Corn Island Things to Do

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Little Corn Island is a paradise for those wishing to enjoy tranquility of the virgin beaches. And that's just what I was looking for. But walk to the Village should you wish to check out 'civilization'. The island is small, everything is in a walking distance. Staying on the east side it took 15 minutes to get across the island to the village. I only visited the village occasionally, in most cases for dinner, and also when I needed to buy water, fruits or snacks.

Normally you will be arriving with a panga boat from Big Corn Island and will be let off at the pier on the south-west side of the island. You'll find a paved sidewalk that runs the length of the village. This is called the 'front side' by islanders and is the centre of most social activity. Locals live, drink, dine and dance in the Village, which is set on a serene harbour sheltered from the north winds. Most restaurants, several hotels and grocery stores, bakery, cyber café with internet and telephone service, and the two dive shops are set in the Village. This is also from where to watch the spectacular sunset.

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My original plan after landing on Big Corn Island was to go directly to Little Corn Island. But due to strong winds and rough sea there was no panga boat so I was stuck on Big Corn Island for one day. I decided to take advantage and explore the island by foot. Starting from Brig Bay where my hotel was located, I took the cobbled street that goes through the town and then further south from the airfield. After a 20-30-minute walk I came to South West Bay, named also Picnic Centre. With white sand and turquoise water, it’s the most popular swimming beach. The water is calm and it’s hot as there is no breeze. There is a smattering of restaurants and hotels, and the picnic centre which has thatch cabanas to sit under. Picnic Centre is also a good place to watch the sunset.

Then I followed the path that leads across the island to the windward side, and walked by the sea to the north until I got to Long Bay. Just as pretty, but a bit rougher and with fever services, it’s a long beach with golden sand and coconut trees, excellent for walking. Sometimes there are larger waves and sometimes there are hardly any waves, and there is great snorkeling. If you are looking for a place to swim in absolute tranquility, this is the place for you. There is an island style bar located on Long Bay where they gladly watch your belongings while you swim. I spent two hours relaxing on the beach and had two beers before I returned to town. On the way back I was accompanied by a local guy who was eager to show me around.

more pics in the travelogue

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Only a five-minute taxi ride from the airport is Brig Bay which is the main town of Big Corn Island, the 'downtown' area. Typical Caribbean town with a mixed culture (English-speaking Creole population, mainland Nicaraguans and Miskito people from the Caribbean Mosquito coast) and island flavour is actually a group of houses lining the main road. Here you'll find a few hotels, restaurants and shops. There is Internet café and since recently also ATM. Though it often runs out of money so you should plan ahead and bring enough cash with you. The municipal docks are also in Brig Bay with panga boat service to Little Corn Island.

The town is not particularly attractive but you'll find a few nice examples of typical Caribbean architecture. While the swimming in Brig Bay is ok, the best beaches are on Long Bay and Southwest Bay.

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Sport fishing in a boat close to shore is definately worth it. We trolled around for 3 hours and got several Barracuda, a Kingfish, Jacks, and Snapper. Also there was a guy catching bonefish right from the dock of the restaurant at Anastasia's on the Sea.

Ebenezer Baptist Church was the nicest church that I saw on this island. It is located north of the main town close to the north side of the island. It is just across the main road from the oceanside. It was orginally founded in 1852 by Reverend Edward Kelly. Religion has a fairly strong influence on the island as I saw a fair amount of grafitti directed at a woman who was pregnant and unwed.

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Directly to the east of the town's dock and behind Fisher's Cave there is an area of the ocean that has been closed off from the rest of the water. Considering how most animal exhibits are in developing nations, this one is not that bad. It is an enclosed area that allows fresh ocean water can go back and forth through the walls. You can walk along the walls to get different angles to look at the marine life. When I was there they had barracuda, nurse sharks, turtles and other aquatic creatures. It was a decent size although I wish it was bigger for the nurse sharks. Hopefully it teaches the local kids to enjoy the marine life that surround their island.

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I found this to be a rather interesting thing. The Soul of the World is a project where if you were to put a cube inside the Earth, there is only one possiblity where all 8 vertices would break the surface on land. And one of those vertices is on Big Corn Island. The 7 other vertices are the Cocos Islands, Hawaii, Tierra del Fuego, Spain, Botswana, Russia and New Zealand. The creator of this is Rafael Trenor and he started this project in 1988. There is a lot more symbolic meanings to the project than I care to get into but it is something to check out. The area around the Soul of the World is a park but when I was there it was overgrown with weeds and in poor condition. When we orginally went we hiked up to it which was about a 45 minute hike from the main road and the intersection that leads to Quinn Hill. You can also cab it but not all cabs will go up there because the road is rough.

Long Bay is another one of Big Corn Island's beaches. It faces east and is located just west of the area called South End. The water is a little more wavey here than at Picnic Center and is a lot less developed. It is also a very narrow beach but I didn't see anybody else there. It is easy access to here as there is a road running parallel to the beach and is just off the main island road.