My quick trip to the San Ramon waterfall in Ometepe island, Nicaragua, turned into quite the adventure.
I had spent the day exploring the island on a quad, and the waterfall was my last stop of the day. At first I hadn’t been sure if I should even go there, but was convinced after I heard the hike up was fairly easy and would only take about half an hour. I figured I could probably do it, so I pulled up to enter. The man selling me a ticket told me the place was closing soon and the gates would be shut by 5pm, so I would have to be quite quick. Not wanting to turn back, I figured I’d just have to try my best to be back on time and not get locked into a jungle for the whole night. Little did I know what I was getting myself into!
Hiking to the San Ramon Waterfall in Ometepe
I drove for about 10 minutes before my quad decided the path was too steep. I didn’t even make it to the parking lot at the start of the trail, so I abandoned the quad and started walking. At first, the hike was easy. I followed the path through the jungle, encountering a pack of monkeys chilling in the trees. Birds were chirping and little lizards were scurrying away from me as I walked. And walked. And walked. After about half an hour, the hike got a lot steeper and harder. A while of practically climbing over giant rocks made me wonder if I had taken a wrong turn somewhere. I was out of water and out of breath and realising it was taking me way too long to reach this waterfall. Eventually, I had to sit down and take a break.
I felt like my whole body was on fire. My phone was dying, the sun was already setting and I didn’t know how far away I still was. I knew the wise thing would be to forget about the waterfall and turn back. Time was running out. As I sat there panting, I felt disappointed with myself. I decided I could push myself for just five more minutes and if I didn’t reach the waterfall by then, I’d turn back. So I got up and forced myself to keep on going. For five minutes, then another five, and another. Even though I felt like I was dying, I just couldn’t stop. I hadn’t come this far to give up without seeing that damn waterfall!
Reaching the San Ramon Waterfall in Ometepe
And suddenly, right in front of me, there it was. A sixty-meter high wall of rock, with lush green foliage running down its sides. I sat down to catch my breath and just admire the waterfall reaching into the sky. Even though it was dry season, with just a little water gushing down, I could easily imagine it in all its glory. I felt very small looking up at the top, the setting sun disappearing behind the trees. I relished in the fact that I got to see this beautiful place all alone, with not a single soul around me.
Knowing I didn’t have any more time to marvel at its beauty, I snapped a few photos and started practically jogging down the trail. Trying to go as fast as possible without twisting my ankle or cracking my skull, I slowly realised I probably wasn’t going to make it back on time. I hadn’t seen a single soul around, so I knew I was alone. With just a few percent of battery left on my phone, I knew it would die any second now.
I ignored my racing heart and my thirst and kept going, the journey now feeling a lot shorter since I knew where I was going, but still too long. The sun fast slipping behind the horizon, I made it to the parking lot with five minutes to spare. I ran down to my quad and started to race down the incredibly bumpy and rocky jungle road, praying I wouldn’t end up crashing into a tree. It was only a few minutes to 5pm, when my quad suddenly came to a screeching halt. It was stuck on a large rock.
When Things Don’t Go to Plan
I almost felt like crying and laughing at the same time. After all that rushing, here I was, stuck in the jungle by myself. The gates were probably closed by now, so I wouldn’t get out even if I was able to get the quad unstuck. With my phone as good as dead, I couldn’t even call anyone for help. My tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth as I was so thirsty and I couldn’t bare to think about being stuck here with no water or shelter. Every time I heard rustling in the woods, I shuddered to think what animals might live there, and might enjoy snacking on me as the night came.
I thought back to my times growing up in Finland, and how my parents used to get snowscooters unstuck when they sometimes inevitably sunk in the snow. Using the same technique of pushing my weight back and forth, I started trying to get the quad to move. At first it didn’t budge, but after gaining some momentum, I could feel it coming loose. I hit the gas at the right time, and the quad roared back to life as it lurched forward. Suddenly, I was back to racing down the hill. A few minutes later, I saw the tall green iron gates I had entered from. Shut and padlocked with a thick chain. My heart sunk. Then, somewhere in the distance I saw movement. There was man with a white hat, walking away. I started yelling and honking, hoping he wasn’t too far away to hear me.
The Great Escape
At first, he kept on walking away and I started to think I really wasn’t going to get out until the morning. But finally, he seemed to hear me and turned around, and I danced a little happy dance in my head. When he reached the gates, he laughed as he freed me. I thanked him, profusely, and as I drove away, I wondered if I was going to be able to find my way back to my hotel. With no juice on my phone, I had no map and no GPS. I smiled to myself as I turned onto the main road, hoping the journey back wouldn’t turn into another misadventure.
Read more about my trip backpacking through Central America
