Country Article / Postcards
"Like the Caribbean Before the Resorts Moved In"
Date: 04/01/2004
Little Corn: a pristine destination ringed with sparkling white-sand beachfront and clear blue waters.
Friday, April 2, 2004
Little Corn, Nicaragua
Word among the locals is that one of the two boat captains shuttling people out to Little Corn Island is safe...while the other is a reckless daredevil who gets an early start on the day's rum ration. As the twin 200-horsepower Yamahas roared and our boat crashed through four-foot swells--the captain gleefully racing ahead of another launch--I had a good idea whose boat we'd chosen for our afternoon trip.
Situated about 40 miles from the mainland, the Corn Islands are what the Caribbean was like before the resorts moved in.
Little Corn is probably what you came to the Nicaraguan Caribbean to find. Ringed with sparkling white-sand beachfront and clear blue waters, it's a pristine destination for those who travel well off the beaten track. There's excellent fishing, world-class diving, mouth-watering seafood, and the companionship of a lively but small group of hard-core travelers. Only about 800 acres in area, it has no modern-resort development or motor vehicles and can support only 250 visitors; I recommend you make sure you're one of them.
Lee Harrison
For International Living
P.S. Contrary to popular belief, the Nicaraguan Caribbean coast is the Miskito Coast, rather than the Mosquito Coast, the title of the 1986 Harrison Ford movie. Its name has nothing to do with mosquitoes, but rather refers to the warlike indigenous group that conquered at least 20 other tribes in the region.
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