Expat Community > Nicaragua

TerryCicada
Joined 2014
Posts: 66

Border crossing

8 years ago

Although I travelled to Nicaragua several times last year on my business trips most of the time i arrive in Managua airport which is 2 hours by road to my destination to San Juan del sur.
So last week i tried an alternative route arriving at Liberia airport, Costa Rica and made the border crossing at Penas Blancas to San Juan del Sur.

Here are the results of trip.
Round trip direct flight from Newark airport to Liberia airport was at least $100 cheaper than flying into Managua for most flights. Very tempting ! Also the direct flight arrives around 1.00pm not two AM in the morning, past midnight on budget flights e.g Spirit which stops in Miami or Fort Lauderdal for several hours.

Liberia airport is modern and clean.
Great so far,
There is no public transportation from airport to the City of Liberia or the border.
so the cab ride to the border is 40.00 per person.
You pay an exit tax at the Costa Rico side and then an entry tax at the Nicaraguan side for total of US20.00.
An expeditor assisted us with the paper work because of the long lines from the buses also crossing the border. Again he needed a tip for helping us. After crossing we could have then taken a bus from the border to Rivas and than change to another bus to San Juan del Sur which could save us some money but instead our cab ride cost us $40.00.
All in all we arrived at our destination 4 hours later.
Was it worth the hassle ? In my opinion, NO unless you also wish to spend time in Costa Rico.
Depending on where you go, the late arrival in Managua will always mean you need to check in at a hotel for the night and continue on your destination the following day or go on the more expensive flights that gets in early and you can continue on your journey. Most public transportation ceases after sunset in Nicaragua.
So depending on you destination flying into Managua is still preferable.
In my case I use a contact who picks me up at the airport puts me in his house and sends me off to the bus stop. He charges me 35.00 for me and my wife.

On our return we go through the same hassle but we left a day earlier so as not to miss our return flight .
We selected Playa Hermosa as our overnight stay since it was the closest to the airport. Cab ride was 20.00 to the borde from San Juan del Sur. On the Costa rica side cab ride was $70.00 to Playa Hermosa and $50.00 the next morning to the airport. Hotel was $100 for one night.

So unless you plan to spend time in Costa Rico , the Liberia airport route is not recommended. The airlines know this and thats why they jack the fare as high as they can for going to Managua.

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