How To Get From Costa Rica To Nicaragua: Ultimate Guide

This article about how to get from Costa Rica to Nicaragua may contain affiliate/compensated links. For full information, please see my disclaimer here.

Table of Contents

How to Get From Costa Rica To Nicaragua?
Is It Safe To Travel From Costa Rica To Nicaragua?
How To Book Tickets To Get From Costa Rica To Nicaragua
Documents You Need To Travel From Costa Rica To Nicaragua
Border Crossing Between Costa Rica & Nicaragua
Costa Rican Border Information
Nicaraguan Border Information
Costa Rica To Nicaragua Border Crossing COVID Information
More Tips For Traveling In Central America

Getting around Central America is fun. Flights are slightly more expensive, yet some buses take you almost everywhere. You can book bus tickets online, too. Today, I’ll tell you how to get from Costa Rica to Nicaragua and save time.

This article will be for those planning on traveling from Costa Rica to Nicaragua by bus. It’ll explain the entire process step-by-step, from booking your tickets to crossing the borders, the documents you need, and where the bus stations are located.

How To Get From Costa Rica To Nicaragua?

The best way to get from Costa Rica to Nicaragua is by Tica Bus. Another option is to fly from San Jose (Costa Rica) to Managua (Nicaragua). However, the second option is way too expensive.

Tica Bus is an official company operating in the entire Central America. No matter where you are, you can travel from Panama to Costa Rica or Nicaragua via El Salvador and Guatemala to Mexico. Tica Bus will take you to every country.

Three different bus companies are operating the route from Costa Rica To Nicaragua:

• Tica Bus
• Central Line
• Nica Expresso

Tica Bus is the biggest one with the most number of buses and schedules. I traveled from Costa Rica to Nicaragua with Tica Bus. Even though you’ll find many bad reviews on the internet, I didn’t have any single issue. The bus was clean, departed, and arrived on time, the border passing went smoothly, stopped on the way, and everything went well.

The bus from Costa Rica to Nicaragua takes about 10 hours.

It departs from San Jose from this location: Tica Bus, Transversal 26, Pitahaya, San Jose.

Is It Safe To Travel From Costa Rica To Nicaragua?

Yes, it’s very safe to travel from Costa Rica to Nicaragua. I made this journey on my own and didn’t have any problems. People are friendly; they advise you on what you need to bring, take care of your luggage, the bus stops on the way, and everything runs smoothly. There is nothing to be afraid of.

How To Book Tickets To Get From Costa Rica To Nicaragua

You can book tickets directly at the company office or online on the Tica Bus website. I suggest buying tickets online. Because until you get to Costa Rica to their office, tickets might be sold out. As I have experienced, they sell out quickly. So better to secure your spot before buying it online.

When buying tickets online, you’ll have to fill out the form they ask you for (name, occupation, passport number, etc.). There are different departure times throughout the day (usually 3 connections in the morning), so select one, pay for the ticket online, and you’re good to go.

I recommend printing your ticket and showing it to them once boarding the bus.

Documents You Need To Travel From Costa Rica To Nicaragua

To get from Costa Rica To Nicaragua, you’ll need the following documents (as of February 2023):

• Passport
• Visa
• Fill out the entry form online
• Printed bus ticket
• Covid Pass (vaccination certificate)
• Covid Test (RT-PCR valid for 72 hours)
• Confirmation of your hotel/hostel in Nicaragua (printed)

I recommend you have all documents in the printed version. You never know; sometimes, they don’t accept it from your phone, or it may die. Just be prepared.

Check if you need Visa to Nicaragua online.

Before traveling, you’ll also need to fill out an official form on the Nicaraguan government website. You can do so at this website. After you fill it out, it’ll generate a code for you. I recommend printing this paper with the code on it. You’ll also get a confirmation email. They didn’t ask me for this code anytime when crossing the border. But better to have it.

Nicaragua is one of the least countries that still control Covid documents (as of February 2023). So if you’re not vaccinated for Covid, you’ll have to have Covid Test (RT-PCR) valid for 72 hours. And yes, they control it (more about it when you scroll to the border crossing information).

They’ll ask you where you’ll be accommodated in Nicaragua. Some might want a printed confirmation. So be sure you also print your hotel or hostel booking.

Border Crossing Between Costa Rica & Nicaragua

The border crossing went pretty smoothly. Yet it takes more than 2 hours to finally get through. Because there are few people at the border control, it takes ages to get to the counter.

Here is how the border crossing works step-by-step:

1. Costa Rican border – pay 8 US dollars to leave costa Rica & get a stamp (no need to carry your luggage from the bus), + there are toilets at the border.
2. Nicaraguan border – pay 14 US dollars to enter the country, take everything from the bus with you (luggage, carry-on, nothing stays on the bus), wait until you get to the counter inside the Terminal, get your passport stamped, go through security check (luggage scan), go back to the bus.

Costa Rican Border Information

Before boarding a bus in Costa Rica, they usually check all your documents at the office (passport and Covid documents). To leave Costa Rica, you have to pay a fee of $8. Before boarding the bus, I already paid for this at the Tica Bus office in San Jose.

Just know that you must pay this fee, so have US dollars. They may ask for it at the office (and give you a confirmation). Or you’ll pay it directly at the Costa Rican border. So keep the confirmation that you’ve paid with you.

Otherwise, it’s straightforward. You go to the border counter, the police stamp your passport, ask you if you’ve paid the fee of $8, and you’re good to go.

Then you’ll hop on the bus again, and once everyone is done at the border, you’ll drive to the Nicaraguan border.

Nicaraguan Border Information

The process at the Nicaraguan border is slightly longer.

Once you arrive, you’ll have to take all your stuff from the bus. Don’t leave anything inside. Take your backpack, luggage, carry-on, and everything you have. Then you’ll walk towards the Terminal. Wait there until you get to the counter.

To enter Nicaragua, you’ll have to pay a fee of $14. While standing in front of the Terminal in line, a random guy was collecting $1 from everyone in the line. Don’t worry, he’ll give you a small paper confirmation that you paid it. You’ll pay the rest, $13, directly at the border counter inside the Terminal.

What To Do At The Nicaraguan Border Counter

Once you make it to the border counter, they’ll just ask you for your passport, your occupation, and where you’ll be staying in Nicaragua. After, they’ll give you stamps, 2 paper confirmations (keep them in your passport), and ask you to pay the fee of $13.

Once you have your passport back, you can proceed to security. It’s right in front of you. They’ll scan all your luggage. After, you can leave the Terminal and go to the bus.

There’ll be one more policeman in front of the bus, who will control your passports with the paper confirmations you obtained at the border counter. He’s just checking if you really went through the border.

Then wait until everyone is on the bus, and… welcome to Nicaragua :). The border passing is done.

The bus will arrive in Nicaragua at the Tica Bus station. You’ll see the location when you type Tica Bus Managua into Google Maps. There will be many taxis, so you can ask one to drive you to your hotel. Negotiate the price. They almost always tell you more if you’re not local.

Costa Rica To Nicaragua Border Crossing COVID Information

Nicaragua requires either a Covid vaccination certificate or a Covid Test to enter. They do control it. Once you arrive by bus at the Nicaraguan Border Terminal, you’ll have to wait for a little in the bus until the police give the driver a sign that you can pass through.

While waiting on the bus, a woman will be passing through the bus and controlling your Covid documents. She’ll have a look and give you a medical stamp on a small piece of paper. This means you’re good to go. This is the only time when they control your Covid documents. They’ll also ask for it at the bus office in San Jose before boarding the bus. But not more directly at the border.

More Tips For Traveling In Central America

This is how to get from Costa Rica To Nicaragua. Border crossing is always annoying and boring. But once you get through, you’ll be happy to arrive at your final destination in Nicaragua.

The bus usually stops in Nicaragua before reaching Managua, the capital. It stops in bigger cities such as Granada and Masaya, too.

Enjoy your time in Nicaragua and get the most out of it. Whether you enjoy its beautiful beaches, great surfing, volcano hiking, boarding, or the stunning Corn Islands, I am sure you’ll love it.

Get my Nicaragua backpacking itinerary for 7 days and see the highlights of the country.

If you’re still not sure what you want to see in Nicaragua, I recommend Ometepe Island and Granada. Check out my top 11 things to do on Ometepe Island. See how to get to Ometepe Island if you’re interested in going.

Or see where to stay in Granada to have the most of your stay.

Nicaragua also has one of the best surfing spots in the world, which is Popoyo. Check out my article about where to stay in Popoyo, have a great stay, and enjoy the waves.

If you’re planning on visiting the Corn Islands and want to save money for the flight, check out my article about how to get from Managua to Bluefields by bus.

The Nicaraguan Corn Islands are paradise on Earth. So if you have at least one week in Nicaragua, you should see them. Check out my article about how to get to Corn Island from Managua.

Happy travels!