Lonely Planet Asia — April 2017

(National Geographic (Little) Kids) #1

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ICARAGUA IS A COUNTRY
with beguiling geography,
from its two vast lakes to
the chain of volcanoes along
its spine. This means that
someone studying a map probably won’t
notice two punctuation-sized dots of land
off its east coast: Little Corn Island and Big
Corn Island. Upon disembarking at Big Corn
airport, with its arrivals hall not much
bigger than a bus stop, it becomes clear that
this is a place that moves to its own tempo.
The language turns from hurried Spanish
to the slow, mellow tones of Creole. The
quick shuffling of Latin American pop
music switches to the gentle bounce of
reggae on the radios. And, on taking the
half-hour ferry ride from the quays of Big
Corn to the shores of Little Corn, the pace
of life shifts from ‘slow’ to the last rung
above ‘stationary’. For though Little Corn
technically counts as Nicaraguan soil,
this is a bona fide Caribbean island.
‘Little Corn is a place where everyone says
good morning and good evening to each
other,’ says Winston Downs, aka Mr Winnie,
mayor of Little Corn Island (population:
1,200, cars: 0), sheltering from a brief rain
shower inside the island’s little community
centre. ‘We don’t need roads here because
roads only make people go faster. Why
would we need to go faster here?’
Being barely two miles long and one mile
wide, Little Corn Island is a place whose


  1. Little Corn Island


Doze in a hammock, go beachcombing on white-sand shores and abandon


your Spanish phrasebook on Nicaragua’s most serene Caribbean island


Yemaya resort sits on the northern edge of
Little Corn Island close to the beautiful Otto
Beach, with cabins set in landscaped gardens.
There’s an excellent on-site restaurant serving
Caribbean dishes, regular yoga classes and
private boats to shuttle guests to and from the
airport on Big Corn Island (bungalows from
US$286, sleeping two; littlecornhotel.com).
Little Corn Island is a 40-minute boat ride
from Big Corn Island (US$5). There’s excellent
diving in the lagoons around Little Corn Island


  • Dive Little Corn is among the reputable outfits
    in the Village (open-water PADI course US$286;
    divelittlecorn.net).


Essentials


Back on Big Corn, catch a return flight to Managua;
from here it’s a two-hour bus ride to León.

footpaths should be explored with strategic g
slowness. An amble in any direction will,
within 15 minutes, see visitors arriving at
a white-sand beach. The beach will, in all
probability, be dotted with driftwood and
coconut husks, tangled nets and beached
fishing boats that haven’t known the splash
of the Caribbean for generations. Very
likely there will be people horizontal
in hammocks slung from palm trees.
At the centre of the island is a baseball
field where horses graze, with a grandstand
that – some say – is big enough to seat the
entire population of Little Corn. At the
southern end is the ‘Village’, which, being
the only settlement on the island, doesn’t
require the formality of being named. It is
a place only slightly less peaceful than the
rest of Little Corn: dancehall music plays on
a Friday night, gospel rings out on a Sunday
morning. The clink of pool games sound
from beachfront bars around sunset and,
at irregular intervals, a sudden cacophony
of drumming comes from a nearby house.
‘Sometimes we play our drums for hours
without stopping,’ says Jovan Emanuel.
He’s sitting on his porch playing a djembe


  • an instrument made from almond wood
    and taut goat skin, common to Nicaragua’s
    Caribbean coast. ‘Little Corn inspires me.
    When I touch the drum, I feel a kind of
    lightness inside me, I feel completely
    weightless. But, however loud we play, we
    never get complaints from the neighbours.’


Jovan Emanuel with his
djembe. LEFT Hammocks are
the favoured way to relax on
Little Corn. RIGHT Bicycle is
the ideal way to get around
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