Las Islas del Maíz or Corn Islands to us English speakers are located 70 kilometres East of Nicaragua in the South Caribbean sea. The name itself sparked Karl’s interest as he has suffered a lifelong allergy to this popular food. Hoping that he would not have any adverse reactions to the Island itself we began making plans to head over to these small pieces of paradise.
From Leon we decided to take the more expensive but more convenient flight from Managua Airport. The cheaper alternative option is to travel by bus for 6 hours across the country to Blue Fields and then jump on an overnight cargo ship which leaves for the island twice weekly. Although this would cost a fraction of the price of flying we decided the effort was not worth saving the money for. Also, taking the journey on the small 12 man plane (14 including the two pilots) was part of the fun.
People may hate us for saying this but although our life is like one long holiday at the moment, booking a week in the Caribbean felt like a mini holiday..from our long holiday. I would hate us too.
These Isles are a lot different from the more well know Caribbean Islands which have been overrun by hotels. From the air you can see that most of the land remains untouched.
Big Corn, not surprisingly the larger of the two, is 10 square kilometres. We only flew into this Island and headed straight to the boat to take the bumpy 30 minute ride over to Little Corn. At only 2.9 square kilometres the palm tree fringed Isla surrounded by turquoise waters and white sands was to be our paradise island for a week.
Now there isn’t a lot to do in paradise. But isn’t that the point. We managed to fill our days with the following activities;
Exploring the island and finding our own deserted beaches to bathe
Reading a book or admiring the view from our cabana on the beach
Snorkelling in one of the best coral reefs we have seen
Eating lobster in one of the many delicious restaurants.
Drinking rum, which we believe is actually mandatory in the Caribbean.
Star Gazing – At night the island sky shines with the clear view of thousands of stars and the Milky Way. You can guide your way down the unlit paths by following the glow of the fireflies which dance around you. Truly magical.
Eating coconuts -The island is filled with these tasty superfood. Walking along in the heat, mildly dehydrated from last night’s rum, Karl enjoyed the luxury of being able to pick these from the trees or from the floor and drink their refreshing juices. The hard effort of getting into them clearly being worth it.
Our only worry on the Island was to watch out for coconuts falling on our heads as apparently they kill approximately 150 people a year worldwide. Something to keep in mind while relaxing in your hammock.
Our week on the island flew by too quickly and soon we were boarding the plane again, however unlike the end of a holiday there was no sickly feeling in the pit of our stomachs at the thought of returning to work. Instead we skipped onto the plane excited to explore the rest of what Nicaragua has to offer.
Feel free to hate us.
