way, 4.5 km (2.8 miles) each way, cloud forest and mud to the crater lake (about 1,200 m / 3,940 ft; summit 1,394 m / 4,573 ft) | 6–9 hours · swim in the lake + about 1 hour |
| Maderas from Santa Cruz, Mérida or El Porvenir – trailheads on the south and west flanks, with guides from the hostels | 7–9 hours |
Photo: ElmerGuevara · CC BY-SA 3.0
Without a car: Managua (Mercado Roberto Huembes) – Rivas every 20–30 minutes, about 2.5 hours, C$66–75; some express buses run as far as San Jorge (about C$75). From Rivas (roundabout) shared taxi to San Jorge 10 minutes, about C$40. Ferry San Jorge – Moyogalpa 60–70 minutes (to San José del Sur 80–90 minutes), departures from about 7:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., fewer on Sundays; ferries Che Guevara, Ometepe, Cacique and lanchas. On the island buses Moyogalpa – Altagracia – Balgüe (infrequent), shared taxis, scooter and bicycle rental.
By car: Rental cars can be taken on the ferry (reserve with the shipping company, be at the port 45 minutes before departure); parking in San Jorge for anyone leaving the car on the mainland. On the island the ring road around Concepción is paved, toward Maderas partly dirt.
Dry season December to April: firm trails on Concepción, less mud on Maderas, best chances of clear summits – although December to February are windy, ferries are canceled more often then, and the summit of Concepción is still usually in cloud. A 5–6 a.m. start is a must. May to October green and quiet, but slippery; ashfall as in May 2024 can stop hikes at any time. In late September the Expo Ometepe takes place in Altagracia (2026: September 25–27).
Photo: Guillaume Baviere · CC BY-SA 2.0
For everyone who wants the island without ten hours of scree: mangroves, caimans, birds, the San Ramón waterfall. The offers are small and new – few reviews, but clear titles.
Affiliate links to GetYourGuide: if you book, we earn a commission and the price stays the same. Prices and ratings as of 22 September 2026.
Photo: Mat Honan · CC BY 2.0
Formally, INETER's recommendation of May 31, 2024 to avoid the crater still applies; we have not found it lifted. The climb is not banned, and operators have been guiding to the top again since 2025. Ask your guide about the current situation on site – and turn back at Mirador La Flor if there is gas or ash.
Maderas if forest, a crater lake and a gas-free trail matter; Concepción if it has to be the summit and the view – knowing that about 70 % do not make it all the way up and the summit is usually in cloud.
Bus or shuttle to Rivas (about 80 km / 50 miles), taxi to San Jorge, ferry to Moyogalpa – around 3 hours. There has been no direct ferry from Granada since 2023.
At least two nights for one volcano, three for both: the tours start at 5 a.m., and after Concepción nobody wants to climb Maderas the next morning.
Only in Moyogalpa and Altagracia. Entry fees, guides, shared taxis and the ferry are paid in cash – bring córdobas and small dollar bills.
As of September 22, 2026: tours on Concepción and Maderas are on offer; no closure by MARENA or SINAPRED has been reported. For the crater of Concepción, INETER's recommendation of May 31, 2024 to avoid it formally still applies – ask your guide about the current situation on site.
Practically no: at the trailheads (El Floral, La Sabana, Finca Magdalena) an entry fee is collected and a local guide is required; guidebooks name the guide requirement for Concepción explicitly. The trails are unmarked, and people have got lost and died.
Per volcano about US$3 entry at the checkpoint plus the guide: Concepción US$15–40 per person (cheaper in a group), Maderas US$10–30; plus a shared taxi to the trailhead (about C$100).
Concepción 8–11 hours round trip, Maderas 6–9 hours. Start at 5–6 a.m. so that you are up before the clouds and back before dark.
It is active – ash explosions in May 2024, gases at the crater rim, a crack along the crater edge – and the last 500 m (1,640 ft) of climbing are loose scree at a 45-degree angle. With a guide, an early start and turning back in bad weather or gas it is doable, but only for very fit hikers.
Maderas: shorter, without gases, with a crater lake to swim in and petroglyphs on the way – but muddy and still 6–9 hours. If you want to see Concepción, go up to Mirador La Flor at 1,000 m (3,280 ft).
Concepción no. Maderas only for athletic teenagers. Families go to Ojo de Agua, Cascada San Ramón, the petroglyphs and Punta Jesús María.
Yes, the big ferries (Che Guevara, Ometepe, Cacique) carry vehicles; reserve a space with the shipping company and be at the port 45 minutes before departure.
Ankle-high hiking boots, long pants, rain/wind jacket, sun protection, 2–3 liters of water, food; on Maderas swimwear. Cash for the checkpoint, guide and taxi.
December to April (dry), although the winds from December to February cause ferry cancellations. The summit of Concepción is almost always cloudy – the view is a bonus, not a promise.
Concepción 1,610 m (5,282 ft), Maderas 1,394 m (4,573 ft). Both start almost at lake level (Lake Nicaragua about 30 m / 100 ft), which is why it is 1,500 or 1,200 m (4,900 or 3,940 ft) of climbing in one go.
Sources · accessed on 22 September 2026
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