El Rama is a pivotal point for local connections from the rest of Nicaragua to the Caribbean Coast. There are express buses that cost $8.00 and run from Managua to El Rama from 2 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the hour. The trip takes six hours, and you should always try to take a bus that will arrive in El Rama during daylight hours. Make sure the bus is ‘expreso,’ or they might leave you stranded at the midway point, Juigalpa, where some of the buses dead-end. Return buses run on about the same schedule. There are also buses to Pearl Lagoon, which cost $6.00 and take four hours. One leaves El Rama at 4:30 p.m. every day.
Between 5 a.m. and 4 p.m., there are six fast boats that leave for Bluefields, although the frequency of their departures depends on how quickly they fill up. These boats cost $10.00 and take an hour and forty-five minutes. There are also boats that leave directly from El Rama to Big Corn Island on Thursdays at 5 a.m. and 10 p.m., and on Saturdays at 7:00 p.m. (although schedules are subject to change). These also cost $10.00 and can take anywhere from 12 to 20 hours. It is important to note that many of these are not passenger boats and you may wind up on a long, uncomfortable journey, sleeping on piles of cargo. Make sure to check at the Port for the details before investing in a ticket.