Fast forwarding to the present day and I have no income to speak of but needed to do my border hop to get 90 more days in Costa Rica.
This was the cheapest way I found to do it.
Bus from Gran Terminal del Caribe San José, to Peñas Blancas Costa Rica.
There are no signs on the inside of the terminal (the above shot was taken as the bus pulled away) but it’s the Deldu bus closest to the restaurants (opposite end of El Tostador) and the driver will call passengers to board. The ticket costs 4840 Costa Rican colones/ about 9 USD.
I’d buy it in advance to be safe if you want a bus at a specific time, but mine had empty seats.
Centrocoasting has all the information you need about the bus schedules:
San José, to Peñas Blancas Costa Rica.
8:30 (there are many other departure times). It’s my experience that they’re always on time so don’t be late!
9:04 – Brief stop (less than 5 minutes). People bought snacks without getting off from vendors selling plantain chips, apples and beverages outside.
9:30 – Passed the airport.
9:32 – Stop at one of the Deldu bus stations. Guy selling Apple’s came on board. (3 minutes).
10:02 – Stop opposite Cristel.
10:11 – Stuck in traffic because of a transit inspection.
10:25 – Stop at bus stop to pick up passengers
The next stop was a 20-minute bathroom break (Pictures below). Everyone is asked to get off because of company policy. They make an announcement in Spanish to board but it’s best to stay near the bus because it’s not their responsibility to get you back on it.
1:16 – Announcement for only stop in Liberia.
Then, there were a few stops for disembarking passengers:
2:05 – Stop in La Cruz opposite a carnicero (butcher’s)
2:30 – Arrival at the border. Making it a 6-hour ride to the border.
Costa Rican side
Border tips
You’re going to be swarmed by people trying to exchange colones to cordobas. I had dollars and didn’t change anything since dollars are accepted in Nicaragua. If that’s your case, just have them in small denominations to pay the border taxes and for the bus. The rate at the time I travelled was 1US$ = 30 cordobas
The signage isn’t good, and no one tells you where to go. I imagine this is because the process is relatively simple…and you know where to go if you’ve already done it.
After getting off the bus on the Costa Rican side, you’ll be in front of immigration (photo below), BUT FIRST, you must go back to the fork in the road where there may or may not be people directing you to where you pay your Costa Rican exit fee (7 USD) before taking your passport to immigration. Many newbies are sent back to do that.
Free bathrooms as you exit immigration.
Less than a 5-minute walk to cross into Nicaragua. You’ll want to take a bicycle taxi if you have luggage.
Two guards stopped me to check my passport. One was very “bad cop”, looking me up and down as he fingered through my passport. He also asked me to lift my shirt and turn around. Being black, and male, I’m accustomed to this type of treatment though. The last on the Costa Rican side warned me saying he hoped I would get through because “they’re strange with foreigners”. Then it began….
Nicaraguan side
The guard at the entrance called someone on the phone twice. First because no one ever knows anything about my Barbadian passport (so they behave as if they think I’ve made it myself), then because of how much money I had on me. 100 US and debit cards.
Immigration
Sorry about the photo quality. Sometimes I don’t realize life is a blur until I stop to look at it closely.
Cross the road and follow the colourfully painted tires to an open area with vendors in stalls. The building is on the far side.
I was later told by someone living there that the Nicaraguan side of the border is notorious for being difficult. My passport is almost full of stamps from different countries and none say I’ve ever overstayed, yet the guy took it into a back room three times and wrote my information down. I have never had this happen before. Luckily the place was empty, and it was just a patience game with him.
He returned a fourth time to ask for my document showing I was leaving Nicaragua. I hadn’t bought a bus ticket back because I was planning to return by local bus to Peñas Blancas and walk across the border (you don’t buy tickets for local buses). I did have a flight reservation out of San Jose to Barbados though. He misunderstood and thought I was saying I hadn’t bought the flight (which I hadn’t! I panicked a little but made it clear I was talking about the bus). He told me I needed to buy my ticket out of Nicaragua that day but went ahead and stamped my passport. Meanwhile, a guy with dreadlocks at the booth next to mine, sat down with his back to the wall like he was accustomed to the routine, as the guy dealing with him disappeared into the back room.
Bus to Rivas
Leaving the immigration building there’ll be bus drivers and taxi men trying to get you to go with them. I told the bus driver that I had 5US and he said it was no problem. The bus ride to rivas is 20 Cordobas and lasts about 45 to 50 minutes.
*Passed El Zapote Hostel on the way to Rivas (if for some reason you need to stay close to the border).
Tips
You will be swarmed by people trying to sell you tours to the attraction for which San Jorge is famous – Ometepe island (comprised of two volcanoes). I know from experience that you should ignore whoever comes first because they’re probably trying to rip you off. That said, things are so cheap that even when you’re being ripped off it turns out to be for a dollar or two.
A taxi to San Jorge from the bus station in Rivas, for example, should cost 20 cordobas (0.64 USD)…. (One driver tried to charged me 150 cordobas (4.78US…still not that bad)) but the bus costs 7 cordobas (0.22 USD)….
Crossing the waiting area and the courtyard with more buses after you get out at the station in Rivas, turn right at the road and walk to the first corner on the left. A yellow bus going to San Jorge stops there hourly (last at 5 p.m.).*I’ve gotten conflicting reports about the schedule. One person said it passes only 5 times a day. Ask the store owner or people selling things around the area for information if you speak Spanish.
Bus to San Jorge
(4.2 km – walked it once and it took me an hour)
5:05 – Bus arrived. Pulls up to the corner to let people off and continues down past the bus station.
5:19 – Circled right back past where you waited (on other side)
5:50 – Arrived at my hostel Southern Nights (Noches Sureñas)
Border hours
Monday to Saturday from 6 a.m to 10 p.m and it closes on Sunday at 8pm.
San Jorge to Rivas
**First bus from the beach is at 7 a.m. It was not the usual yellow but one saying ‘Miguelito’. It’s best to ask.
Exiting Nicaragua
No issues. Have change to pay the 3 USD exit tax.
Reentering Costa Rica
The Costa Rican side was the opposite of the ordeal I went through to enter Nicaragua. The official took the information he needed to put in the computer and didn’t even ask if I had an exiting flight. It took about 20 seconds and there was no one checking bags. **You should have proof of an onward journey (that you’re exiting Costa Rica) and evidence that you can support yourself in the country (at least 500USD).
Peñas Blancas to San José
(There’s supposed to be a bus every 30 minutes)
Tips
Transportes Deldu buses are the cheapest to San José. Price is ¢4840 (April 2018). Someone may try to sell you a ticket for the Tica bus as you exit Nicaraguan immigration. It won’t be much more expensive, and the bus may be better at 5000 colones. You arrive at the Gran Terminal del Caribe. Check centrocoasting for the schedule but once you’ve exited immigration on the Costa Rican side, there is place to buy a ticket for the next Deldu bus (it also says ‘Costa Rican exit tax’).
Very persistent vendors sell drinks and lunches around the buses. Good way to get rid of any cordobas you have left. It’ll cost you twice as much. Bought a water with my last 40 cordobas (1.27 US).
Summary of Expenses
BORDER FEES
7$ Costa Rican exit fee (can be paid with card at kiosk)
No entry fee for Costa Rica
1USD Nicaraguan entrance municipality tax
12USD Nicaraguan entree fee
1USD Nicaraguan exit municipality tax
2USD Nicaraguan exit tax
BORDER FEES TOTAL – 23 USD
TRANSPORT
Bus to Peñas Blancas – 4840 Costa Rican colones (9 USD)
Bus from Peñas Blancas – 4840 Costa Rican colones (9 USD)
Bus to Rivas 20C$ – (0.64 USD)
Bus from Rivas to San Jorge – 7 (0.22 USD)
Total = 18 + 1.28 + 0.44 = 19.72 USD
ACCOMMODATION (there are lots of hostels in San Jorge so prices tend to be cheap) – 627 cordobas (20 USD)
BORDER FEES – 23 USD
FOOD (range 3 to 6 dollars) = 4,50×4 = 20 USD
TOTAL = 82.72 USD
How long do you have to spend out of the country?
No specified amount of time required out of the country by law…but there is the belief it should be 72 hours because of a question on a form related to tax payable – they must stay out for that amount of time and have less than 500 on return to not pay taxes on the goods.
General Observations
Food in Nicaragua is CHEAP!
I paid 50 cordobas (1.59 US$) for a meal and 20 cordobas (0.64 US$) for a juice at a restaurant next to the central park in Rivas. Places catering to tourists charge up to four times that – anywhere from 100 (3.18 US$) to 200 cordobas (6.37 US).
It’s hot. So there are mosquitoes.
Nicaraguanas in San Jorge are super friendly.
Sitting on the beach watching the moon rise over the two volcanoes, a group of men with their fishing tackle were approaching and would pass by. One put out his hand as he did so and shook mine without saying a word. A woman in the bus to San Jorge started handing out fruit she had in a bag. Sapodillas! Sweet like sugar!
With the disturbances happening in the capital, I’d been advised not to go to Nicaragua but, as I’d imagined, Nicaragua is a large place and the border wouldn’t have been opened if the closest towns were dangerous. People tend to be alarmists. What had concerned me was that I was seeing television reports with Nicaraguans saying not to travel to Nicaragua. But these are people who live in the US and were visiting Managua. The hostel owner told me that San Jorge was fine.
Relatively safe. There are several parts of San Jose that I run through at night…or I’ll walk close to a group of strangers, so I don’t appear to be alone. I didn’t feel unsafe in Rivas or San Jorge at all.
This is the South American country to go to if you’re on a tight budget. I went with 100 USD, after budgeting for 85 USD and used only 50 USD over the two days because I bought fruit for breakfast, ate at local restaurants and used the bus.
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