Little Corn Island Travel Guide (+ Map)

Little Corn Island was our favourite Caribbean island of our whole 6 months Central America trip. Without further ado, here’s our Little Corn Island travel guide:

• Little Corn Island Travel Guide
  • Is Little Corn Island Worth Visiting?
  • 6 Great Things to Do on Little Corn Island
  • Where to Stay on Little Corn Island
  • How Long Should I Stay on Little Corn Island?
  • How to Get to Little Corn Island
  • Where to Eat on Little Corn Island
  • Little Corn Island Map
  • Little Corn Island FAQ
  • Little Corn Island vs Big Corn Island

Little Corn Island Travel Guide

Is Little Corn Island Worth Visiting?

If you’re on the fence, you should absolutely travel to Little Corn Island!

The island is located 70 km (43 mi) off the coast of Nicaragua but it feels like a different world.

Little Corn Island is super remote and laid back – almost like a Caribbean paradise from a few decades ago.

Because of its remote location, Little Corn Island (or Isla Pequeña del Maiz) is far from overrun with tourists (yet).

Additionally, it’s a super affordable place to live out your island dreams. You can stay in a beachfront bungalow for 5$ per day and enjoy a meal for under 3$.

6 Great Things to Do on Little Corn Island

Honestly, there’s not a ton to do on Little Corn Island. It’s mostly a place to relax. Rather than giving you 20 different descriptions for doing nothing, here’s our short but sweet list of 6 amazing things to do on Little Corn Island:

1. Little Corn Island Snorkelling

We have done snorkelling and scuba diving here and the experiences were quite different. While snorkelling, we saw 5 nurse sharks as well as some other fish.

We booked a snorkelling trip with our accommodation.

2. Diving Little Corn Island

While scuba diving, we went down to 18 meters (60 ft) and saw a giant school of fish (the biggest I’ve ever seen). The island is definitely a nice place to scuba dive and Dolphin Dive (recommendation!) offers discover scuba dives for complete beginners.

3. Beaches on Little Corn Island

There are some nice beaches on Little Corn Island:

• A 45-minute walk brings you to beautiful Otto Beach on the north side of the island. This is the nicest beach on Little Corn Island. You can simply relax here or snorkel from the shore. There’s also a restaurant here.
• Pelican Beach is the beach in the centre of the island. It’s where the pangas arrive and most restaurants and dive shops are.
• Our accommodation Carlitos Place was on the other side of the Island on the beautiful Cocal Beach.
• You can also venture out to find more hidden beaches. We enjoyed Kelly Gully Beach very much.

4. Hike Around Little Corn Island

You can walk around most parts of the island in two hours. We especially liked the northeastern loop between Otto Beach and our accommodation.

5. Garifuna Drumming and Happy Hour at Tranquilo

Every Wednesday, there is Garifuna night at Tranquilo Cafe with drumming and a bonfire. Every sunset, you can have happy hour drinks. It’s definitely the place to be on the island.

6. The Old Lighthouse

The old lighthouse is super hard to find. It’s behind the Lighthouse Hotel. The way up is somewhere in between sketchy and dangerous. The view is nice but not mindblowing.

Where to Stay on Little Corn Island

We stayed at Carlitos Place Little Corn Island. The beachfront bungalows are super cosy and very affordable.

Yemaya Reefs is the most luxurious accommodation on the island.

How Long Should I Stay on Little Corn Island?

Honestly, the way by ferry is so long and hard that we suggest staying at least a week. It would also make sense to catch the next Thursday ferry if you arrive on a Wednesday because it’s the bigger boat - making it a stay of 8 days. Most people we met, including us, prolonged their stay.

How to Get to Little Corn Island

The Easy Way

La Costeña offers daily flights from Managua and Bluefields to Big Corn Island. From here, you need to take a panga to Little Corn Island.

How to Get to Little Corn Island by Public Transport

1. Take a bus from Managua to Bluefields (around 8$). Buses leave at the Terminal Buses Costa Caribe. They run all through the day and should take around 8 hours. If you want to avoid travelling at night - which we recommend for safety reasons , the latest bus you can take is 9:15 am. From the bus station in Bluefields, you need to take a taxi into town.

1. Take the ferry (around 7$) from Bluefields to Big Corn Island. Currently, it leaves every Wednesday and Saturday. The Wednesday ferry is the bigger boat and according to all sources, you should aim to catch this one as the ride is around 7 hours long and can be quite choppy. You’ll find toilets on the boat and you can buy some snacks but to be honest, I could not eat a thing the whole day. We sat outside which has the advantage of fresh air but the disadvantage of getting wet when it rains. Inside, a lot more people will get sick. It’s really a tradeoff between getting wet or sick - neither is comfortable but both are manageable.

2. After 7 hours on the ferry, when you really don’t want to see another boat, you’ll arrive on Big Corn Island. Make sure to immediately make your way to the panga that goes to Little Corn Island. Buy your tickets at the ticket office as spaces on the boat are limited and fill up fast. If you miss the public panga for around 5$ you have to catch a private panga, which is basically the same boat but for 20$. The ride takes around 30 - 45 minutes and is super bumpy. Your luggage will be in a dry storage area but be prepared to get wet yourself.

   The public panga leaves Big Corn at 4:30 pm - enough time to catch it after the ferry - and goes back at 6:30 am - again enough time to catch the ferry on the way back.

Where to Eat on Little Corn Island

Here are some of our favourites:

• Best price: El Bosque
• Best pizza: Desideri
• Best banana bread: We have marked the lady on our map
• Best drinks: Tranquilo

Little Corn Island Map

Little Corn Island FAQ

Is Little Corn Island Safe

In Nicaragua, there’s a chance that petty theft can happen to you. In most parts of Nicaragua, you should always be aware of your surroundings. We even got robbed in Pearl Lagoon in broad daylight…

On the other hand, we never felt unsafe on Little Corn Island. It’s a small island very far off the coast which comes with a small and safe community.

Power and WiFi on Little Corn Island

There’s a scheduled power cut from 6 am to 1 pm every day on Little Corn Island.

WiFi on Little Corn Island is bad.

ATMs on Little Corn Island

Currently, there are no ATMs on Little Corn Island. The nearest ATM is on Big Corn Island. Be prepared to pay with cash everywhere.

Many places will accept US Dollars if the bills are in pristine condition.

Shopping on Little Corn Island

There’s no real supermarket on Little Corn Island. There are a few small shops with a small assortment of products selling at rather high prices.

What to Bring to Little Corn Island

Some items you might need are

• A bag to waterproof your valuables on the panga.
• A flashlight.
• Sunscreen (almost impossible to find at a reasonable price on the island) and bug spray.
• Mask and snorkel.

Little Corn Island vs Big Corn Island

Should you visit Big Corn Island or Little Corn Island?

• There is more infrastructure on Big Corn Island: There’s an airport, cars, and 24-hour electricity.
• There is more tourist infrastructure on Little Corn Island. It’s easier to find international food, cheap accommodation, and meet other travellers.

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