Relax on the Corn Islands © Global Multiple Listing
Adventurous travellers should definitely include the Corn Islands on their list of things to do in Nicaragua. Situated 40 miles (70km) from the mainland, near the city of Bluefields, the two islands are home to howler monkeys, while the seas and surrounding coral reefs are popular with divers wishing to see barracudas, nurse sharks, spotted eagle rays and green turtles. In the 17th century, the islands were a haven for pirates and smugglers, and there are still mutterings of sunken treasure and old shipwrecks in the area.
As the tourism industry is in its infancy, visitors won't find modern hotels or luxury resorts on Big Corn Island and Little Corn Island; instead there is a wealth of unspoiled plant and animal life, and a few sparsely populated villages offering simple, inexpensive accommodation. The Corn Islands are a perfect off-the-beaten-track destination in Nicaragua, a tropical paradise somehow still overlooked by tourists, yet offering the white sandy beaches and fruit trees that complete the picture of what an island retreat should be. Popular activities on the islands include fishing, scuba diving and snorkelling.