Pearl Lagoon

Pearl Lagoon is a village of wooden houses on stilts along the shore of a large brackish lagoon, with a mixed Creole, Miskito and Garifuna population, English and Kriol spoken alongside Spanish, and a pace that is slower even than Bluefields. Fishing is the business: shrimp, lobster and fish going out to Bluefields and beyond. For visitors the village is the base for boat trips to the Pearl Cays, to nearby Miskito and Garifuna communities such as Orinoco and Awas, and up the lagoon's creeks for birds and manatees, which are present though rarely seen. There are a handful of guesthouses and places serving rondón, the coconut-milk stew of the coast. Access is by panga from Bluefields.

What you actually see

• Stilted wooden village - houses along the lagoon shore.
• Fishing economy - shrimp and lobster boats working the lagoon.
• Creole and Garifuna communities - Orinoco and Awas nearby by boat.
• Coastal cooking - rondón and coconut-based dishes.

When to go

February to April is driest and gives the calmest water for the cays. The rest of the year is very wet. Garifuna cultural celebrations in November are worth timing for.

Honest expectations

Access is by open panga and cancels in bad weather. Facilities are basic guesthouses with limited power. Boat trips are hired whole and expensive for small groups. It rains heavily for much of the year and mosquitoes are constant.

Nearby

The Pearl Cays lie offshore; Bluefields is south.