Going to Corn Islands

What to do in Corn Islands

by Travis Marshall

Las Islas del Maiz—the Corn Islands—are a pair of tiny Caribbean islands about 43 miles off Nicaragua's Mosquito Coast, and a trip there offers a glimpse of what the Caribbean was like 40 years ago, before the golf courses, franchise hotels, and cruise-ship docks. Oceanfront bungalows, sparsely used white-sand beaches, and fresh seafood are the islands' main draws, and all can be had for a fraction of the cost as you'd pay in other Central American destinations. The Corn Islands are a budget traveler's dream, with basic accommodations starting at around $10 per night.

Like the inhabitants of the Bay Islands of Honduras to the north, Corn Islanders have British colonial (and pirate) ancestors, so almost everyone speaks English despite the Spanish influence of mainland Nicaragua. Big Corn is the more developed of the...

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