Peñas Blancas: How to Cross from Costa Rica to Nicaragua

On December 23, 2025 we made our way across the border on foot from Costa Rica to Nicaragua – and what a rough experience that was. Any person with a general understanding of holidays and traffic patterns could easily assume that two days before Christmas in Latin America would be an awful time to travel through the only land crossing between the two countries. However, in an effort to keep the trip cheap and spend Christmas in Granada, we ended up on a two-day, chaotic journey from Santa Teresa to Granada (and spent about as much as we would have if we’d flown). Always grateful for the experience – and we have the utmost respect for any locals who have to do this crossing on a regular basis – but if this article teaches you one thing: don’t cross the border on December 23rd unless you have to.  

If you’re coming from the U.S., flights to San Jose, Costa Rica are nearly always much cheaper than flying directly into Granada, Nicaragua. In December, this was about a $100 difference. So, since we’d missed out on visiting the Nicoya Peninsula on past trips, we decided to split our time between the two countries, starting in Santa Teresa and then crossing to Nicaragua through Peñas Blancas.

Location of Peñas Blancas between the two countries (Google Earth)

Where to Stay the Night Before

Peñas Blancas sits along the Pan-American Highway that stretches from Alaska to Argentina. Not to be confused with Nicaragua’s cloud forest reserve “El Macizo de Peñas Blancas,” the town consists of a large border crossing facility and nothing more. We searched for hostels and Airbnbs to stay in close by, but that wasn’t really an option, so we opted to spend the night an hour away in Liberia and head to the border in the morning via Tica Bus. As Peñas Blancas is open from 6AM to 10PM (8PM on Sundays) it’s best to get there early and beat the lines and heat.

Waiting for the Tica Bus (at the wrong location)

Tica Bus

After making it to Liberia late the night before, we woke up early to grab breakfast and make it to our bus stop well before the 9:30AM departure time. That time came and went as it often does in Latin America, but when we saw a Tica Bus drive on the overpass above us without stopping, we knew that was probably our bus and called the Tica Bus help number. We were told to wait where we were for the next bus to come (outside Hotel Boyeros, as our ticket said). At 11:30AM we called Tica Bus again, and were told to wait in place. Then, in a stroke of luck, a former Tica Bus employee told us that the bus stop had been moved about a half a mile down the road (“after the roundabout”). We confirmed this with Tica Bus over the phone and found a taxi that could take us there fast, as the next bus was coming. We arrived just as the last passengers were boarding and hopped on after a quick ticket check. This was at 12:15PM and we arrived to Peñas Blancas at 1:15PM.

Peñas Blancas: Lines, Lines, and More Lines

Believe it or not, we were about halfway through the line at this point.

When you arrive at Peñas Blancas via bus, your driver will give you a Nicaraguan entry sheet to fill out on the bus (one per household – bring a pen!) and you’ll pay the Costa Rican exit tax to the driver (10 USD each). You’ll be let out at the Costa Rica Exit Facility. Here, you’ll de-board the bus with only your passport and enter into a large building to stand in your first line of the day. When you get to the front of the line, you may have to answer a few questions, but altogether we were through the line and back on the bus in about 30 minutes. We also HIGHLY recommend using the bathroom here or back on the bus, because it’s the last good facility you’ll see until you leave the “no man’s land” between countries.

Once everyone is back on the bus, you’ll drive a short distance to the Nicaragua Entry Facility. Here, you’ll be instructed to leave the bus and take everything you brought on with you. It's important you don't forget anything as customs will check the bus and remove any items that are left. In particular, make sure to bring: your passport, money, snacks, sunscreen/sun cover, and WATER. The driver will then leave and meet you on the other side, so you won’t be able to access the bus until you’re through.

After you exit the bus, you can grab any bags you put underneath and then it’s a mad dash to find the end of the line. Since we arrived at such a busy time, the line stretched through the facility, down the sidewalk, and then weaved in neat rows in a small, tightly packed parking lot. With no instructions from the driver, we were a bit confused by another line that had formed in a parking lot in the distance. We later learned that this was the line for people who hadn’t been able to cross successfully to Costa Rica and were waiting to cross back into Nicaragua. Every so often, groups of around 30 people from this line were ushered to the front of the main line.

If you need anything while waiting in line – good luck. Vendors aren’t allowed to sell here, so you won’t be able to buy any snacks or water. There were two water spigots near the line where we saw some locals fill their water bottles. We assume it probably would have been fine as Costa Rica’s tap water is generally okay to drink, but since Nicaragua’s isn’t, we didn’t take the risk. Finally, we found out from another man that there was an ATM, but it was far from the line around the back of the facility. This means if you’re traveling alone and need to go find it, you’ll likely lose your place in line.

The municipal tax form we were given in line (1 USD)

At some point while you’re in this line, someone will come around and ask you to pay a municipal tax (1 USD each). They’ll then give you a ticket that you’ll need to show to the border agent later on.

Altogether, we spent about 3.5 hours in line outside before even entering the building. This meant sitting on curbs or our backpacks, standing near the single tree for shade, and just trying to hide from the sun in any way possible. When we did ultimately get to the building, the line became even more tightly packed and took another 45 minutes or so before we reached the border agent.

When you finally reach the front of the line, prepare to be scammed. The border agent took our passports and then asked for payment for the Nicaraguan entrance fee (13 USD each). Costa Rican colones, Nicaraguan córdobas, and US dollars are all accepted, so we handed over two $20 bills. We were told that they didn’t have change, so we needed to find $6 to make $26. When we pulled out six $1 bills and made the exact change of $26, we were then told that two of the bills were too wrinkled to be acceptable. We pulled out two more $1 bills that were not wrinkled, but were told they still weren’t acceptable. She then told us that if we couldn’t make change we would need to leave. Our last resort was to see if our wrinkly 10,000 colones bill would be okay (equal to 22 USD). The agent accepted it, while also keeping the $24 she already had in hand and waved us on – so, an official $20 scam.

The next step is to put your bags through a metal detector and head outside to find your bus! Once everyone has boarded, you’ll be on your way – maybe. Here’s where we learned another hard lesson. Even if your ticket has a very clear description of your end destination, do not assume that the bus will go there. Our tickets stated we would be heading to Granada, so after a stop at Rivas, where those going to San Juan del Sur got off, we assumed Granada would be next. But the bus kept driving en route to Managua, avoiding Granada entirely. When we realized and told the driver he said we should have let him know where we were heading (we did), and he let us out at Jinotepe where our only option was to catch a taxi to Granada an hour away. In total, we spent 68 USD each on the bus, plus another 35 USD total for the unfortunate taxi ride. So, our top tip is to make absolutely sure your driver knows where you’re getting off.

Ultimately, while our Tica Bus experience was less than ideal, we still think taking a bus across the border is the best choice, and we saw many locals doing the same. By the time we got through to the exit at Peñas Blancas, there were no taxis waiting – only buses – so we’re not sure what you would do if you got to the other side and didn’t have a ride waiting for you. For example, if you needed a new rental car on the other side or needed to get to a bus station or taxi hub, you would be pretty out of luck unless you were able to organize it ahead of time.

Key Takeaways:

1. If you’re going during the holiday season, be prepared for long lines.

2. Bring small, unbent bills: as of December 2025 these amounts were $10 for the Costa Rica exit tax, $1 for a municipal tax, and $13 for the Nicaraguan entry tax 

3. Bring water 

4. Eat a meal beforehand and bring snacks – you won’t be able to buy anything

5. Bring sunscreen/some kind of sun cover

6. Taking a bus is probably the best option, but make sure to tell the driver where you’re going in Nicaragua (many times)