A little goes a BIG way

The randomness of me…  “OOOhhh a flight deal to Nicaragua! What can I do there? Maybe I can scuba dive.” *Researches scuba diving in Nicaragua.*

And that is how I ended up taking a quick long weekend trip to this unknown place called  Little Corn Island…. A little bit about this island. It is a Creole, English, Spanish Speaking 1.5 square miles in size island that is everything. If you are looking for authenticity and no tourism, Little Corn Island is the best.

A few things you need to know about traveling to Little Corn Island:

1. 1. A $32 dollar departure tax is paid at customs upon arrival. Make sure you have enough cash to expedite  your time at customs. .
   2. Las Costena Airlines is the airline that provides service to and from Corn Island. Las Costena Airlines has a website so you are able to check the times and book ahead. My round trip ticket was about $200 (there is a $5 departure tax).

      

   3. From Big Corn Island to Little Corn Island, I had to take a 30 minute panga ride. When you take the Panga… just be ready for it. It is  It is like riding a banana boat with 40 other people. Pangas leave at 10am and 4:30 pm daily to Little Corn Island; 6:30 am and 1:30 pm daily to Big Corn Island.  Keep in mind; pangas could be cancelled if it is too windy. Plan to leave to a day early from Little Corn Island and stay on Big Corn Island so you won’t miss your flight home. Pangas were cancelled during my stay. >

      

 

There are two ways to get around Little Corn Island: walking and biking. Little Corn Island does not have any motorized vehicles. AT. ALL. It was one of the best experiences I had in Little Corn Island. I literally walked from one end of the island to another in 15 minutes.

Accommodations:

If you have not made accommodations. Don’t worry, once you get off of the panga, there are people advertising accommodations. Accommodations vary from $10 – $100 a night. Or if you are anal like me and need to make sure you get everything taken care prior to the trip ( I’m spontaneous but with a plan) , I ended up doing a dive package that included a room.

Food:

The island has a ton of culture so food wise, they have a variety of food. One of the must try is Rondon ( seafood stew).  Meals on an average was $5- $15. Beers are about $2 and Drinks are about $3. Oh fruits! Take time to walk the island and pick up some mangoes or coconuts.

Things to do:

One of the big things to do here is diving ( duh!). They have a ton of dive sites, depending on the conditions. 

Some other things you can do is catch a baseball game with the locals, snorkeling, get a massage, walk the entire island or just relax and enjoy a beer or two in a hammock while watching the sunset. It is super chillax on this island.

Good to know:

Little Corn Island accepts US Dollars and Córdoba (Nicaragua dollar). Bring enough cash with you because they do not have ATMs on the island. Only a few restaurants accept credit cards.  The island has limited electricity and they turn off their electricity during the day. Wi-Fi is spotty.

Little Corn island is a super chill place if you want to just do absolutely nothing. My type A ass actually enjoyed standing still, doing nothing for the weekend.

Note from me: I did go to Little Corn Island prior to all political crisis that Nicaragua is facing at this moment. I am not sure how it is effecting Little Corn Island. Please do ask the local dive shops or accommodations prior to booking.