Big Corn Island: Are Nicaragua’s Caribbean Islands Worth The Effort?

I don’t remember how I first heard about the Corn Islands – I seem to have some sort of sixth sense when it comes to seeking out random islands I can visit – but when I did, they shot into my bucket list for my travels around Latin America. When I got the chance to take a career break in my mid 30s, I made the dream a reality and as a suspected, Big Corn Island and its little sister, aptly named Little Corn, became two of my favourite destinations during my career break.

Rustic beaches with very few people on them, friendly faces and laid back Creole vibes make for an essential addition to any Nicaragua itinerary. For everything you need to know about getting to the Corn islands, where to eat, stay and what to expect, I welcome you to my Big Corn Island Travel Guide.

Where Are The Corn Islands?

The Corn Islands are two small islands in the Caribbean off the east coast of Nicaragua. Aptly and simply named to their corresponding sizes, Big Corn Island is the home to the majority of the 7000 people who call this part of Nicaragua home.

Big Corn serves as the gateway island to get to smaller Little Corn, which people often travel straight onto. Whilst I loved Little Corn, it would be a crime to skip out on a few days on Big Corn island too. After all, you’ve made it all this way!

How To Get To Big Corn Island

Whilst marginally easier to get to than Little Corn Island, visiting Big Corn Island still requires a bit of effort, but I’m of the belief that all the best places do.

You have two options: fly from Managua with Nicaragua’s only national airline or take the more budget route of bus and ferry combination from the mainland. One option is much quicker and more convenient than the other, but it depends what kind of budget you are on.

You can read in detail how to get to the Corn Islands here and weigh up the right journey for you.

Flying To The Corn Islands

La Costeña airlines is the only airline serving the Corn Islands, and the flights can only be found on La Costeña’s own website a couple of months in advance of the flight date – I booked around 6 weeks in advance and it set me back £177 for the return journey.

Getting The Boat To The Corn Islands

The alternative option if you are trying to stick to a strict budget is to take a 7 hour bus from Managua to Bluefields on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, and then take one of the twice weekly 6-7 hour ferries to Big Corn Island.

However, whilst this route is kinder to the budget, it is unreliable and uncomfortable. Seasickness is common and the ferry can often be cancelled due to bad weather, so this option requires a certain level of flexibility.

If they do run as planned, ferries are scheduled to leave Bluefields on Wednesdays and Saturdays and return from Big Corn on Thursdays and Sundays. On arrival at Big Corn you can then travel onwards to Little Corn on a different boat.

Getting Around: Taxis on Big Corn Island

Big Corn Island is incredibly chill: it’s the kind of place where taxis just turn up at the teeny tiny airport to meet the latest plane and fill it with as many passengers that will fit before dropping them at their individual destinations, like a makeshift rideshare. Taxi rides to the airport or port cost just 40 cordobas per person (80p/$1) and to anywhere else on the island costs 20 cordobas (40p/50c).

If you need to book a taxi in order to get to the port or airport, your guesthouse should be able to call one, but otherwise just stand on the street and hail one whenever one should pass – it’s all very laid back.

Where To Eat on Big Corn

Sweets Cafe

It’s been months and I’m still dreaming of Sweets Cafe’s cinnamon rolls. Honestly, just another level. Talia, owner and all round gem, bakes the cinnamon rolls and her own bagels every day and you can tell: they are really great. Not only is the food top quality but the coffee is excellent too: Talia has worked her magic to get supplied with beans from Nicaraguan company Twin Engines Coffee. It’s the only place you’ll find Twin Engines on the Corn Islands.

Darinia’s Fine Dining

Whilst I am by no means a fine dining girlie, this wasn’t one of those ultra posh joints where you’re not sure which fork to use (start outside, work your way in – thanks Titanic). I mean, it is the Corn Islands after all.

Darinia’s an excellent chef and has set up her own restaurant up the top of a dirt track road, with just a few tables and a set menu of the day. You must book in advance, you can text her and she will confirm any dietaries and discuss the planned menu with you.

I had the best lobster I’ve ever had at Darinia’s and a fantastic prawn dish, all washed down with a great wine. Definitely a treat meal, but for the quality, intimacy and skill shown through the dishes, it was well worth it.

Island Style

Island Style is a restaurant set on beautiful Long Beach. There are a few sunbeds on the beach here, perfect to enjoy your cocktails and cold beers from. Food covers everything from chicken and rice, fresh seafood, ceviches, salad and snacks – the ideal place for a long lunch in the shade on a day spent at Long Beach.

Where To Stay on Big Corn Island

Island Escape Guesthouse and Glamping

I bookended my time on the Corn Islands at Island Escape, with a night in the guesthouse at the start of my trip and then a night in one of their glamping tents at the end, just a stone’s throw from the sea. The friendliest hosts and some very welcome flexibility over my stay when the weather affected my plans made Island Escape a truly wonderful place to stay. I wouldn’t hesitate to stay again; the glamping tent was especially fun, with your own decking to relax on and an outdoor shower.

Island Escape is just a short stroll from Long Beach and Sweets Cafe, too, and anywhere that close to the best cinnamon rolls in Nicaragua is a winner!

Book the guesthouse here, book glamping here.

Arenas Beach Hotel

Arenas Beach Hotel is the fanciest place to stay on Big Corn, but still doesn’t break the bank, so if you’re on more of a holiday versus backpacking, it’s a fantastic option. Ideally located for sunset on Picnic beach, Arenas has a great beach bar and restaurant and plenty of sunbeds for guests under palm trees and festoon lights. Their airport shuttle will meet you from your flight and all rooms have air con. Book here.

Hospedaje Rosa Del Mar 

Comfortable air conned rooms all with balconies above Sweets Cafe, meaning the best breakfast and coffee on the island is just a few steps away each morning. Just a five minute walk from Long Beach, my favourite beach on the island. Book here.

Things To Do on Big Corn Island, Nicaragua

The beauty of any island with gorgeous beaches is the fact there isn’t a huge amount to do! The Corn Islands are a perfect chill out destination, but if you do need more than a good book and a cold beer, Big Corn Island is big enough that you can get out and about to keep yourself entertained.

Explore The Island

Big Corn is a lot bigger than Little Corn so in order to explore you’ll need to get out on the road. You can hire bicycles or scooters for the day and travel around the island at leisure, checking out different beaches and places to eat, or if you’re not comfortable driving or cycling, take some taxis.

Taxis are cheap on Big Corn and easy to flag down; I took a car over to Picnic beach for the day which I highly recommend – it’s a beautiful beach and despite being one of the most popular, there weren’t many people around given the Corn Islands take some effort to get to.

Bit Coin Island Bar

Off of Picnic beach sits Bit Coin Island Bar, a floating bar off shore, surrounded by beautiful turquoise waters. Slightly odd name, I’m not sure of the reasoning, but a floating bar is always a great novelty!

Which Is The Best Beach on Big Corn Island?

Picnic Beach is a fantastic spot for sunset and has lovely shallow waters that lead out to Bit Coin Island Bar. Arenas Beach Hotel sits on this beach, as does the Picnic Beach Hotel and their beach bar, which is a more budget friendly spot for a sundowner cocktail than Arenas. It’s a genuinely lovely beach and I wish I’d had more time to spend here.

My favourite beach on Big Corn was Long Beach, which was a short 10 minute stroll from where I was staying on the east side of the island. Rocks frame the golden sands that lead to the sea and there was hardly anyone there at any given time! If you walk further down the beach from the entrance by the road you’ll find Island Style, which is a great place to eat and drink during a day on Long Beach.

Best Time of Year To Visit The Corn Islands

The peak time of year to travel to the Caribbean is after hurricane season between November and April. They tend to be the driest months, but small islands will feel the brunt of changing weather, as I unfortunately experienced when I went to the Corn Islands in February.

There had been some extreme cold weather up in New York, which brought storms to the Caribbean, so I had a good few days of rain during my trip. Weather can really affect how you feel about a destination, yet the Corn Islands were still one of my top destinations in 7.5 months of travelling around Latin America, which says a lot!

Local Life on The Corn Islands

Together Big and Little Corn Island have a population of around 7000 people, with the vast majority of this total living on the much larger Big Corn. There is a different feel between the islands – Little Corn has no roads, no ATM and even no electricity for part of the day, whereas none of those things are true of Big Corn, which is more built up and has tarmacked roads, as well as the tiniest airport I’ve ever seen. Local life is still very relaxed here though, it is still the Caribbean!

Travelling to Big Corn as a Solo Traveller

As an experienced solo traveller, the only places I don’t much enjoy travelling solo are very patriarchal societies. I know some people don’t much fancy beach destinations solo as there isn’t a lot to do to keep themselves distracted if they feel lonely, but I really enjoy the solo downtime spent reading my book and sunbathing.

I always seem to get chatting to someone along the way regardless, and yhe great thing about small Caribbean islands is people are so friendly. They truly make you feel welcome and it’s hard to feel that alone when you’ve got such a good community around.

As a solo female traveller, I felt super safe on the Corn Islands, even walking by myself at night. I would have no qualms going on a two week solo holiday back to the Corn Islands in the future!

How Long To Spend On Big Corn Island

As someone who loves the beach and specifically the chilled laid back vibe of the Caribbean, I think a couple of weeks in the Corn Islands is perfect. They take some effort to get to, especially if you’ve opted for the long bus and boat journey, and if you’re taking the flight, you may as well make it worth the money.

When it comes down to splitting time between the islands, I would spend more time on Little Corn Island than Big Corn; it just has more of the desert island vibe I love so much, and it’s so easy with everything being in walking distance. But that is definitely not to say that Big Corn should be missed!

If I had two weeks on the islands, I would spend 4 nights on Big Corn and the rest on Little Corn. If I had one week, I would spend 2 nights on Big Corn, 5 on Little Corn.

Final Thoughts: Don’t Miss Big Corn Island

A lot of people choose to miss Big Corn Island in favour of Little Corn Island, and whilst I too would spend more time on the smaller island, I think it’s a mistake to skip Big Corn. The beaches are beautiful and there are some places to eat – the cinnamon rolls from Sweets Cafe are reason enough to stay.

You have to go to Big Corn island to get to Little Corn island anyway, and it’s a long or expensive journey (depending which way you choose to travel). You may as well split your time between both islands and enjoy the different vibes and varied beaches of each island.

I’ve rounded up everything I spent in Nicaragua in this budget breakdown, if you want more information on the cost of travelling to the Corn Islands, and if you’re planning a wider Latin America trip, you can find my full Central and South American Backpacking Budget here.

FAQs: Big Corn Island, Nicaragua

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