This morning Pierre and I went on a trip facilitated by Mombotours, using Detour bikes and NicarAgua Dulce kayaks. Eddy, our guide from Mombotour, arrived after breakfast and drove us to Detour, the bike rental shop. We picked up three bikes and left Granada’s hub towards the shore of Lake Cocibolca. The Mombotour driver followed behind in the truck in case we had any bike problems or accidents. We hadn’t gone more than two or three kilometers when the truck’s presence became needed. I’d accidentally driven over some glass, and punctured my tire in two places with tiny shards. With the tools and spare tube in the truck we were able to fix this unfortunate damage within twenty minutes, and Eddy’s training made my negligible REI workshop experience unnecessary.

The rest of the bike trip, which lasted about an hour and a half, was without further perforations, and we enjoyed riding up and down muddy dirt roads, dodging stones and chickens along the way. The mountain bikes performed very well and changed gears fluidly, which is always a nice surprise. We rode down along a peninsula till we reached an area where NicarAgua Dulce kayaks were waiting for us. We only had to paddle through this quieter and less populated side of Las Isletas for about fifteen minutes before arriving at Isla Zopango, a private island owned by the Bersani family (who also run NicarAgua Dulce), who gave us a warm welcome at Zopango’s shore.

Isla Zopango offers kayak and electric boat tours/rental for peaceful cruises, artisanal fishing, or bird watching around Mombacho’s daughters. On the island itself one can enjoy eating a delicious fisherman’s lunch of fried rainbow bass or napping in a hammock or lawn chair. Swimming in the lake is also a refreshing option. The Bersani family believes that living in harmony with nature is the healthiest way to relax, so their rustic getaway is well hidden in the heavy fronds of Zopango’s trees, and the island has no electricity (candles are used when guests want to stay the night and sleep on camp-beds under the stars). They serve typical cuisine and want to be able to show tourists the most authentic Nicaraguan lake village experience possible with the local construction materials, simple design, and low-impact activities.

On the side of Las Isletas that Pierre and I had visited before, many islands had large and wacky buildings on them, it was not uncommon to see noisy motorboats trailing inner tubes zooming over the water, and waterside restaurants played pop music on loudspeakers. Isla Zopango’s surroundings are much less developed. Many of the neighboring islands are uninhabitable, which makes for a quieter respite under the copious foliage and thatched roof of the simple building (wood columns and beams) that, apart from a couple bathrooms (which use treated lake water), is the only big construction on the island.

Bamboo mats and recliners, wood and cloth lawn chairs, and stone benches are scattered over the island so that one can appreciate the great view of Mombacho and native species of colorful flowers (often visited by flashy hummingbirds) covering the huge volcanic boulders that are the foundation of the Isletas.

After lunch, Pierre took advantage of one of the lawn chairs, Eddy did the same on a hammock, and I looked for things to photograph and chatted with fellow Zopango guests. About an hour later we were ready to start our kayak to the Marina, which would take an estimated 1.5-2 hours. Roughly a quarter of the way in, Eddy revealed that normally the guests, who have the option between an electric boat-ride and a kayak trip, choose the easier mode of transportation. In fact, this was the first time a return to the Marina by kayak had been chosen. Pierre and I could already tell why–these kayaks were not built for long-distance travel. Although very stable and comfortable, their small size made them perfect to move by land, but less hydrodynamic. Nevertheless, with shoulders burning we made it to the Marina in an hour and a half. I’d recommend the return by kayak, which is somewhere between six and eight kilometers, to any adventurous and fit travelers.

The whole day was a great balance of adventure travel (bike and kayak) and relaxation (walking around Isla Zopango’s volcanic gravel paths, napping in locally-made hammocks, eating freshly caught fish, and more).