In this guide
The ferry from San Jorge to Moyogalpa leaves first at 7:00 and last at 17:45, with about 15 departures spread through the day, according to the itinerary published by the Empresa Portuaria Nacional (EPN) on its Puerto San Jorge page, modified September 10, 2026. The crossing takes about 60 minutes and the fare is around C$50. We checked the sources on November 5, 2026.
This is a short-answer page. The full day on the island, with Ojo de Agua and Charco Verde, is in our guide to Ometepe in one day from San Juan del Sur.
What the official source publishes and what it leaves out
EPN, the state company that runs the San Jorge port, publishes an "itinerario oficial" on its website with each vessel's name and departure time. It is the only official source with times that we found. It has limits worth knowing:
- It gives a single column of times, which match the departures from San Jorge. It does not publish the return departures from Moyogalpa.
- It does not state days of the week or say what happens on Sundays.
- It does not publish passenger or vehicle fares. Its tariff covers only waterfront entry and parking.
- It carries no visible date; the modification date appears in the page's metadata.
For returns, Sundays and prices you need secondary sources. We use two dated 2026: the table at Ometepe Nicaragua, titled "Ometepe Ferry Schedules 2026", and the one at Sunset Viaje, with the note "Information checked: September 2026". Where the sources disagree, we say so.
Departures from San Jorge to Moyogalpa
| Time | Vessel according to EPN | Vessel according to Ometepe Nicaragua and Sunset Viaje |
|---|---|---|
| 7:00 | Che Guevara | El Che |
| 7:45 | Ferry Ometepe 3 | Ferry III |
| 8:30 | Ferry Ometepe 1 | Ferry I |
| 9:00 | Cacique Nicarao | Lancha Karen María |
| 10:30 | Ferry Ometepe 3 | Ferry III |
| 11:00 | Ferry Ometepe 1 | Lancha Estrella del Sur |
| 12:00 | Ferry Ometepe 3 | Ferry I |
| 12:30 | Lancha Santa Martha | Lancha Santa Martha |
| 13:30 | Cacique Nicarao | Lancha Karen María |
| 14:30 | Ferry Ometepe 4 | Ferry III |
| 15:30 | Ferry Ometepe 1 | Lancha Estrella del Sur |
| 16:00 | Che Guevara | El Che |
| 16:30 | Ferry Ometepe 3 | Ferry I |
| 17:00 | Lancha Santa Martha | Lancha Santa Martha |
| 17:45 | Ferry Ometepe 4 | Ferry III |
The times match across all three sources. The names do not always: EPN puts a large ferry at 11:00 and 15:30 where the secondary sources put a lancha, and it names the Cacique Nicarao for the 9:00 and 13:30 departures that the secondary sources assign to the lancha Karen María. For a foot passenger the practical difference is the size of the boat and whether it runs on Sundays.
EPN also lists three departures to San José del Sur, the island's other port: 9:30 and 17:00 (Rey del Cocibolca) and 11:30 and 18:30 (Gran Sultana). The secondary sources add the lancha Mozorola at 14:00 to San José. If your hotel is in Moyogalpa or near Ojo de Agua, take a boat to Moyogalpa.
Returns from Moyogalpa to San Jorge
EPN does not publish this direction. The table below comes from Ometepe Nicaragua and Sunset Viaje, which agree with each other.
| Time | Vessel |
|---|---|
| 5:30 | Lancha Karen María |
| 6:00 | Ferry III |
| 6:30 | Lancha Santa Martha |
| 6:45 | Ferry I |
| 7:00 | Lancha Estrella del Sur |
| 9:00 | Ferry III |
| 10:00 | Ferry I |
| 11:00 | El Che |
| 11:30 | Lancha Karen María |
| 12:30 | Ferry III |
| 13:00 | Lancha Estrella del Sur |
| 14:00 | Ferry I |
| 15:00 | Lancha Santa Martha |
| 16:00 | Ferry III |
| 17:30 | El Che |
The last return to San Jorge is at 17:30. On our day tour we aim for an afternoon boat with margin, not the last one.
Sundays and holidays
Ometepe Nicaragua writes that the ferry schedule is always the same, also on holidays, and names Christmas, New Year and Easter. The same page notes that the lanchas do not operate on Sundays. Hospedaje Soma publishes a Sunday list with eight departures from San Jorge: 7:00, 7:45, 10:30, 12:00, 14:30, 16:00, 16:30 and 17:45. Hostal Casa Moreno, with a 2026 footer, lists twelve Sunday departures counting both directions. On a Sunday, count on about half the options.
What it costs
| Item | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fare on a large ferry | about C$50 per person | Sunset Viaje (September 2026), Hostal Casa Moreno, Hospedaje Soma |
| Fare on a lancha | C$35 | Hostal Casa Moreno, Hospedaje Soma |
| Children 5 and under | free | Hospedaje Soma |
| Entry to the San Jorge waterfront, Nicaraguan passenger | C$5 | EPN tariff |
| Entry to the waterfront, foreign tourist | US$1 | EPN tariff |
| Open-air parking for a light vehicle | C$100 | EPN tariff |
Third-party figures as of November 5, 2026. EPN publishes no passenger or vehicle fare; LAGO Rent a Car, in its guide reviewed October 6, 2026, does not publish them either "because they change" and refers readers to EPN. If you bring a car, reserve with the shipping company by phone: EPN lists +505 2569 4284 for Ferry Ometepe and +505 2569 4101 for Che Guevara, among other numbers.
Distance and duration
San Jorge and Moyogalpa are 17 km apart across the lake and the crossing takes about 60 minutes, according to Ometepe Nicaragua. Sunset Viaje gives 60 to 70 minutes to Moyogalpa and 80 to 90 to San José del Sur. With wind, which Nicaragua's INETER describes as stronger from November on, the boat moves more and can take a little longer; the Ometepe Nicaragua page itself mentions the wind from November to February.
How Monkeys handles it
- The Ometepe Island full day includes the ferry tickets and the transfer from San Juan del Sur or Rivas to the pier. From US$55 per person in groups of 4 to 6; US$95 solo.
- Your pickup time goes in your written confirmation, because it depends on which boat we aim for.
- We confirm the day's schedule at the San Jorge pier. The tables above are the published ones; boats are added, removed and retimed through the year.
- If your only free day is a Sunday, tell us when you book and we build the day around the large ferries.
- WhatsApp +505 8506 1173, every day from 7:00 to 20:00.
Questions we get every week
What time is the first ferry from San Jorge to Ometepe?
7:00, on the Che Guevara, according to the itinerary of the Empresa Portuaria Nacional (page modified September 10, 2026) and the tables published by Ometepe Nicaragua and Sunset Viaje. All three sources agree on that first departure to Moyogalpa.
What time is the last ferry from San Jorge to Moyogalpa?
17:45. EPN assigns it to Ferry Ometepe 4 and the secondary sources call it Ferry III. After that, EPN lists only an 18:30 departure of the Gran Sultana, which goes to the port of San José del Sur, not Moyogalpa.
How much is the ferry from San Jorge to Ometepe?
The Empresa Portuaria Nacional does not publish the fare; the shipping companies collect it. Secondary sources from 2026 cite about C$50 per person on the large ferries and C$35 on the small lanchas. Separately, EPN's tariff charges entry to the San Jorge waterfront: C$5 per Nicaraguan passenger and US$1 per foreign tourist.
Is there a ferry to Ometepe on Sundays and holidays?
Yes, with fewer departures. Ometepe Nicaragua states that the ferry schedule is the same on holidays, including Christmas, New Year and Easter, and that the small lanchas do not run on Sundays. Hospedaje Soma lists eight Sunday departures from San Jorge, from 7:00 to 17:45.
How long is the crossing from San Jorge to Moyogalpa?
About 60 minutes for 17 km according to Ometepe Nicaragua; Sunset Viaje says 60 to 70 minutes. The crossing to San José del Sur, the island's other port, takes about 80 minutes.
Sources
Every figure in this guide comes from one of these pages, checked on the date shown above.
- Empresa Portuaria Nacional, Puerto San Jorge, ferry itinerary (page modified September 10, 2026)
- Empresa Portuaria Nacional, national port tariff, Puerto San Jorge
- Ometepe Nicaragua, Ometepe ferry schedules 2026
- Sunset Viaje, Ometepe ferry times San Jorge to Moyogalpa, checked September 2026
- Hostal Casa Moreno, Ometepe ferry schedules
- Hospedaje Soma, ferry information
- LAGO Rent a Car, Ometepe with a rental car (reviewed October 6, 2026)