Tag Archives: Nicaragua

One of many homes on the Islets of Granada

Our tour group left Granada behind and headed for the motor boats that would take us around Isletas de Granada (Islets of Granada) along the Asese Peninsula protruding into Lake Nicaragua.  Lake Nicaragua is the 19th largest lake on the planet, ninth largest on the North and South America continents.  The Spanish first mistook it for a sea, until their thirsty horses started quenching their parched throats.

Setting sail (or is that “setting motor”?) on Lake Nicaragua

Around the Asese Penisula are 365 mostly small islands, many of which have homes and even large estates on them.  These are the Islets of Granada.  And on one of these islets reside a colony of spider monkeys; hence the name “Monkey Island”.

Spider monkey sunning on Monkey Island — is it Mickey, Mike, Peter, or Davy?

So, just how big is this “sea”?  Lake Nicaragua is 100 miles/161 kilometers long, 44 miles/71 kilometers wide, and covers 3,191 square miles/8,264 square kilometers.  In it’s center are two massive volcanoes forming an island that covers 107 square miles/276 square kilometers — the inhabited island of Ometepe.  The taller of the two volcanoes is Concepción, rising exactly one mile in elevation — 5,280 feet/1.61 kilometers above sea level.  It’s a stunning image:

Concepción volcano on the island of Ometepe

Now for today’s photo gallery of images around the Islets of Granada and some of the residences that sit on them (click on any image below to enlarge and bring up today’s slide show:

Lake Nicaragua estate

Lake Nicaragua

Lake Nicaragua

Waterfowl

One of 365 “Isletas” (islets) on Lake Nicaragua