Little Corn Island, Nicaragua: A Trip Report

Old Sep 18th, 2006, 11:54 AM
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Little Corn Island, Nicaragua: A Trip Report

“We were meeting Bing Crosby and his wife at Farm Peace and Love for dinner,” said the Canadian-American dive instruction couple.

Anywhere else in the world, the above statement would at best read as little more than nonsense, at worst the rantings of a drugged out lunatic. But then again, Little Corn Island is not anywhere else in the world, and after only two nights there ourselves the statement made perfect sense.

It is not hard to see why on an island that is little more than palm trees, lobster traps and turquoise blue waters situated about 60 miles off the east coast of Nicaragua. To get there, one must first get to Nicaragua, a navigation feat worthy of an entire report itself. Once to Nicaragua, a twin engine prop plane is the only chariot available for the hour long journey to Big Corn Island. At the big island, terrestrial taxis are waiting to take the traveler to the terminal for their aquatic brethren. Half an hour later across rough ocean in an dingy powered by an Yamaha outboard, and the by now air, land and sea weary travelers find themselves on the shores of Little Corn, as the diminutive island is affectionately known by the locals.

And what would one find once the arduous journey comes to an end along the sandy shores of the tucked away isle? The answer depends on the beholder. For some it is an impoverished island belonging to an impoverished Central American nation. At first glance, one notices the lack of motorized vehicles of any sort, which is a good thing since there is only one paved bit on the whole of the island and that is only a sidewalk (incidentally, the sidewalk is also the town’s main drag). This is painfully obvious when a traveler is met as the boat drops them off by two wheelbarrow wielding bellhops who are acting in the dual roles of baggage porters and taxi drivers. It would seem as though there is a lot of artistic merit taken with career titles on Little Corn.

After the bags are gathered, travelers follow the wheelbarrow guides down the sidewalk to a narrow, muddy path through a humid tropical forest, in which resides lizards, mud, and a whole lot of green stuff. Ten minutes later, the by now disoriented traveler, arrives at the chain-link fence gate and invited to ring the scuba tank-cum-door bell to be properly checked in. The deluxe cabin at this forested back-of-the-woods inn consists of four walls of clapboard, a tin roof, a cold-water shower lean-to and electricity for only a few hours in the morning and evenings.

To many, the above description sounds like a vacation nightmare, something Clark Griswold would stumble into if he and his unlucky traveling circus of a family were to win a trip through the Caribbean. This is the anti-Cancun. There are no cruise boats making a port of call at this island. If one wants McDonald’s, Starbucks, or for that matter an ATM, one had better have get their fill back on the mainland. There will never been any commercials set to Iggy Pop tunes filmed here.

And it is exactly for all those above reasons that my wife and I found a little slice of heaven tucked into a corner so far into the Caribbean, most maps of the sea don’t even bother to chart the waters that far south. Little Corn Island is the very definition of getting away from it all. Not only are there no cars and certainly nothing even faintly resembling a road, there are also no jet skis, no gargantuan hotels, no American cruise shippers and no tacky gift shops. There are only a handful of television sets around the island, all of their hideaways spots marked with the “X” of a DirectTV dish. Phone service is virtually non-existent. Some of the locals carry around cell phones, but receptions is at best poor, when it works at all. If one wanted to check the internet, there are exactly two computers on the whole island that have an umbilical cord attached to the information superhighway. Both of those computers only worked during certain times of the day. Week old copies of USA Today are fought over at breakfast. To say the locals live at a slower pace would be to imply the locals know any other pace. Visitors get sucked into the time warp, not necessarily because they want to, but only because once here, there is no other way.

What this island lacked in modern amenities it made up for in spades in the accoutrements fitting of island paradise. There were only a few hotels on the island, all of which were far from worthy of star ratings as doled out by the purveyors of fine hotels. We elected to stay at Casa Iguana, which was a 10 minute walk away from the main drag (read: the sidewalk) through the jungle, set on a bluff overlooking the Caribbean sea. While our casita (as the private cabins were called by the eco-lodge) had no hot water, no fan and certainly no air-conditioning, what we did have was a world-class view from our porch. Facing east, we were 20 feet up on the bluff overlooking water that was the color of tropical postcards. If were wanted to dip our toes in the surf, it was an easy walk down to the beach. Once there, the water was bathtub warm and nearly swimming pool clear.

But what really made Casa Iguana more home than hotel were the people; both the staff and the other guests. Being in such a remote corner of such a remote country, people have to want to get to Casa Iguana, and once they arrive they have to be willing to accept an unhurried pace of life. At first, the visitors are only the casual familiar faces we all know from stays away from home: people you know are traveling, but little else of their story is provided. Before long though, these anonymous faces are assigned names, and then hometowns and then suddenly interests. Travelers become acquaintances become friends after only a few days. The magical bounding elixir is found in the communal set up of the eco-lodge. Every night dinner is served promptly at 7 pm. If one wants to eat, one must eat at the appointed hour and everyone eats together. The food that is served is a combination of what is grown at the lodge’s organic garden or caught by the resident fisherman. Should “Captain Eco-Patrol” (as the fisherman is known locally) come up empty, then that night’s meal will be vegetarian. As the history of banquettes and feast well plays out, when people eat together, they drink together and then they share together. The stories from other travelers flow like the mojitios poured by the tea-totaling Dutch staffer. After dinner, the bounding continues, well into the night, as people take turns grabbing ice-cold Victorias from the cooler, retuning to the winded bluff overlooking the sea. On some nights travelers are treated to a lightshow as approaching thunderstorms can be seen on the horizon, while on other nights the full moon lights up the breaks of the surf on the reef off shore. All of which goes on until the Victorias run out and we are forced to drink Tona, or the accumulative effect of this nightly ritual becomes too much to bear. More often than not it is the former rather than the latter.

But if it is the nights that make Little Corn special, then it is during the daylight hours that the places become magical. One can imagine there are not many activities on the island, but the activities that are there are worth returning to again and again. For me, that activity was scuba diving. Little Corn Island is said to have the most pristine reef on the planet. This statement is not meant to be hyperbole; I am merely quoting the assessment of National Geographic circa 2003. Furthermore, given how shallow most of the dives sites are, scuba divers get to see an amazing assortment of very large sea creatures. During my five days of underwater excursions, I was treated to sights of nurse sharks, eagle rays, sting rays, and large snappers. Other divers reported seeing reef sharks and sea turtles. All of which is to say nothing of the very wide assortment of reef fish, crustaceans and other members of the Finding Nemo cast. Everyone agreed this is the place to come if one wants to see the mega beasts of the deep, without acquiring the advanced certifications necessary to reach depths of 100 feet or so usually required for such encounters. As if all of that were not enough, unlike the more visited spots on the Caribbean, this place only has two dive shops, each only taking out about 6 divers at a time on staggered dive times. That means it is only the diver, the diver’s buddy and the reef.

Terrestrial visitors are greeted with the warmness of the locals. Residents of the island come up to island visitors just to say good day, not to sell a mass produced souvenirs or to bother people for money. It is not uncommon to meet more that a few Elvis’ during one’s stay (or for that matter a Bing Crosby Downs, whose brother is named Elvis Presley Downs), as the local population has an affinity for popular music crooners. Establishment names are equally as unique, such as the Italian restaurant Farm Peace and Love, the back-packer hideaway Curly Toes or the place simply known as the Cool Spot. Away from town, which is to say a few minutes walk down the sidewalk and the sun worshipers can find their altar, as warm Caribbean sunshine basks down on deserted golden- and white-sand beaches. Perhaps, the traveler will be as lucky as we were and be treated to a few innings of the Little Corn Island World Series being played at the island’s cow pasture-cum-baseball field.

Alas, the unspoiled location is only ruined by the fact that we have limited vacation times and obligations back home. So as the sun rose, my wife and I boarded the water taxi to return to Big Corn Island and from there repeat the process until we reach New York later that evening as the sun set on our Nicaraguan vacation.
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Old Sep 18th, 2006, 03:41 PM
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Fabulous trip report. Thanks for sharing.
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Old Sep 18th, 2006, 04:20 PM
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Great, evocative report. I found Little Corn in the atlas a few years back, along with Colombia's Providencia, and have been hoping to get to either ever since. Your report makes that more likely. Thanks.
 
Old Sep 21st, 2006, 06:28 PM
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I saw a show on Little Corn recently on the Travel Channel (of all places - it's starting to come back from RVs and poker!) and added it to the list. Your report moved it closer to the top. One question - what would you think about taking a well-travelled 4 or 5-year-old there? Not in terms of travel time or hassle, more in terms of safety and security, and also health. Thanks.
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Old Sep 22nd, 2006, 05:02 AM
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stellablue,

As far and safety and security go, I wouldn't worry about traveling with a child. There are a lot of children on the island, albeit all local children, and they are often out and about living the carefree life that comes with a place like Little Corn. My wife and I walked alone and together all over the island and never had even a moment of worry. This included midnight walks from town back to the lodge. I would imagine that traveling with a child there would be very similar to traveling with a child in most places: it will open up the locals because they will be endeared by your child. As for health, I really can't say and would defer to a more knowledgable opinion.

As for hearing about Little Corn on Travel Channel, I am shocked! They must have had a poker tournament on the island that was sponsored by the city of Las Vegas. I gave up on Travel Channel years ago (as did most people on this board) when all they would show were bits about cruise ships, gambling holidays, Vegas, and RVing. It would seem as though they are working to earn back some legitimacy.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2006, 10:12 AM
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Thank you so much for your report. I have been looking at Big Corn Island but may now venture a little further to a place that sounds wonderful. Sounds like it is well worth the effort.

I do have a question about the water, ie diving. We are not divers but enjoy spending the day with our butts in the air snorkeling. Are there people who do snorkeling trips out or can you do it just off shore? Can you rent the equipment there or do you have to bring your own? My husband is allergic to seafood. Were there enough other options? Italian sounds good a couple of nights but not every night.

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Old Sep 23rd, 2006, 10:46 AM
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Suzie2,

As for snorkeling, you can talk to the dive shop Dive Little Corn and ask about going out with the scuba crew. One of the dive masters told me they try and do a dive every afternoon that is close enough to the reef for snorkelers as well. My wife went out one day and was able to find a place about 10 feet or so off the boat that brought the reef close to the surf. As for going out from the shore, there are some nice places. They are up on the northeastern corner of the island. From Casa Iguana it is about a 30 minute walk up the beach.

There are a number of different restaurants on the island, so I am sure you can find options that don't involve sea food. Los Delfines comes to mind as we ate there a couple of times, as does Ensuenos, but I heard about a lot of other places as well. Dive Little Corn is a great place for this kind of local information as well. Essentially it is a couple (Audrey and Andrew) who have to find different ways to satisfy their pallate, so they can give you the low down. If you were planning on staying at Casa Iguana, just e-mail Kathy the owner ahead of time and let her know the situation. One night we had a chicken dinner, so I am sure they might have a few different options for you. Overall, I think you could easily fill a five/six night stay with enough different options as to not be repetitive.

One word of caution though if you are planning on eating at different places. Make sure and bring plenty of cash with you. If you are bringing US dollars (and you should as everyone takes them), they cannot have even the slightest tear or they will not be accepted. We found this out the hard way. Two of our $20 had little tears along the top, and they were effectively useless to us for a week. There are no ATMs or banks on either island and no one can give you cash off a credit card. You can pay for your stay at Delfines or Iguana with a credit card (those are the best two options on the island) and I would suggest for a week in which you ate dinner out at five different places plus lunches to bring at least $200 with you in $20 denominations (one person staying there at the same time we did couldn't break a $50). Remember while there, you still have to take the panga back to Big Corn, pay for a cab to the airport AND pay a departure tax before you board the plane. All we had left the day we left Little Corn was a single $20 without any tears. By the time we got through all of the above, between the two of us, we litterally made it out with only 1 cordoba (the Nica currency) left to our name. That cut it way too close for my comfort.

Another amusing annecdote for you if you are considering splitting time between Big and Little Corn. We took the plane over to Big Corn not really sure of our plan. As it turns it we were on the same flight as Kathy and seeing as how she owned Casa Iguana, we thought to go ahead and start there and then work our way back. On the ride from the airport to the panga, Elvis our cab driver asked how long we were staying for and what our plan was. We told him we planned on a few days at Little Corn and then a few days back on the Big Island. He just laughed and said, "everyone says that, and then I never see them again." He was absolutely right. Little Corn is such a special place, once you are there you get sucked into a time warp and feel like never leaving. My recommednation is to start at Little Corn but don't have a set departure date in mind (aside from the date you need to return to Managua). The chances are you will stay longer than you had planned. Enjoy every minute of it, as we sure did.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2006, 12:03 PM
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Thank you so much for the great trip report! We are headed there in Jan. Right now we are wrestling if we should take the 6am flight out of Detroit which would get us in Managua at 12;45pm. I read that the last flight of the day is 2pm. Do you think that we would have time to connect? Did you fly straight thru? Also ? pls on return flight. We would like to fly out of Big Corn on the 8;15am flight. We are thinking that it might be a good idea to overnite on Big Corn the night prior since the flight is so early. Any chance you took that flight & if so, did you shuttle over from Little Corn that am? Finally ?,pls: Trying to make reservations with Los Delfines-understand about the communication challenges but nervous about arriving without reservations-emailed 2x, tried 4 numbers-one sweet lady tried to help me but I don;t speak the language-any suggestions on how to contact them? Thx in advance for any & all help.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2006, 02:36 PM
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ateabag,

I would e-mail La Costena and ask their opinion about making the connection. The reason is because I don't know how much time it will take to clear immigration/retrieve your bags and then check in for the flight to Corn Islands. Both airlines (Costena and Atlantic) are pretty fierce about their being there an hour before departure rule. If nothing else, just letting them know you are on a tight schedule, they might hold the plane, depending on how many people are flying out. When we flew out on the 6.30am flight, we flew straight to Big Corn, but I know some flights stop in Bluefields first (you don't have to get out of the plane). There doesn't seem to be any hard and fast rule on direct flights.

Unfortunately, I don't have Delfines fax number. I suggest e-mailing Dive Little Corn and ask if they can get it for you. Audrey and Andrew are very helpful.

On the return flight, it depends on where you are going to the next day. If you are going to continue travel in Nicaragua, then you would have no trouble catching the early morning flight leaving straight from Little Corn. The panga and airlines are all connected, so even if the boat is running a tad late, they'll hold the plane for you. This is what we did. We left Casa Iguana at 6.30 am, caught the morning panga, had Elvis the taxi driver waiting for us and arrived at the airport in plenty of time to catch the 8.15.

If you are planning are flying from Corn Islands to Managua back to the US, I highly recommend flying the night before to Managua and staying there. We almost ran into a very bad situation. There was very bad weather in Bluefields and the early plane was unable to leave, therefore we were left stranded in the Corn Islands airport. Fortunately, when the plane finnally did arrive, we were priority (since we were flying back to Miami/NYC on the 12:40) and had barely enough time to make the connection. Even though it all worked out in the end, the situation could have been really bad.

Another helpful tip. When you arrive on Big Corn, make your reservations for the return flight to Nica at that moment. Even though flights out to the island are fluid, you need to have a reserved flight coming back. We reserved immediately and were glad we did. The alternative was to radio into the airport from Little Corn.

Even though all of this may seem like a tremendous pain in the neck, this is what makes Little Corn so special. People that are there really want to be there, and those deterred by hardship stay home. The rewards far outweight any preceived hardship.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2006, 06:43 PM
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Little Corn sounds so perfect. We have gotten used to cold showers while traveling through CA. My only worry was the food for my husband. We would probably be getting to Nicaragua via Costa Rica by bus then flying out to Big Corn. Sounds like a perfect place to go for a few days.

Thanks for the tip on the money. We try to have good bills $20 and under when we travel to CR but don't worry quite that much. Will be extra careful when going to Nicaragua.

Thank you also for the contacts. Sounds like a great place to make new friends as well.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2006, 07:10 PM
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Suzie2,

Little Corn is the perfect place to meet a lot of wonderful people. We exchanged e-mail addresses with our new friends and I look forward to meeting them again further down the line. In all of the travel my wife and I have done (and it is a lot), we met more people here than anywhere else we have been.

One suggestion I have for snorkelers. At the very least try "Discover Scuba" with Dive Little Corn. I think it costs $40 (they accept credit cards, so it doesn't dip into your valuable cash cashe). I was a die-hard snorkeler until I tried this the previous year in the Bay Island and after that I was hooked. Basically, a scuba shop teaches you all the very basics and takes you for a 10 minute orientation course in shallow waters. After that, you go out with the dive boat and do a 45 minute dive at about 20 to 30 feet. The whole time the instructor is right by your side making sure you are ok. If you are like me, you will want to continue with the full-on certification, which you can get in 4 days. The total cost is about $300/person (I think).

Also, if it is fishing you are into, be sure and find the Scot ex-pat that runs the fly fishing school at the south end of the sidewalk. (Once you arrive on Little Corn you will know exactly what I am referring to). We also went out one day with the fish guide at Iguana ($45 for the two of us). He'll let you do as much fishing as you want. For our experience, , we didn't bait the hook, but we held the poles and reeled them in when they came in. We caught a bonita and kingfish in three hours. If your husband is really into fishing he probably would let you stay out there all day if you wanted.

I don't know what you are planning on doing in CR, but you may want to consider exploring the rest of Nica further. While there, we did a canopy tour, hiked up a volcano, did an amazing rainforest hike, found deserted beaches on the Pacific side and overall had a wonderful experience. I posted a seperate trip report of our entire trip here:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...6&tid=34872341

Some say a picture is worth a thousand words, and if that is the case for you, I have also posted our vacation photos on my Webshots account:

http://travel.webshots.com/album/554171859yyDuKE

Feel free to ask any other questions. I am happy to help.
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Old Sep 24th, 2006, 03:11 AM
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Thx again for your patience & help with the ?'s. I did email La Costena. Afterwards, I went on the Dive little corn site & it answered my ?. They said it was possible to travel to the CI in one day from the US & recommended 1 hr between flights. I will see what the airline says but we do have an xtra day built in, if we need it. As to the return, I appreciate your kind advisement. We are traveling to San Juan del Sur. Your advisement about the flight waiting for the panga was invaluable. At this point, I am planning to have Piedras y Olas pick us from Managua to take us to the hotel. I would think one could fly as far as Granada but unable to find anything about that connection at all.
As to Los Delfines, any insight as to the hotel itself would be appreciated. I have looked at Casa Iguana as well but leaned towards Los delfines as it appeared to have ac. Many thx again for your kindness. PS.Suze2, thank you for your kind help & encouragement with the CR planning. It was much appreciated. I see you are looking at the CI as well!
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Old Sep 24th, 2006, 04:02 AM
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ateabag,

You are very welcome. Having just gone through all the same planning questions you had, I understand how frustrating it can be getting information out of Nicaragua.

Unless you are planning on renting a helicopter, there are no flights to Granada. The best way to San Juan del Sur is exactly as you already have planned. The drive time from Managua to Granada is about an hour on nice roads the whole way. To San Juan del Sur it is maybe an extra hour. This is hard for me to say since we got very lost in Managua when we drove straight through from San Juan del Sur to the airport. San Juan del Sur is a nice enough town, but if you really want to see the Pacific coast, I recommend renting a 4X4 and driving south for one day. Playa Yankee is pretty much a deserted beach. El Coco is nice and you can also spend time at Parque La Flor. It takes 45 minutes driving on very rough roads to get to El Coco, perhaps 30 minutes to Playa Yankee.

Los Delfines looked like a nice enough hotel. We ate there twice because they were the only restaurant on the island we could find that would take a credit card. We also used the internet there once and the folks at the front desk were extremely friendly. You will have absolutely no trouble finding it. Once you get off the panga, you make a right at the sidewalk and it is maybe a two minute walk from there.

The only negative I can think of to that place is the beach. Delfines' beach access is to the main beach in town and there is a lot of boat traffic through there. Also the beach is far from secluded since it is on the main drag. Not to worry though, you can find a secluded beach just further down the sidewalk. Overall, I would think Delfines to be a wonderful choice.
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Old Sep 24th, 2006, 07:42 AM
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Thank you for this wonderful report. This is precisely what I'm always looking for. The lack of modern stimulation is what makes for a perfect vacation.

Did you find the beach to be swimmable?
Looks like it is from the photos on the Casa Iguana site; with a patch here and there of seagrass. I have kids who are squeamish about seagrass - I know it makes for excellent snorkling, though.

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Old Sep 24th, 2006, 09:03 AM
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pepper131,

There is patches of Turtle Grass right off the beach at Casa Iguana. For casual swimming, though, you can find enough sandy bottoms as for it not to be a problem.

To get away from Turtle Grass, you can swim on the beach right off of the sidewalk. There are more people around, but the sand is softer on that side. The main beach is a 10 minute walk from Casa Iguana.

To get a really great beach experience, take a walk up to the north end of the island near Enseunos and Farm Peace and Love. The walk will take approximately 30 minutes from the village. You just follow the sidewalk north, always bearing right, until the sidewalk ends. Then you continue to follow the trail, across the cow pasture/baseball field, through the thicket, past a gate and then down the forested hill to the beach. Pack a small lunch/snacks and plenty of water as there are no real facilities on this part of the island.
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