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big corn island, ni

Big Corn Island is the larger of the two Corn Islands.' Las Islas De Maiz' is what they are called in Spanish. The Corn Islands, if you are unfamiliar, — which I was before starting to plan this trip, are perfect and picturesque islands off of the east coast of Nicaragua. They look straight out of a magazine or a movie and they are almost entirely unknown. Well, not entirely unknown, but compared to most other Caribbean Island paradises these two islands in Nicaragua may as well not exist.  Big Corn is the larger of the two. It's significantly more densely populated. There are 6,200 people here, which you probably don't think is a lot but compared the roughly 1,000 on Little Corn, it is a lot. Big corn, as a result of the increased population is kind of, how do I say this politically(?)... — kind of shittier. There's more people, more buildings, more trash, and more congestion. As a result it's not as popular of a place for people to come and visit as tourists.  Big Corn, for my purposes at least, was just the gateway to get to Little Corn Island. I assume that most people will treat the islands the same. Spending the majority of your time on Little Corn is advisable. However, Big Corn is kind of the center of everything. The airport is there, the port to the mainland is here, the larger stores are here. If you need money you come to Big Corn. If you need a doctor, you go to Big Corn. It's the center of commerce and industry here.  That's not to say that Big Corn isn't in its own right beautiful. It's stunning, and there are parts of the island that I never went to that I am sure are absolutely amazing. I went to one beach here that I to this day think is the most picturesque beach that I have ever been to in my entire life. So it's not worthy of ignoring. If you have a lot of time and want to explore, you should. But you're not really going to find anything from me here. I spent all my time over on the little one.  A detailed description on how to get here is below.

GENERAL OVERVIEW

  • LOCATION - First of a chain of islands located off the eastern coast of Nicaragua in the Caribbean. You can fly directly here from Managua, or if you are going by land things will be a little bit more difficult. First things first, get to Bluefields if you are traveling by land. 

    • GETTING TO CORN ISLAND BY LAND/AIR-

      • Option #1 - To get here you will have to take a ferry. The ferry ONLY OPERATES ON WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY AT 9AM. If you miss one of these you will be stuck. Nowhere online to book, so you just have to show up and ask around. ​

        • I would recommend getting to the ferry around 6 in the morning. The ferry can fill up, and there is no way to buy ferry tickets beforehand. So if you are late, in the back of the line, and don't get a ticket, you are screwed for 3 days. ​

        • The ferry is going to cost you about $7USD. The ferry leaves at 9 in the morning, and the journey takes 6 hours. You will arrive in Big Corn around 3 in the afternoon with plenty of time to get over to Little Corn if that's your goal. 

        • The ferry boards at the port.

      • Option #2 - If you want to be really adventurous, and I recommend this, get on a cargo ship. Cargo ships leave daily from the port in Bluefields out to the Corn Islands. Walk down to the port, which is a crazy experience on its own, and ask around. There will usually be someone going out there, and they won't charge you much. ​​​

      • Option #3 - Take a panga to Bluff and figure it out. There were no cargo ships leaving from Bluefields when I wanted to leave so we had to get out to Bluff. A lot of ships only leave from there. You can catch a little panga out to Bluff and there ask around about ships. The boys with the pangas will know if there are cargo ships heading out from Bluff, and they won't take you out there unless there are. 

      • Worst Case - There's an airport here that goes out to the islands. If you miss the ferry and don't want to cargo ship it or lobster boat it, then you can hop on a plane. 

    • GETTING TO CORN ISLAND BY AIR - I would recommend that you just fly from Managua. You can book your flight here, you will save about a day of your life but you won't have a journey to talk about for the rest of your life.

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  • ACCOMMODATION - I took a lobster boat out to the Corn Islands. We arrived in the middle of the night, so I slept on the lobster boat. As a result I never spent a night sleeping in Big Corn. I don't know what the accommodation options look like here. 

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  • EATS - I ate at a few places. 

    • Hotel Fishers Cave - There is a little hotel and restaurant right next to the port in town where the ferry will let you off. I ate here once, and the food is food. ​

    • Arenas Beach Hotel - Little beach restaurant and bar on the most beautiful beach in the world, 'Picnic Beach'. 

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  • NIGHTLIFE - Not that I know of. Beers on the beach. 

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  • SIGHTS - There's a few cool things to do.

    • Walk the Airport - The airport is open to walk across and on. I found it really interesting to walk on an airstrip here. 

    • Pic-Nic Beach - The main photo of this page is from Picnic Beach. It is one of the most pristine Caribbean beaches you will ever see. It's stunningly beautiful, and I recommend checking it out even if you are in Big Corn for a half day.  

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  • SURFING - Flat-ass Nicaraguan island.  

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