Corn Islands

[ScubaSteve]

.......We went down there to hang out, and loved it so much that we bought 2 acres of land for 20,000 USD. The land is CHEAP......

OK, so I will just camp on your two acres if it is close enough to the ocean. Thank for the "offer"

.......I'll bet the plane is still parked by the side of the road.......

Well, if it is still there, I just found a way top finance my trip. All I have to do is sell the plane fopr scrap metal once the market recovers and I will have more than enough. Thanks for the tip

BTW....sounds like quite the story.....did everybody end up safe? I know obviously that you did but a wing getting torn off sounds pretty bad.

I spent a week at Casa Iguana with my girlfriend a couple years back. We absolutely loved it and the diving was very good. I would definitely warn that it is rustic, but that somehow made it more enjoyable. I know it may be hard to believe, but AC was totally unnecessary at Case Iguana because it was on the windward side. The hotel with AC is on the Leeward side and it was brutal over there. Definitely more pleasant at Case Iguana.

As for getting there, it wasn't terrible. You take a flight (the plane is somewhat...scary) from Managua to Blue Fields and then it continues to Big Corn. From Big Corn, you take a boat. There were some serious swells, but I don't get seasick and I rather enjoyed it. Anyhow, if you are interested in it, I would recommend it. It was beautiful and is refreshingly underdeveloped. Some very good food too (though not as much at Casa Iguana).

Thanks for the input. I guess I will have to see how rustic I am allowed to book . It sounds great to me as long as there is a good breeze and the water/diving is great.

 

[Canuckgirl]

ScubaSteve001 - I use to live in Cambridge, ON, and I got from my house to Little Corn Island in one day, and was relatively easy. I drove to Buffalo and flew from Buffalo-Miami-Managua-Big Corn Island (BCI). I used La Costena to get from Managua to BCI, the planes are puddle jumpers, but I didn't have any issues. I reserved a spot ahead of time, but there wasn't a huge line-up to get on. The one thing that was weird, is that they weigh you with all your luggage before you get on the plane! Once I got to BCI, I took a cab to the ferry dock, and took a panga to Little Corn Island (LCI). The panga schedule is coordinated with the plane schedule, so they will generally wait until the last flight gets in. The panga ride is 45 min., my suggestion is to sit on the lifejacket they give you, rather than wear it. Once on LCI, if you made a reservation at one of the hotels, they will probably send someone down to the beach to met you and bring you and your luggage back.

We stayed at the Casa Iguana. It is pretty basic, but clean and with good security. The economy cabin sleeps two for $35/night, and that includes breakfast and dinner. Casa Iguana is associated with Dive Little Corn, and that worked out really well. Since the island is pretty hard to get to (compared to say, Cancun), there were not a lot of divers. As for the diving, the coral was pristine, huge staghorn and brain corals. Not a lot of small fish. Lots of nurse sharks, sand rays, morays, lobster, etc. We also saw sea turtles, and the highlight was a pair of huge eagle rays that swam right over our heads. There was not a lot of really deep dives, so the bottom time is really long. We dove twice a day, and stayed for five days.

The vibe of the island is pretty mellow and everyone we met was really friendly. It was fun and I would recommend it, but only for people with a sense of adventure, and who are somewhat accustomed to roughing it. If you can't function without A/C, the internet, and the din of civilization, this island is not for you! If you have the time, I would also highly recommend checking out the rest of Nicaragua. Granada and Ometepe were very cool. I hope you have fun. Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[yukoncherry]

Im headed over to both corn islands starting tommorrow. i am already in managua. so expect some news from me in the next weeks about how i enjoy my time there.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Im headed over to both corn islands starting tommorrow. i am already in managua. so expect some news from me in the next weeks about how i enjoy my time there.

I have my popcorn ready and await your reports.

 

[kathydee]

We stayed at the Casa Iguana. It is pretty basic, but clean and with good security. The economy cabin sleeps two for $35/night, and that includes breakfast and dinner. Casa Iguana is associated with Dive Little Corn, and that worked out really well. The vibe of the island is pretty mellow and everyone we met was really friendly. It was fun and I would recommend it, but only for people with a sense of adventure, and who are somewhat accustomed to roughing it. If you can't function without A/C, the internet, and the din of civilization, this island is not for you! If you have the time, I would also highly recommend checking out the rest of Nicaragua. Granada and Ometepe were very cool. I hope you have fun. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Hi,

I'll be in Honduras/Central America for 26 days over Christmas - little corn island has my attention as another interesting scuba destination. Wondering if travel there is safe enough for a single really-roughing-it-travel-savvy women who knows about 300 words of Spanish? Is there a reliable budget airline that you can recommend in Central America? A cheaper safe accommodation on Little Corn Island?

Thanks!

 

[yukoncherry]

well, i did head over to grand corn for a few days, but my timing was horrible. most fishermen, and the dive shop on big corn had pulled thier boats out of the water. it was very windy and rainy. i decided to leave as a few flights had been cancelled and i dint want to get stuck there for a weeks of rain and wind. now i know the dive shop, nautilus on grand corn goes out diving often. they will go in the rain for sure but wind is dangerous and it was pretty bad when i was there. i will return another time though because i thought the place had a great atmosphere, was very beautiful, and the people at nautilus were great. i was alone and as the weather was bad and thier wasnt any other people around i decided to head up to utila. here it is also pretty rainy but i have managed to get out daily. i hope you enjoy the corn islands. you can get fairly accurate weather reports online. good luck

 

[Canuckgirl]

Hi,

I'll be in Honduras/Central America for 26 days over Christmas - little corn island has my attention as another interesting scuba destination. Wondering if travel there is safe enough for a single really-roughing-it-travel-savvy women who knows about 300 words of Spanish? Is there a reliable budget airline that you can recommend in Central America? A cheaper safe accommodation on Little Corn Island?

Thanks!

I think that you should be okay. I was traveling with my brother, but we did meet up with several women who were traveling alone. If you are going to be by yourself, I would recommend making a reservation, at least for the first night, so that you can ensure that there will be someone to meet you at the panga, when you get to the island. My Spanish is atrocious, but I was able to get by with a few sentences. I used La Costena to get from Managua to Big Corn, La Costena is a Taca Regional Airline, so it facilitates transfers, etc. If you decide to go, let me know how it went.

 

[ScubaKay]

I'll be in Honduras/Central America for 26 days over Christmas - little corn island has my attention as another interesting scuba destination.

Hi Kathydee:

Wondering if travel there is safe enough for a single really-roughing-it-travel-savvy women who knows about 300 words of Spanish?

As a single female traveller -- you will be fine. You are bound to meet other people and maybe even travel together.

The islanders speak a mix of Spanish, English, and Caribbean dialects like Miskito and Creole. So you should be fine also.

Is there a reliable budget airline that you can recommend in Central America?

There is only 1 airline going to Little Corn - La Costena. Within the mainland Central America, there really aren't any regional budget airlines (not like Ryan Air, Air Asia, Southwest, etc). You might find a deal on Copa or Taca - but not likely. Bus travel is frequent, easy, efficient, and comfortable.

A cheaper safe accommodation on Little Corn Island?

Casa Iguana and Hotel Delfin are in the top range ($35-$65 per night). In the middle range are Ensueno's, Farm Peace and Love, Derek's, and a couple others ($15-$35 per night). In the low range are a handful of rustic bungalows on the beach - Elsa's, Carlito's and Gracies -- they are all next to each other on the beach down from Casa Iguana ($5-$15 per night).

 

[kjm103]

I see this thread stopped last year.My wife and I are considering going to Big Corn this fall and would appreciate any updates.

 

[redgym]

I can tell you how not to get to Little Corn. A few years ago LC was our first stop on our Nic trip. Flew into Managua, inquired at the airport as to the weather in the Corn Islands. Told the weather was nice. Get on a little Cessna for a flight to Big Corn. Starts to rain on the flight. Went to the marina on Big Corn for the water taxi to LC. The water taxi is shut down b/c of the weather. Over hear that a Canadian family has arranged for a private boat to take them to LC (what we didn't know was that the family bribed a member of the military to let the boat take them to LC). Get on an approx. 20 ft. fiberglass boat for the trip. Get out of the harbor and realize that there are something like 14 ft. swells, it starts to pour down rain. We are getting thrown around the boat b/c of the waves. Day turns to night. The driver of the boat gets lost, so he stops. None of us speak spanish, but we figured that we are lost at sea. Finally he starts moving again. Eventually he sees a light in the distance and drives to it. We end up back on BC. We found a room for the night and with a little extra donation get a seat on a flight back to the mainland the next morning. Not one of my brighter traveling moments.