• Understand
• Talk
• Get in
• Get around
• See
• Do
• Eat
• Drink
• Stay safe

The beach in front of Casa Iguana

Little Corn Island is off the coast of Nicaragua in the Caribbean Sea.

[edit] Understand

The island was originally colonized by the British, and most native islanders have more in common culturally with other English-speaking Caribbean islands than they do with the mainland of Nicaragua. Many have English surnames.

Tourism on the island is still in its infancy, and what is there is small, basic and, thus far, fairly eco-friendly. Most of the places to stay rely on solar and wind power for their electricity, and many have their own wells which draw drinkable water and/or collect rain water. The people are typically friendly, laid back and genuine.

[edit] Talk

Almost everyone on the island speaks both passable Spanish and English, the latter being the first language of most who are native to the island. The English spoken, however, is heavily Caribbean, and real communication can be far from effortless. There are many inhabitants who have come over from mainland Nicaragua and consequently speak Spanish as a first language, and others who speak Miskito and other Caribbean languages or dialects.

[edit] Get in

Almost everyone reaches the island via the twice-daily panga (ferry), which leaves Big Corn Island at 10AM and 4:30PM, and leaves Little Corn at 7AM and 2PM. The price of the panga is 110 Cordobas which is around 6 US. The ride can get very rough, and takes between 30 and 45 minutes. The back of the boat is less rough, while the front is less wet. Sitting on your life vest will help ease the pain in your ass.

You´ll need to reconfirm your flight from Big Corn Island back to the mainland 24 hours before, if you´re patronizing one of the dive shops they´ll do it for you.

[edit] Get around

The island is walkable, and if fact you have no choice... there´s not a single motorized vehicle on the island, and no roads on which to drive anyhow. There´s a paved sidewalk along the west coast near the pier, and beyond that you´re hiking through narrow dirt paths through the jungle-like interior of the island. You could walk the length of the island in less than an hour, though the paths get muddy and slippery very quickly during the rain. You can walk most of the east side of the island along the beach, with a couple of tricky spots at high tide.

There are bicycles on the island, though take care on the rough dirt paths. Ask at your guesthouse if interested. If you (rightfully) choose to run around barefoot, keep an eye out for broken glass.

[edit] See

There´s not a whole lot to see on the island, per se, other than the deep blue sea. There are a couple of tiny and uninteresting churches, and a couple of sunken boats to gaze at offshore.

A run down lighthouse lies on the northwestern-ish part of the island, next to the giant cell phone tower that dwarfs it. It´s climbable and offers an awesome view of the whole island, but take care on the ladder, and think twice if you´re afraid of heights.

There is a football field in the center of the island which might see an impromtu match a couple times a year, and a slightly less run-down baseball field further north from the lighthouse.

[edit] Do

• Clean up the island – the one real shame of the island is that its coast is cluttered with litter, some local, but most claim that it washes up from Colombia, cruise ships etc. If your bored, try and inspire one of the dive shops or larger guesthouses to organize an island cleanup day.

[edit] Eat

The empanada man turns up around 1pm near the port with some empanada-esque fried thingys, filled with meat, and sometimes pineapple and plantains, and all super tasty. Coconut bread is another local specialty, sometimes served in restaurants, but otherwise purchased off little girls wandering the island occasionally for C$5.

[edit] Drink

Beer is available at most guesthouses and restaurants around the island, as is the usual Flor de Caña rum.

[edit] Sleep

There are few boring hotels near the port, while the rest of the more rustic places are scattered around the island. Note that the island has an almost constant easterly breeze, keeping the eastern and northern sides cool, while the western side near the port swelters in the sun most of the day. The wind also helps to keep the mosquitos and sandflies to a minimum, which you may want to consider in choosing your accommodation.

[edit] Near the port

[edit] The east

Further north, there are 3 places all next to each other, which have the cheapest huts on the island, beachfront restaurants in the sand serving whatever is available that day, and little to distinguish them from each other. While some have an official name, most are known by their owners name. From top to bottom:

[edit] The north

[edit] Stay safe

The island is relatively safe and few travelers encounter problems, but you should definitely take the normal precausions and not let the peacefulness get your guard down. Violent incidents are rare, but have happened in the past.

Carry a flashlight (torch) if you won´t be back before dark, getting lost in the jungle wouldn´t be fun for most people.

There are a lot of dogs running around the island, and while usually friendly, keep your eye on em. A flashlight in their eyes at night or a rock between them in the day can work wonders.

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