Big Corn to Little Corn
by Panga
Small open ‘panga’s leave Big Corn taking around 30 minutes to make the crossing.
Price is $10 and tickets must be bought at the office at the dock before boarding the boat. There is a dry storage area for your main bags, but both yourself and any hand luggage may get wet so be prepared, or buy a sack to keep belongings dry, especially when windy.
Panga departs 7 days per week from Little Corn, return from Big Corn
Leaves Little Corn at 6.30am and 1.30pm to Big Corn
Returns from Big Corn 10am and 4.30pm
JUNE 2025 UPDATE – at the moment with it being fairly slow, there is just one guaranteed panga per day in each direction, leaving Little Corn 6.30am and returning 4.30pm.
IF there’s “enough” people then the panga will return from Big Corn at 10am, and go back from Little Corn to Big Corn at 1.30pm, but this is not guaranteed. So if you arrive on the morning flight into Big Corn then go to the dock and ask if there is a boat leaving at 10am.
For leaving Little Corn and making a flight the same day, at the moment you need to leave on the 6.30am panga, even if you have an afternoon flight.
first get to Big Corn
By Plane
Flight from Managua or Bluefields
Flights run daily from both Managua and Bluefields, operated by La Costena, a subsidiary of TACA airlines. Flights can be booked on their website, or in person at the airport. At busier times e.g. weekends and holidays, flights can get booked up a week or two in advance.
Flights depart Managua at 6.20am and 2pm, taking between an hour and an hour and a half depending on the plane they use and whether is flies direct or stops in Bluefields on the way. Return flights from Big Corn to Managua run at 8am and 3.20pm.
INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS
We recommend that if arriving into Managua on one of the flights arriving late morning or around noon (American Airlines, United) that you plan on spending a night in Managua before flying over to the Corn Islands. It is common for those flights to be delayed by an hour or more which will result in you missing the afternoon La Costena connection. If you’re not checked in with La Costena by 1pm then there’s no guarantee you will make the flight.
Clearing customs and immigration can take over an hour, and therefore any delay in your international flight will mean missing your connection, and maybe having to wait a week or more for the next available seat.
It is advised that you make reservations before your journey as seats can be limited, especially in busy periods. A return journey from Managua costs from $190 (see official price list above, from 1st October 2025) and you if you buy an open return then you will need to reserve a seat for your return trip either on arrival at the airport in Big Corn, or by calling the airline in Managua. Generally if you have an open return then you should call to reserve your seat 2-3 days in advance, or a week in advance for busy periods.
Please note though that checked in baggage is limited to 30lbs per person with an excess charge of $1.50 per pound over this. Note also that excess baggage is treated as standby baggage so there is no guarantee it will arrive on the same flight as you.
You are however allowed a carry on bag and a personal item so it worth giving some though to packing before boarding (see airline website for full luggage allowance details)
OCTOBER UPDATE
Customers are telling us that the airline website is blocked from some European countries. We have reported this to the airline, who are looking into it, but you can also book by email at this address aclientes@lacostena.com.ni or try using a VPN to access it from the US
By Taxi from the airport to the dock
Once you arrive at the airport you can get a taxi to the wharf for the panga to Little Corn for $1 per person
By Bus
and Ferry
Take a bus to Bluefields
There are buses direct from Managua to Bluefields operating from the Terminal Costa Caribbean in Mercado Mayoreo, costing approx C.300 and taking around 8 hours
Take a ferry from Bluefields to BigCorn
Passenger boats leave Bluefields to Big Corn at 9am on Wednesday and Saturday, taking around 5-6 hours. These return from Big Corn to Bluefields at 9am on Thursday and Sunday.
It seems that you need to buy tickets the day before at the dock in Bluefields, which will mean you need to spend a night in Bluefields before taking the ferry the next day. We’ve been unable to verify exact opening hours for the ticket sales, which doesn’t make planning easy. But you can try calling this number for enquiries, and maybe even for ticket sales (505) 8844 5091. Tickets cost around $8 each way
Boats to Corn Island leave from the main dock in Bluefields which can be reached either by plane from Managua as above, or you can get a bus from Managua to Rama, and then take a boat downriver from Rama to Bluefields.