Unlike the rest of Nicaragua, the Caribbean coast was never colonized, it remained a British protectorate until the late 1800s. The extensive oriental region of Nicaragua with its tropical plains, embraces the Departments of Zelaya and San Juan River, being geographically very different from the rest of the country. The only part of the rainforest-covered coast usually visited by travelers is Bluefields but some visitors also head out to the Corn Island.

Most of the region is uninhabited and covered by a thick tropical jungle. The populated areas are the ones on the coast, being their main populations Bluefields and Puerto Cabeza. Almost all the inhabitants of the region speak English.

There are 2 airlines that have frequent flights to Bluefields, Puerto Cabezas (to the north) and Corn Island (in the Caribbean Sea in front of Bluefields) you can also arrive by boat (pangas) to all these places.