Category: Nicaragua

Diving Corn Island

We read in advance about the scuba diving in Corn Islands- big fish, uncluttered sites, nice reefs -and couldn’t wait to try it ourselves! We spent 5 days diving Corn Island, Nicaragua and this is what it was like.

Not A Great Start

It didn’t start out great – on Sunday and Monday,  the wind and waves were very strong – and even with Gravol, it was tough being on the boat. Below the surface, the waves affected visibility and moved us around a lot. But, we kept with it, and the last few days have been great!

Diving Corn Island dive sites
Dive map of Big Corn Island

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I Like This Place! Corn Islands

Brian and I made it to Corn Islands on Saturday morning, and it’s very relaxing. There are a few things to do here in Corn Islands: dive, drink beer and/or rum, eat seafood, relax in the sun and/or shade, repeat. That’s been us for the first two days of our stay here. We like Corn Islands a lot.

About Corn Islands

A country that encompasses the Pacific coast, impressive volcanoes and massive lakes, Nicaragua also has a Caribbean side. And Corn Islands are Nicaragua’s Caribbean islands, 70 miles east of the mainland coast. Nicaragua is a bargain for visitors, and the islands are a little bit more expensive. Still, they’re more affordable than other more well-known Caribbean destinations, and highly touted for scuba divers. Unlike the rest of Nicaragua, most people in the islands speak English.

There are two Islands: Big and Little Corn. We chose Big Corn to maximize Brian’s vacation time. The planes fly into Big Corn and then there’s a ferry to get to Little Corn.

Corn Island Accommodations
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Solo Travel is Hard


It’s only been a week and a half, because I don’t count my time at Spanish school as solo travel. For one, I wasn’t traveling; I was living with a family. And, for another reason, there were other students to hang out with all the time. I was rarely alone. So, I have only been traveling alone for about 10 days, and I am glad it’s almost over. Solo travel is hard.

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Somoto Canyon Day Trip

Ever since I read about Somoto Canyon, I have wanted to visit. As you know, my Somoto Canyon day trip was intended for Wednesday, but I messed that up big time! I tried again yesterday and the day started fine; I got a taxi and held onto my wallet and bag for dear life.

Chicken Bus Win!

Once I boarded and  saw a woman carrying actual chickens onto the bus, I knew it was a good sign! Some people go whole vacations without seeing a chicken on the chicken bus, and I got two chickens on my 4th chicken bus! The day was going to be good!

Chicken Bus
The woman with 2 chickens on the chicken bus to Somoto
Chicken bus
Zoom in on the chickens
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Exploring Estelí Nicaragua

Estelí is a big city in the northern highlands of Nicaragua. It feels smaller than León, but I think that’s mainly because the traffic is better. In León, I always felt like I was about to be hit by a car (pedestrians do NOT have the right of way here!). Estelí traffic is better because the streets are mostly one way which makes exploring Estelí Nicaragua easy peasy.

getting to know estelí

I had plenty of time to get to know Estelí today, so I walked around town for a bit, went to a museum and visited the cathedral.

estelí street art

There is a quite a bit of street art in town. I am not sure if it’s a direct result of the political importance of this town during the revolution (it was a Sandinista stronghold), or just lots of artists. The variety is really engaging and it made for a fun day looking for more murals.

Mural Esteli
Mural Esteli
Mural exploring Esteli
Robot Mural Estelí
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