Crossing the Costa Rica / Nicaragua border by bus may seem daunting at first when you don’t know exactly where to go and what to do, at least this was the case for me.

In my case I wanted to go from Colombia to Nicaragua but flights were significantly more expensive than a flight to San José, Costa Rica and bus to Nicaragua, so I opted to bus it from Costa Rica. Here’s how I did:

Bus terminal: Terminal Caribeños, San José

Ticket to: Peñas Blancas (Border town with Nicaragua) (buy at station)

Price (San José to Peñas Blancas): $5,335CRC ($11.60AUD)

Duration: 5-6hrs

They have buses regularly throughout the day and I caught mine departing at 10am. Once you reach the border at Peñas Blancas you cross immigration in Costa Rica first which was smooth and entering Nicaragua entailed a few requirements:

– Yellow fever vaccination

– Negative PCR test

– $13USD entry tax

All the above were checked briefly along with a passport of course and I was required to pay USD$13 as entry tax so make sure you have cash on you. Once you leave the immigration office of Nicaragua you immediately see the beautiful view of the volcano on Ometepe island which is a warm welcome to Nicaragua’s beauty.

Just outside the office’s car park is where you’ll find a taxi to take to San Juan del sur or San Jorge. To go to San Juan del Sur from the border will cost you a taxi of $25-30, if possible see if any other border crossers are heading that way to split the fare. The drive along the lagoon with views of the 2 volcanos of Ometepe is beautiful and the taxi will take you directly to your accommodation, the ride is only about 30-40mins from the border.

This option turned out to be far more economical than others I’d researched such as Ticabus which takes you directly to Nicaragua from San José however costs $60-70 USD and only departs once daily at 6am.

In total flying into Costa Rica from Colombia saved me hundreds of dollars, all of which will cover my expenses in Nicaragua. Remember there’s always a cheaper way to do something that is still safe and in the end allows you to spend the money saved on the trip itself rather than just the cost to get there.