This is basically a [crappy] photo essay of my overland border crossing at Peñas Blancas, from Costa Rica to Nicaragua. It had been a couple years, so I was overzealous about the whole process when I crossed in February 2022. This post may also be helpful for anyone attempting to do this border crossing themselves. (Disclaimer: I generally find “how to cross the border” posts boring).
I started out from Samara, so I took a couple of buses through Costa Rica to the main bus terminal in Liberia. From there I waited for the bus to Peñas Blancas (“La Fronterra” – “The Border”) and ate some plantain snacks and coke. Because that is a necessary detail.
I took the bus about an hour to the border. You have to get off the bus at the last stop – it does make a stop (or a few stops) prior to this, not clear why but people get off. There are an absurd number of trucks waiting to cross for miles.
If you are looking for directions: Get off at the end by a white building (left photo). I made the mistake of entering this building first and was sent back. You have to pay your exit fees at the green building (right photo) before you depart. At the time I was doing this the computer system naturally broke and I had to wait about 30 minutes for it to be fixed…
After stamping out of Costa Rica in the white building, I walked into the “no man’s land” between the countries. So so so many trucks with dogs and inspection police, of course. It was somewhat unclear where to go, but I just kept walking. I was stopped a few times to show my passport/covid documents to semi-official people (potentially strangers) standing along the way.
Eventually I found the Nicaragua immigration building. Before I enetered I had to stop at a little window and show my covid papers yet again. I think this was the 3rd time.
Inside I paid my entry fee as well as some sort of “tax” that I beleive to be a swindle and seemed illigitimate ($2). After scanning my bags that was it! I was on the other side.
I kept walking away from the border towards the bus station. Multiple people tried to offer me a taxi, but I ignored them. There is a proper bus area on the left about 1/4 mile from the border.
I located the bus to Rivas and got on without incident. The internet told me to get off at an intersection called La Virgen to switch buses for San Juan del Sur. I did this and made sure not to pay an extra 10 cents for the full fare…becuase well that would be a waste of money.
Once I got off multiple “taxi drivers” (random men in random cars and random motorcycles) tried to pick me up from the side of the road. Several told me there “was no bus” or there was not a bus for “a very long time.” This is, obviously false. I walked to a fruit stand, asked a lady where the bus stop was, and waited for the bus that did not exist. It arrived within 15 minutes. While waiting I glimpsed a pet pig at a house across the street.
The chicken bus was wildly overcrowded with schoolchildren. Someone was on the driver’s lap, people were packed in, and I had to stand in the stairwell. Thank goodness I only had my small backpack. I could barely move and got stangers’ sweat all over my body. Oh, how I missed travel!
Within 20 minutes most people had gotten off, and shortly theresafter I was arriving at my final destination. Just a couple hours all in all from Liberia to SJDS.