What transportation is available from Costa Rica to Nicaragua?

We will be flying in to San Jose Costa Rica in January for 3 weeks, and would like to spend part of that time in Nicaragua. What is the easiest, least expensive way to get to Lake Nicaragua area?

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Bus it, Man

Rome2rio says there are three bus services from San Jose, Costa Rica to somewhere near Lake Nicaragua (Peñas Blancas, Costa Rica or Rivas, Nicaragua). Indeed following up on the bus company websites one finds the information below. Note that ticket costs often don't include immigration taxes to enter/exit Costa Rica and Nicaragua. At the time of writing these are as follows (according to the Trans Nica FAQ page):

Costa Rica: Salida $7USD y entrada $2USD.

Nicaragua: Salida $2 y entrada si es extranjero $14USD, si es nicaragüense $1.

1. Trans Nica

Trans Nica buses depart from San Jose and stop in Rivas. At the time of writing there are three economy and one executive departures per day. The economy fare is 54USD return, and the executive fare is 76USD return.

For more information here is the FAQ page of Trans Nica (in Spanish). Below is a screenshot taken from the linked page, showing detailed information on the bus service:

Trans Nica fare comparison

2. Marvelus Travels

Marvelus Travels operates a bus from San Jose to Rivas. At the time of writing there are two departures per day. The fare is 37USD one-way. The journey duration is advertised as 7 hours. Below is a screenshot of the Marvelus Travels website:

3. Bus 505

According to this unofficial website, there seems to be a mysterious bus n. 505 which serves the route from San Jose to Peñas Blancas. There are six departures per day, of which two are express buses. In this case you are looking at 6 hours to cover 293km (not sure if this is the express service or not). Quoting from the linked website:

505 SANTA ROSA AND PEÑAS BLANCAS (from San José)

DEP. ev. day from 100 mts north of Terminal Coca Cola at 4:30, 5:00, 7:00, 7:45, 13:20, 16:10; RET. 5:00, 7:15, 10:30, 10:40, 13:30, 14:45, 15:30.

Only DEP. 4:30 , 7:00 and RET: 10:30, 13:30 are express buses.

293 km, 6:00 hrs.

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Can you cross from Costa Rica into Nicaragua?

The vast majority of travellers going from Costa Rica to Nicaragua (and vice versa) will travel via the Pe\xf1as Blancas border crossing.

Is it easy to go from Costa Rica to Nicaragua?

BY PLANE. If you are short on time, traveling from Costa Rica to Nicaragua is definitely the most time-efficient and hassle-free way. The only disadvantage is that you have to get to the capital city, but both countries are pretty compact, and both San Jose and Managua are easily accessible.

Can you take a bus from Nicaragua to Costa Rica?

Is there a direct bus between Nicaragua and Costa Rica? Yes, there is a direct bus departing from Managua and arriving at San Jos\xe9. Services depart three times a day, and operate every day. The journey takes approximately 6h.

Can you take a rental car from Costa Rica to Nicaragua?

Rental Cars cannot be taken across the international borders to Panama or Nicaragua. Some agencies will allow you to drop one car off in Costa Rica, cross the border on foot and pick up a new car on the other side for a fee. Tickets\u2014Modern traffic enforcement exists in Costa Rica and you can expect to face radar guns.

What transportation is available from Costa Rica to Nicaragua?

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