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Ok so you may have noticed I visit a lot of islands! In Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Ometepe and now Little Corn. The people the weather the diving and just being surrounded by water, be it sea or lake there is just something about island life that speaks to me!
Often on this trip of mine the journey has been just as important as the destination, getting to the Corn Islands was no exception. We could have taken a long bus to Bluefields on the Caribbean coast and then a long slow ferry across to the Corn Islands or take the slightly more expensive option of flying. Boy, am I glad we flew. La Costina, the local Nicaraguan airline were in the process of servicing there larger aircraft so instead had chartered two smaller 12 seater planes. The 90 minute flight took us over Largo Nicaragua where we could see Ometepe in the distance across the highlands and out towards the Caribbean coast past Bluefields and over to Big Corn. As we came into land the bright white sandy beaches fringing the island became clearer and the tiny airstrip came into sight. I felt like a rock star as we walked down the steps out of the plane and onto the tarmac in the late afternoon heat. The boat across to Little Corn was just as beautiful with another amazing sunset as we zipped across the calm flat channel.
Little Corn has no roads and no vehicles. Not even golf carts like Caye Caulker in Belize. Although still mainly Spanish speaking, the Corn Islands have a huge Caribbean influence so Creole English is widely spoken which made me feel like I was actually back in Belize. We had heard that the far side of the island had a cooling sea breeze so we headed off into the dark across the island with a couple of other people that we had met either on the flight or on the boat. We chose to stay in a hotel called 'Graces/Cool Spot' which was right on the beach. The rooms were a little run down and the whole area had a bit of a mosquito problem but nothing could take away from the beauty of this remote island. The sand was a shimmering white colour and the sea was beautifully blue. Because of the wind the waves had churned up the shore a little so it wasn't crystal clear but still picture perfect. We were only able to spend three nights on the island but that gave us plenty of time to relax. The first day we settled on the beach with our books but within minutes I was getting itchy feet and had to go and explore. Before I knew it I was booked onto an afternoon dive with 'Dolphin Dive' and headed off to a dive sight called Tunnels and Caves with David and d*** (two guys from the flight). Normally $35 per dive I was quite chuffed with their $10 divemaster discount!
Still spoilt by the diving in Belize I was excited by the sounds of this site. It didn't disappoint! The area of reef we were diving on was an intricate system of... well tunnels and caves! The sea life wasn't anything special apart from a Slipper Lobster and a huge Spotted Eagle Ray but the effect of light streaming through the cracks in the reef made for a spectacular dive and some beautiful photos. Also being a shallow dive we were able to stay down for over an hour.
That night we went out for a meal and a few drinks with David, his girlfriend Elin, d*** and two Canadian girls, Keyla and Ashley then bought a couple of bottles of rum and got drunk playing cards on the beach.
On our last day we all went on snorkelling trip out to the reef. The weather wasn't ideal and at times we were in a 1-2m swell but we still saw a few Nurse Sharks and a few other bits. One site that we snorkelled had a cave/swim through that the guide showed us. I went for it and swam down into the cave but struggled to find the exit. There was a small opening (which turned out to be the correct one) but it looked tiny so I didn't try it so I swam to another exit a further 20m or so away appearing the other side of the reef much to the relief of the guide who later told me that he hadn't ever seen anyone swim the full length in one go. Ooops!
The flight back to Managua was just as stunning as the flight out and we had an awesome pilot, who on spotting me trying to take a photo of the island tilted the plane to give me a better shot.
It was only a short visit but absolutely worth it! Sadly my last time in the Caribbean too!
- comments
Jamie Same great blogging buddy, but now with added peril and real danger!! This place sounds incredible and getting rum-drunk on a beach in the evening playing cards? My favourite thing to do :D keep us well informed, the blog really is great!
Karin What a great blog! I am living on Big Corn at the moment and till now I have visited two times Little Corn. It's funny to read your story about the Island. I will explore even more now!