Trading the Pura Vida in Costa Rica for Naturally Beautiful Nicaragua
Living everyday life in Costa Rica is an adventure in itself. If the native creatures aren’t fascinating enough on their own, we can always check out a rodeo or tope. When the daily grind is just too much, we can have a soak in a hot springs.
Even though we’re thankful for our comfortable jungle-icious home base at Agua Inn in Costa Rica, we recently took off on a quick trip to adventure in a brand new country. We were itching to check out our neighbor to the north, Nicaragua. Sitting still can be a challenge for us. We just didn’t know much about crossing the border from Costa Rica to Nicaragua.
Kim put on her researching hat and found A LOT of helpful information at Endless Distances, so big shout out to Sarah for blazing this path. We figured it might involve a handful of different modes of transportation, starting with a gracious ride in a Subaru Outback and including chicken buses, a ferry, and maybe even a tuk tuk?
If you’re curious about how to cross the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua but just want a quick read, here’s our overview on crossing the border from Costa Rica to Nicaragua.
The short version
GOING to Nicaragua:
Bus from El Tanque to Peñas Blancas border crossing: ~ 4500 Costa Rican Colones ($10 US) each
Took 3.5-4 hours including the stop in Upala
Leaving Costa Rica: $8 US, payable in USD, Colones (3640) or by card
Entering Nicaragua: $1 US to get into the door, then $13 US, only payable in Córdobas (480) or USD
Taxi from Peñas Blancas to San Jorge: ~ 550 Nicaraguan Córdobas ($15 US) combined
Took 45 minutes
Ferry from San Jorge to Ometepe Island: 37 Córdobas ($1 US) to enter dock + 50 Córdobas ($1) for the ferry ticket
COMING BACK from Nicaragua:
Private taxi from San Juan del Sur to Peñas Blancas: $25 US combined
Leaving Nicaragua: $1 US to get into the door, then $3 US, only payable in Córdobas (110) or USD
Entering Costa Rica: no financial charge, just be ready to answer the immigration officer’s standard questions like “Where are you staying?” “When are you leaving?” “Can you show me your flight ticket home?”
Bus from Peñas Blancas to Liberia: 3800 Colones ($8.50 US) combined
Took about 1.5 hours
Read on for more details.
Not cranky in El Tanque
Our friend’s Outback took us to an intersection in El Tanque, just outside La Fortuna, where we caught a bus to Peñas Blancas. The first bus stop was at an intersection across from a big hardware store and next to a small soda called Antojitos. We wanted to pee before getting on the bus so we bought an empanada and a breakfast sandwich at Antojitos so we could use their bano guilt-free.
This first bus from El Tanque to Peñas Blancas cost about 4500 Colones ($10 US) per person and came between 7:30-8 AM. Ten US dollars might seem like a lot but this bus took us all the way to the Nicaraguan border, with a few stops for local vendors to board and try to sell us bread, juice in a bag and other road trip snacks.
We also stopped at a bus station in Upala for a 15 minute bathroom break and to pick up more people. Everyone had to get off the bus. We left our bags behind but kept an eye on the bus door to make sure our belongings were safe. Then when it was time to continue onward, everyone with a ticket boarded first. The numbers on the tickets didn’t really matter after all. When we were all on, new riders boarded.
At the border
After you get off the bus from El Tanque, cross the main street and walk until you get to what looks like a brand new building. Don’t stop and pay anything until you get to that building. Once inside, you’ll immediately see kiosks where you can pay the $8 USD fee to leave Costa Rica with your card. Swipe swipe, then get in line for immigration. Don’t stop and pay anything until you get to that building.
BEFORE you go, make sure you have enough cash! We cannot stress this enough. Some blogs mention ATMs near the border but we didn’t see a single one. Your safest bet is to have cash in hand. If you use USD, make sure your bills are new and crisp. The slightest rips or tears are red flags at immigration. They will most likely refuse to accept anything that’s not perfect.
When you’re entering Nicaragua, they will accept USD or Nicaraguan Cordobas. We were a few bucks short to cover the both of us. Luckily, the travel gods smiled upon us and we found a couple of other travelers with a crisp $5 bill, willing to trade us for Colones we didn’t need in Nicaragua.
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To enter Costa Rica, be prepared to answer the standard questions they usually ask, like “Where are you staying?” “How long will you be here?” “Show me your return flight.”
From the border to San Jorge
Immediately after you’ve successfully navigated the border, you might be a little overwhelmed. There are “helpful” locals trying to get you to get in their taxi or exchange money with them. We kept telling them our amiga was coming to get us and that seemed to keep them at bay.
We walked to the bus terminal, about a five-minute walk from the border, to see about a ride to the ferry in San Jorge. A taxi driver steered us to his friend where we exchanged a little cash (after some bartering about the rate) out of sheer necessity. Then this same taxi driver offered to take us to the ferry for $25 US. We told him our amiga was coming and walked toward the chicken buses. We were ready to spend a lot of extra time but pay less money bussing it to the dock.
On our way, we met another taxi driver who eventually caved, agreeing on $15 US for the both of us. His price seemed reasonable and his smile was friendly enough for us to justify the time/money ratio.
At the dock
Something new and exciting they’re doing at the San Jorge dock now is a tourist tax. JUST TO ENTER THE DOCK. We hadn’t read anything about this charge so we were surprised. Luckily we still had enough cash to cover it – 37 Cordobas or around $1 US, each – and still buy our ferry ticket. Our tickets were 50 Cordobas ($1.40 US) each.
The boat takes about an hour to cross Lake Nicaragua. It seemed especially rough and windy when we went over. We sat on the second/top deck for the best view and a wave STILL crashed up near us. It was an exciting ride, to say the least.
Stay tuned for more chapters of our Nicaraguan adventures! We spent a few days on Ometepe Island, hiking and ATVing. We hung out in Granada, sampling cuisine and shopping. And we watched surfers in San Juan del Sur. But like real life, we had to tackle crossing the border from Costa Rica to Nicaragua first. And so will you!
