A few q's about Little Corn Island

I have a few questions about Little Corn Island that I hope some of you could answer for me...

I have just over three weeks in Nicaragua, travelling there this May. I want to leave Little Corn Island for the end of my trip and was thinking I would do 7 nights there. I'm looking forward to laying on the beach, reading, maybe doing a bit of snorkelling - overall just chilling out. Do you think 7 nights will be too long...or should I reduce it to five?

Also, any recommendations on where to stay? I've heard and read about Derrek's and it seems to be a good place. I'm looking to spend b/w $10-$25 a night...any other suggestions?

And one last question! I fly back home to Canada on May 30 at 7am...I was thinking of flying from the Corn Islands to Managua on the 29th (the afternoon flight) -- do you think this should be okay, or should I leave a day earlier in case there is some sort of flight delay (so flying back to Managua on the 28th).

Any of your suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!!

Hi, I stayed on Little Corn for 8 nights. It is a great place to chill on the beach and has decent snorkeling. Lobster and fish dinners all over. I would recommend a place called Carlitos. There are two other places near there and also the Iguana place. All have cabins near the beach for $15-$35-$50US. You can walk the entire shoreline in a half day. Dereks is on the tip of the island and is very nice but is a little far from things. Your best bet is around Carlitos on that side of the island. You will have a blast if you don't mind just reading, eating and chillin.

Okay great, thanks greggo for your tips! And I just wanted to double check -- I fly back home at 7am of the 30th -- so if I flew the morning flight from Big Corn Island to Managua on the 29th, do you think I'll be fine? Or should I be more concerned with possible flight delays/cancellations from the island back to Managua (and thus fly back a day earlier just in case)?

You should be ok but keep checking the weather. I have come to the conclusion that you can only do so much to anticipate a problem. Now a days I figure that if I miss my flight do to unforeseen circumstances I will just have the pay the $150 for a flight change. It isn't the end of the world. Another thing that I started doing two years ago is getting flight insurance. The airlines are operating on slimmer margins now. In the past I never had problems making connections. That is no longer the case and I barely made my flight connections twice in the past two years. For $26 the insurance will cover the change of flight costs.

You are right, not a big deal if I have to pay a bit more...I'll look into getting extra insurance too. Thanks a lot for all the advice -- much appreciated :)

If you stay on the side where Carlitos and those other places are it is only a 15 minute coconut walk to the little "town" so you can even do it at night. A little spooky by moonlight but also very beautiful and I would say no worries if you walk with someone. Little Corn is really beautiful with that aquamarine colored water, beaches and a nice coral reef just off shore. It is well worth the expense and effort to get there. I would probably recommend getting to BIg Corn the night before your flight because the water between the two gets pretty rough even on a good day. You can spend a night at a place like Morgan's on Big Corn for $15. Taxi's anywhere are $1. Once again, check the weather for the days leading up to your departure. Have Fun! Greg

Time is a meaningless concept on little corn - probably the most relaxing place on earth. Can't remember how long I stayed in 2007 - a week or two. Stayed at enseunos in a hobbit-like cabin. Magical. Not sure if it's still there. The owner was Italian. Take a torch for the walk back in the dark.

It was still there in '09. Those places look incredible! Middle Earth with the Caribbean at your feet! Yeah, You can really lose yourself for months in a place like that or Derek's.

I agree with coming to Big Corn a day early. You have to worry about the panga ride from Little island not running more then the planes. The first poster was right, Derek's is more out there. Lots of places to choose from on that side of the island. Go to Corn Island web site. They have all the listings.

I think I've decided to get to Big Corn on the 28th, fly back to Managua on the 29th -- and hopefully I'll be all good for my flight back home on the 30th! And I will get that insurance...just in case. Thanks everyone for your responses :)

OR should I go to the Corn Islands at the beginning of my trip, so I don't have to worry about any of this stuff? lol - I'm being quite indecisive...but any thoughts?

Hi stepthom - there's been quite a few recent comments and recommendations about beginning the trip with Corn Islands. This way, you don't have to worry about missing flights home; you're in Nica if la Costeña happens to delay or cancel flights, and...you're already in the islands if deciding you like it so much, you want to extend your stay and change your flight dates.

It would be a shame to spend so much relaxing time, and then have it sucked away by stressing over getting back to MGA for catching your flight home. There's always the unforeseeable factors to possibly contend with. Dollyd and I were just messaging this morning about how weather/wind patterns are seemingly a little different this year - which can also affect the panga transfer between islands.

In general, morning boat/ferry rides anywhere on the CA Caribbean tend to be smoother than in the afternoons. So yes, also wise to plan heading back to Big Corn the day before the flight back to MGA. Maybe we'll see each other there!

I recently returned from 14 nights in Nicaragua and started my trip with six nights on the Corn Islands (1 Big, 5 Little).

I got the morning flight back to Managua and stayed at Little Corn that night. There are so many on the panga getting the plane that the plane waits (so I was told). We were a bit late checking in for the flight and they were not pleased, but with so many on the panga getting the plane what can they do...

I started my trip in the Corns purely because it was easier to sort the flights and it created less backtracking. This necessitated an expensive overnight at a Managua airport hotel. But then I really needed a break after a long time working in London without a holiday or sun.

If I had three weeks I'd leave it til the end. TBH my other stops - Ometepe and Granada - were a bit of an anticlimax after the Corns, Ometepe in particular.

With three weeks you can lose a day or two in the transits and it won't matter so much.

Big Corn was worth greater exploration. If I did it again I'd do 2 nights on Big and 5 on Little and lose a night from Ometepe or Granada. But you can't go wrong really!

Thanks josekevo! How have you found the weather/wind patterns to be different? Just not as nice?

And thank you too wapenga -- I think I will just stick with my initial thought and go to the Corn Islands at the end, I really wanted to finish my trip there. Like I mentioned earlier, I can buy some insurance that will cover delays due to the weather. If I have that, I'm sure things will be fine.

yes they are still there I was looking at them http://www.ensuenos-littlecornisland.com/pagesindex/english03a.html
how far away are they from the village?