We are Meg & Dan, a couple from the UK, who have been traveling around the world for the past two years to amazing places like Little Corn Island.
From an early age, we both knew that we wanted to see the world. Dan’s wanderlust sparked from his love of nature documentaries which always featured exotic and remote destinations that he hoped he would see one day. This passion for travel grew when he went to Southeast Asia in 2016. He was exposed to new cultures, people, cuisines and landscapes.
Meg, on the other hand, can’t pinpoint where her love for travel began. Her wanderlust has always been there. However, there was a moment whilst on a trip with her friends to Slovenia at the age of 15 where she sat on top of a mountain watching the sun come up over the vineyards. During this moment, she knew that the feeling of freedom and happiness that travel gave her was what she wanted to chase for as long as possible.
Whilst studying, we met through a mutual friend and connected over our shared love of travel. Before we even had our first date, we were planning all the countries we wanted to visit together once we had graduated. However, when we graduated, we were right in the middle of the pandemic which led to canceled flights and our plans were put on hold.
Finally, in October 2021, we couldn’t wait any longer. We booked our flights to one of the only countries with its borders open: Mexico. We had originally planned to travel for a year and then settle down with a career and a house, but Latin America made us fall even deeper in love with the travel lifestyle and to this day we are still traveling the world together.
When we began our Latin America trip, from Mexico through Central America and down to Peru, we started Instagram: @escapetonewplaces. This started as a way for our family and friends to see what we were up to, as well as to bring people tips and recommendations. As our page grew, we began to take it seriously, and started to enjoy photography and editing.
Our Experience at Little Corn Island
One of our favorite countries in Latin America was Nicaragua. We knew when planning our travels that this was a place we couldn’t skip. We were attracted by Nicaragua’s stunning volcanoes, beautiful cities and pristine islands. Alongside this, it’s very backpacker friendly with great hostels, a fantastic backpacker community and it was the most budget friendly country in Central America. We spent four weeks here – visiting Leon, Granada, Laguna Apoyo, Little Corn Island, Ometepe and San Juan del Sur.
Little Corn Island turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. We were lured in by its beautiful beaches, crystal-clear turquoise waters and its remoteness. When we arrived, it was everything we hoped for and more.
It took us two days to reach the island, as we took the budget friendly night bus (a regular chicken bus), the ferry to Big Corn Island and then a speed boat to Little Corn Island. As two people who suffer with motion sickness, we hoped the difficult journey would pay off and it certainly did.
What we found was a tiny island with an amazing Caribbean vibe, the friendliest people, the most spectacular beaches we had ever seen and unbelievable fresh seafood. We had found paradise. Overall we would rate Little Corn Island 10000/10. We honestly couldn’t recommend this place enough, as it exceeded our expectations beyond what we imagined.
What To Do on Little Corn Island
1. Take a Snorkeling and Fishing Excursion
Our favorite day on Little Corn was spent out on the reef. We planned this excursion whilst on the island with David and Tuba. The island is so small that everyone knows each other – so if you’re heading there, make sure to ask for them. You won’t be disappointed. We got a group together with a few couples we had met, and spent the day at three different snorkeling sites and catching some fish for a beach barbecue later in the afternoon.
While snorkeling, we saw stingrays and nurse sharks amongst many colorful fish. We finished at Otto Beach where David prepped the fish, and we all barbecued the fish and local ingredients. We shook some coconuts down from the trees and added David’s local rum to create a “crazy coco loco”. We then sat all evening, chatting, laughing and watching the sun go down over the water. We couldn’t recommend this experience more.
2. Find Your Own Little Beaches and Coves
As Little Corn Island is small, you can easily walk around it in just one day. You can discover your own coves and beaches that you’ll have totally to yourself. The most beautiful beach, in our opinion, is Otto Beach. We loved spending our days here swimming and snorkeling out on the reef.
3. Eat Fresh Lobster at Rosa’s Place or Rest El Bosque
After spending the day at Otto Beach, we would enjoy heading to Rest El Bosque or Rosa’s Place for dinner. At these restaurants, we would order lobster that was freshly caught that day – the perfect way to end the day.
4. Simply Relax on Little Corn Island
Little Corn Island is one place in the world where you can truly relax and switch off. Enjoy the chilled out Caribbean vibes and do absolutely nothing.
Accommodation on the Island
When it comes to places to stay, anywhere is good as the whole island is within walking distance. We loved that it wasn’t built up with crazy resorts and big hotels, but that there were still plenty of amazing options to choose from. We stayed in a little airbnb called The Bottle House. It slept up to four people and we had our own bathroom, kitchen and laundry.
We loved it there and couldn’t recommend it more. It wasn’t located on the beach but it was in the perfect location right in the middle of all the beaches. Some other beachside options include Yamaya Reefs (for those who want luxury and have a higher budget), Little Corn Island Beach and Bungalow (for a mid-range budget), and Ensuenos (for backpackers).
How to Get to Little Corn Island
You can either take a flight from Managua or take the night bus, ferry and boat to save money. We chose the later, more adventurous option. For this you need to take a night bus from Managua to Bluefields from Terminal Mayoreo or Mercado Ivan Montenegro. We traveled with a company called Costa Atlantica from Terminal Mayoreo and it took us eight hours. We recommend calling to book the bus in advance as tickets sell out.
You then take a ferry from Bluefields to Corn Island – boats leave for Corn Island on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 9am (and return to Bluefields from Corn Island on Thursdays and Sundays). This ferry takes six hours and we suggest taking sea sickness tablets as the journey can be rough. From Corn Island you need to take a 30-minute speed boat ride to Little Corn Island.
Best Time to Visit Little Corn Island
Little Corn Island generally has good weather all year round and rarely gets too crowded. However, you’ll find the driest months to be March to May. September is noted as one of the best months to visit Little Corn Island as it’s both sunny and calm. The shoulder season is December through to February. This is when we visited – it was dry everyday and wasn’t busy.
Packing Tips for Little Corn Island
The island generally only gets power at certain times through the day and night, so we recommend taking a good power bank. We also recommend a dry bag for your valuables for the speed boat as you do get a little wet.
Continue Following Our Travels
Alongside our Instagram, you can find us on TikTok (@escapetonewplaces) and you can visit our website and blog – www.escapetonewplaces.com. You can follow our adventures here or book a one-on-one call with us if you need help planning your next adventure – https://egyd.one/meg-dan/. And if you’re up for an adventure in 2024, you can join us on our Pakistan trip in September. All the details are on our website. Thank you and safe travels!