Visitor Information

There is an Intur office half a block south of the park (tel. 505/2572-0221); it's open Monday to Friday from 9am to 4:30pm. CIDCA (no phone), a research and local history organization, is 50m (164 ft.) north of the police station and offers reliable information on the area. It's open Monday to Friday from 8am to 5:30pm. A good website to check is www.bluefieldspulse.com; it offers events listings and local news.

Getting There

By Plane -- Bluefields Airport (BEF; no phone) is a tiny, modern terminal 3km (1 3/4 miles) south of the town. There are always taxis outside when a plane arrives. La Costeña (tel. 505/2263-1228 in Managua or 505/2572-2500 in Bluefields; www.lacostena.com.ni) operates daily services between Managua and Bluefields with an onward journey to the Corn Islands. They have small, turbo-powered airplanes that are not for the fainthearted. Flights start at C3,116 round-trip from Managua to the islands.

By Bus & Boat -- Transportes Vargas Peña (tel. 505/2280-4561) offers a bus-boat package from Managua, leaving Mercado Iván Montenegro at 9pm daily. The journey takes from 12 to 15 hours and is not pleasant, as the road is very bad. Transportes Aguilar (tel. 505/2248-3005) offers a similar service, leaving from Mayoreo at 9pm. Both trips cost roughly C360 one-way.

The river town of Rama is the boat departure point from the mainland to Bluefields. A large boat leaves every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday at noon and takes 4 1/2 hours to reach Bluefields. The cost is C50. Faster panga/lanchas run daily from 6am until 4pm, which take 2 hours to reach Bluefields. The cost is C100.

Getting Around

Taxis cost less than C20 for most trips within the town, and there are plenty of buses that trundle around. The fare is C5. To go farther afield, you'll need a boat or panga (open motorboat). Jipe (Mercado Municipal; tel. 505/2572-1871) is a water-taxi company that provides private excursions to the area's surrounding attractions. Pangas leave for El Bluff and Pearl Lagoon from the town pier and cost between C20 and C60. The last boats return at 4pm.

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