Rama Cay

Rama Cay is a low island of a few hectares in Bluefields Lagoon, densely settled with wooden houses and home to most of the Rama people, who number only a few thousand in total and whose language, Rama, has very few remaining fluent speakers, making it one of the most endangered in the Americas. Efforts to teach and record it have been running for decades. The community lives from fishing and small cultivation on the mainland, and the island has a Moravian church, a school and a football pitch that doubles as the public space. Visits are made by boat from Bluefields and should be arranged with the community rather than simply turning up, since this is a small settlement and not a destination set up for visitors.

What to look for

• The island village - wooden houses packed onto a few hectares.
• Rama community life - fishing, church and school on the cay.
• The Moravian church - the denomination long established on the coast.
• The lagoon - the water and mainland forest around the island.

When to go

February to April for the calmest crossings and driest weather. The rest of the year is wet. Boats from Bluefields are arranged privately rather than scheduled.

Practical notes

This is a small community's home, not an attraction: visits should be arranged in advance and through someone the community knows. There are no facilities. Photography of people and houses needs asking. Boats are hired whole from Bluefields.

Nearby

Bluefields lies north across the lagoon.

Key facts