Costa Rica to Nicaragua Border Crossing: All You Need To Know

I wouldn’t call it a hard border to cross — but then again, I’m a brown person who’s gone through TSA a hundred times, so maybe my bar isn’t too high.

We were coming in hot from Argentina, riding the tail end of a South America stint with a month to kill before heading to the US. Nicaragua wasn’t exactly calling — it was just the cheapest place I could find to spend a few weeks without selling an organ.

I had a valid US visa, which meant I could enter both Costa Rica and Nicaragua on that little rectangle of borrowed privilege. My partner, a Canadian, technically didn’t need anything — except, well, a passport that wasn’t expiring in six months (which it was).

So there we were: one over-prepared Pakistani, one casually expired Canadian, a pair of non-refundable plane tickets out of Managua, and a six-hour gamble on the Tica Bus hoping we wouldn’t be turned back at the border.

This guide walks you through our Costa Rica to Nicaragua crossing at Peñas Blancas — but everything here applies if you’re doing Nicaragua to Costa Rica in reverse, too. The process, paperwork, and passport politics go both ways.

Here’s how it went down — and everything you need to know if you’re doing this crossing yourself, especially if you’re not holding a Western passport.

Why Peñas Blancas?

Peñas Blancas is the busiest land crossing between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, sitting on the Pan-American Highway between Liberia and Rivas. If you’re coming from San José and heading to southern Nicaragua — like San Juan del Sur, Granada, or Ometepe — this is the most direct and accessible route.

It’s used by just about everyone: locals commuting for work, Nicaraguans returning home, long-haul truckers, overland travelers, and a steady stream of backpackers doing the Central America loop.

There are other border options, like Los Chiles to San Carlos — but those involve riverboats, extra steps, and a bit more time. Flying is faster, but ticket prices into Nicaragua were absurd when we looked.

What You Need Before You Go

For Canadian passport holders (and other Global North folks):

For Pakistani passport holders (and most Global South passports):

If you’re wondering where else you can go with a similar setup, here’s a breakdown of visa-free (and visa-on-arrival) options for Pakistani passport holders.

⚠️ Passport Privilege Rant:
Traveling on a Global South passport doesn’t just mean jumping through extra hoops — it means running a completely different race. You’re not just showing more documents or planning further ahead. You’re paying more. You’re waiting longer. You’re getting pulled aside, asked extra questions, and sometimes, like in my case, charged $50 for a visa you technically don’t need. None of it is aggressive. No one yells. But that’s the point. The system isn’t broken — it’s functioning exactly as it was designed: to let some people glide through and make the rest of us prove, pay, and perform for entry. It’s not always personal. But it’s never equal.

Step-by-Step: How to Cross the Peñas Blancas Border

📍 Step 1: Get to the Border

Tica Bus and TransNica run daily services from San José, with travel times ranging from 8 to 10 hours. Tickets are reasonably priced at $25–$30, offering air conditioning and reclining seats. We took Tica Bus, and while the ride was comfortable, don’t count on the advertised Wi-Fi.

If you’re traveling independently: Direct buses run hourly from San José to Liberia bus station between 6 AM and 8 PM. The trip costs around $8 USD and takes about 4.5 hours. From Liberia, buses to Peñas Blancas leave every hour.

The border is open from 6 AM to 10 PM, but crossing early in the morning is best to avoid heat and long lines. Weekdays are quieter. Always double-check hours around holidays.

📍 Step 2: Costa Rica Exit

At the Costa Rican border, everyone gets off the bus and lines up at the immigration window. You’ll need to:

• Pay the $10 exit tax (ours was included in the bus ticket — ask when booking)
• Show proof of onward travel (we used our flight out of Nicaragua)
• Scan your bags
• Get your exit stamp

No major issues — just slow. We sat in the bus for about an hour before even reaching this point.

📍 Step 3: Walking Through No Man’s Land

Once stamped out of Costa Rica, it’s a 300-meter walk to the Nicaraguan immigration building.

It’s hot, there’s no shade, and you’ll pass a mix of money changers, cargo trucks, vendors, and guys yelling “Taxi!” like it’s a competitive sport.

You can exchange money here — USD or Costa Rican colones into Nicaraguan córdobas — but rates vary. Bring small USD bills and only change what you need.

📍 Step 4: Entering Nicaragua

At Nicaraguan immigration, here’s what you pay:

• $1 USD municipal fee
• $14 USD entry fee
• Optional surprise fee: In my case, an extra $50 USD visa charge.

Everything is cash only — no cards, no digital payments.

My partner’s passport was expiring in under six months, which should’ve been a problem. But it wasn’t. Nobody noticed. And his passport got stamped with zero questions. Classic.

I handed over my Pakistani passport (with a valid US visa), and they took it to the back room. Not in a threatening way — more like, “What’s this?” They came back after about 15 minutes, smiled, and asked for the $50 fee. No explanation, but no drama either.

We were both granted 30 days.

📍 Step 5: Continuing into Nicaragua

Once through immigration, they had us run our luggage through a scanner — but there wasn’t even a security guard watching the screen. I wouldn’t smuggle contraband, but if you’re worried about your drone or camera gear, I think you’ll be fine.

You’ll find plenty of buses and taxis headed to nearby towns like Rivas or San Juan del Sur.

If you’re on a Tica Bus or TransNica service, they’ll likely drop you directly in Rivas where you can continue onward to Ometepe, San Juan del Sur, or Granada.

If you’re heading farther — like Managua or Granada — you may need to transfer in Rivas.

If you’re mapping out where to go next, this slow travel route through Nicaragua has ideas for beaches, volcanoes, and everywhere in between.

And if Ometepe is on your radar (as it should be), here’s my guide for the island.

Other Tips for the Border (Scams, Drones & Day Trips)

Avoiding Scams & Surprise Fees

It’s not uncommon to hear stories of travelers being asked to pay extra fees at the Nicaraguan border. A fellow Brit on our bus told us her friend was charged $50 by an immigration officer — no reason given.

Bring cash in USD, ideally in small bills. Everything is paid in cash, and change is rarely available.

Traveling with Drones

Nicaragua has strict drone regulations. Technically, you’re supposed to register your drone in advance. If customs finds it, they may confiscate it at the border and return it when you leave the country.Some travelers get around this by disassembling their drone and spreading the parts between bags — but that’s a risk you’ll have to weigh yourself.

Final Thoughts

Crossing borders has a way of reminding you just how arbitrary — and powerful — a passport can be.
On paper, we both had what we needed. In practice, only one of us was questioned, held up, and charged more. Not because I did anything wrong — just because the country that issued my passport doesn’t rank very high in global trust games.

It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t traumatic. It was just… tiring. A reminder that travel, for some of us, isn’t a freewheeling “see where the road takes you” kind of thing — it’s a calculated dance of paperwork, research, and hoping the person behind the counter is in a decent mood.