Monteverde is our final stop in Costa Rica. Our next destination is Granada, Nicaragua. This trip to get there, from Monteverde to Nicaragua is a simple day trip. It’s an early start and there are two options in terms of how you get there. (as well as a pricey private transfer, which we avoided). This journey is from Monteverde to Granada, Nicaragua, however the route is the same if you’re going from Monteverde to San Juan del Sur or from Monteverde to Ometepe. You simply need to get off the buses earlier!
We’ve also included in the details of a shuttle which will take you from Monteverde across the border to Nicaragua and to San Juan del Sur. This is the priciest of the options in going to Nicaragua from Costa Rica’s Monteverde, but it’s the quickest, easiest and simplest.
Thanks to our readers for the updates on prices and times – if you have updates, let us know and we’ll update the post so that everyone has the most up to date information on how to get from Monteverde to Nicaragua!
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Monteverde to Nicaragua Bus Route
While the route from Monteverde to Granada doesn’t look in anyway logical on a map, it’s relatively simple. There are at least 2 steps.
- Get from Monteverde to La Irma. This is the stop on the Pan American / InterAmerican Highway where you pick up buses heading for the Costa Rica – Nicaragua border. If you Google for La Irma and you’ll find a small spot seemingly with nothing there. That’s what you’re aiming for.
- From La Irma, you pick up a bus bound for Nicaragua and San Juan Del Sur, or Ometepe or Granada. Simples. Kind of.
- If your bus from La Irma is not an international bus, then you’ll probably get as far as La Liberia, where you’ll need to pick up a bus to the border.
- At the border, you’ll need to pick up a bus to your final destination.
Monteverde to Nicaragua – the EASIEST Option
Book a shuttle to go from Monteverde to San Juan del Sur. The shuttle will pick you up at your hostel or hotel, hold your hand through Costa Rican and Nicaraguan immigration formalities, and then you’ll transfer to another shuttle in Nicaragua and they’ll drop you on the doorstep of your hostel in San Jan del Sur. Easy.
Monteverde to Nicaragua – The Easy Option
The first option, the one that we took, is the easiest. It involves getting a public bus from Monteverde to La Irma. Then (having pre-booked a ticket on an international bus service, like Central Line or Trans Nica) wait for your international bus and scoot on through to your final destination in Nicaragua. Its not always necessary to prebook the ticket. These buses do sell seats on the fly, but only if there is a seat available.
If you want to book the international bus to either San Juan del Sur, or through to Managua, then you’ll need to book the seat all the way from San Jose – and just get on later in the journey.
We booked our seats from our accommodation, the friendly, helpful folks at the Cabinas Vista al Golfo > we really recommend them, you should check out their availability. There was no mark up on the seat price with them.
If you’re en route to Costa Rica you’ll want our guide to everything you need to know about Costa Rica and our free Travel Checklist – read it here.
Monteverde to Nicaragua – Public Bus Option
- Take the TransMonteverde bus to Lagarto. The cost is 875 colones. You can buy your ticket on the bus or the day before. The endpoint of this bus is Puntarenas.
- Get off the bus at Lagarto, this is at the entrance to the InterAmerican Highway. Walk to the bus stop, it’s about 150 meters. You should arrive there around 0750.
- There’s a bus from here to Liberia at around 0815. This should cost 2,350 colones. The journey to Liberia should take about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- When you arrive in Liberia find a bus to Penas Blancas. (they’re usually from the same place). The bus from Liberia to Penas Blancas should cost around 1650 colones and it should take just under 2 hours.
- Now you need to exit Costa Rica. The fee to exit is 5,000 colones. Do this at the signposted window, ask if you’re not sure. You will get a receipt. Once you have paid you can go through immigration.
- Now you need to enter Nicaragua. You may need proof of onward travel (check with your home country’s travel advice) or they may not ask at all. You’ll need to pay any immigration fees at this point.
- After the Nicaraguan immigration, you need to walk, about 50 meters to the bus stops.
- Take a bus to Managua. If you are going to San Juan del Sur you want to get off at La Virgen and walk down towards San Juan del Sur where there is another bus stop about 100 meters down. The bus to this point costs 30 cordobas. The bus from here to San Juan del Sur costs 20 cordobas.
- If you’re heading to Granada then you’ll get to Managua and then find a bus to Granada – see the details of that further in the article.
If you’re going to Ometepe, then you get to Rivas and then share a taxi to the ferry. For San Juan del Sur, you aim for La Virgen or Rivas and then share a taxi to San Juan del Sur.
Step by Step Guide – Monteverde to Nicaragua
Monteverde to La Irma
The bus station in Monteverde is easy to find, but it’s at the top of a hill!. It’s more of a bus stop than a bus station and it’s next to the Plaza Monteverde shopping centre.
Monteverde Bus Station Location & Map
The buses from Monteverde to La Irma leave at 0420 and 0600. In order to catch one of the international buses from La Irma to Nicaragua, you’ll need to be on the 0420 bus. In fact to make it to Nicaragua the same day you’re better off getting the early one. It’s the cooler part of the day if nothing else!
You can also see this map here.
Monteverde to La Irma Bus Tickets
Buy your ticket on the bus. The tickets from Monteverde to La Irma cost 1500 colones each. Just ask the driver for La Irma. You can track your route on Google, and also ask the driver to let you know when you get to La Irma.
You can track where the bus is on our map above.
La Irma – What’s There?
La Irma isn’t much. It’s basically a bus stop, a petrol station and a “café” on the Inter-American Highway. When we arrived there at 0615 the café wasn’t open. The petrol station has a few snacks if you have colones to spend.
When we left on our Central Line bus from La Irma to Granada at 0800, the café still wasn’t open. There is shade at the bus stop. The road is busy and gets busier as the morning wears on. The shop at the petrol station is limited, to say the least. It’s here that you might be able to spend your last few colones.
BUT. Be sure to save enough, as you’ll need to pay the tourist exit fee at the border.
La Irma to Peñas Blancas – Central Line Bus
There are several international buses plying this route – Trans Nica and the Tica Bus both passed us. They all arrived before our Central Line bus did. It’s pretty hard to figure out which is the right bus until they’re on top of you, so we stopped every bus that came past. (Neurotic much? Probably just concerned that we were going to miss the bus!!) The answer was the same each time. “Last, last”. The Central Line bus generally runs slower than the other buses.
Our Central Line bus finally arrived at 0800. We got our bags underneath and found a seat. There are no allocated seats and seats recline right into your knees. There was allegedly WIFI on this Central Line bus but no one got it to work on this trip.
NOTE for these buses in Costa Rica. The bus leaves from San Jose and goes to Granada. Even if you are only traveling for part of the journey you buy a ticket (and therefore the seat) for the entire journey.
This is the bus that you need to book, with a note saying that you’re getting on in La Irma.
Once we’d boarded the bus we drove about 1.5 kilometers and then had a 30-minute stop at a roadside café! Typical. From there, we went straight through to the border. Our route was from here at the border, via Rivas to Granada. The journey from La Irma to the Peñas Blancas border took 2.5 hours (after the 30 minute stop!).
Costa Rica to Nicaragua BORDER CROSSING
Tourist Exit fee at Peñas Blancas Border Crossing
You need to pay a US$8 exit fee +US$2 in service fees in order to leave the country at this Peñas Blancas border crossing. There are fees elsewhere and they differ from this, so check carefully prior to arriving at the border. It is possible to pay this at a bank in Costa Rica prior to leaving, you’ll get a receipt and you just need to keep it. You can even pay for it online now.
On the Central Line bus, it’s easy. The conductor will speak to everyone, find out who needs to pay the fee and then pay it for you once you give the cash. You can pay in Colones or US dollars – so you might want to reconsider spending that last bit of cash in the petrol station shop!.
If you are on the public bus, then you need to do this yourself. You pay the fee in a green shed about 100 meters BEFORE you get to immigration. Don’t be the numpty who queues at immigration and then finds that you have to go back to the green shed to pay and then come back and queue again.
Costa Rica EXIT Immigration at Peñas Blancas
Everyone has to get off the bus. It’s necessary to take luggage with you through immigration.
Our conductor paid our exit tax for us (he needs your passport to do this), while we waited in the immigration line. By the time we got to the front, he was back with our passports. Immigration was easy.
Nicaragua ENTRANCE Immigration at Peñas Blancas
As well as your exit free from Costa Rica, there’s also an entrance fee to Nicaragua. This is US$10 + a US$3 immigration fee. Again the conductor will pay this if you’re on the Central Line bus
Monteverde to Nicaragua Buying Bus Tickets
Tickets for the leg of the journey from Monteverde to La Irma can only be bought on the bus when you board in colones.
From La Irma to Nicaragua on Central Line or any of the international buses, you need to purchase before departure. You may be able to convince an international bus to stop and pay cash to the conductor, or you may not. Tickets on the public buses that ply the InterAmerican highway in Costa Rica and the Nicaraguan buses are sold on the bus when you board.
Where to Buy Monteverde to Nicaragua Bus tickets in Monteverde
To buy a ticket on the Central Line from any location in Costa Rica through to Nicaragua simply ask at your hostel. If they’re not an agent for the bus they will know someone who is.
We stayed at the great Cabinas Vista Al Golfo, who are an agent for Central Line bus. Get prices and availability here. They speak excellent English, although if you want to practice your Spanish they will also help you. We paid US$35 for our tickets from La Irma to Granada. This included the cost of the conductor dealing with the tourist exit and entry fees for us.
Monteverde to Rivas, San Juan del Sur
If you’ve taken the Central Line bus, then you’ll just need to tell the conductor (he will come around and ask) where you want to get off. Popular stops are
- Rivas for Ometepe Island
- La Virgen for San Juan del Sur
- Rivas for San Juan del Sur
Central Line Bus Arrival in Granada
The Central Line bus stop is on the main route 4 on the edge of Granada. It’s outside a petrol station and although the driver did stop at a pharmacy some 500 meters prior to this he wouldn’t let us get off there. My swearing in Spanish is becoming fluent. The location is marked on the map above.
Getting from Monteverde to Nicaragua is an easy journey, even if it requires an early start. If the weather had been cooler we would have used the public bus route, but the Central Line bus from Costa Rica to Nicaragua is a very easy option.
Don’t forget if you have updates on prices, times, and buses to let us know and we’ll update this post so that it’s available for everyone!
Where to Stay in Granada, Nicaragua
There are a host of places to stay in Granada, Nicaragua – here’s our pick of the luxury places to stay in Granada, Nicaragua, mid-range places to stay in Granada, Nicaragua, and budget accommodation in Granada, Nicaragua.
Hotel Plaza Colon, Granada, Nicaragua: The Hotel Plaza Colon is a gorgeous four-star hotel in Granada, Nicaragua. The Granada Hotel Plaza Colon’s rooms are all air-conditioned and include a flat-screen TV. Rooms at this top hotel in Granada, Nicaragua also have a private bathroom, bathrobes, and complimentary toiletries. And since the Hotel Plaza Colon values the environment, all of its utilities are biodegradable. This top Granada Hotel also has free WiFi and an outdoor pool, plus the on-site bar is a bonus. The Hotel Plaza Colon is an excellent luxury hotel for those staying in Granada, Nicaragua. Want more information on Hotel Plaza Colon?
Miss Margrit’s, Granada, Nicaragua: Miss Margrit’s, a comfortable mid-range hotel in Granada, Nicaragua is in a great location. Each room at Miss Margrit’s, a mid-range bed & breakfast hotel in Granada, Nicaragua, includes air conditioning, an en-suite bathroom with hot water, and a walk-in closet. Private bathrooms are equipped with complimentary amenities and a bath or shower. This charming hotel in Granada, Nicaragua, also has an outdoor pool and provides a free homemade breakfast daily. It’s a perfect spot to stay in Granada, Nicaragua. Check availability here.
El Arca de Noe, Granada, Nicaragua: The budget El Arca de Noe guest house in Granada, Nicaragua, has free WiFi and a terrace. There is also a shared kitchen and hammocks on the terrace. While you’re here, take advantage of the free breakfast, which includes a range of choices. El Arca de Noe is a perfect place to stay in Granada, Nicaragua. This El Arca de Noe guest house books out quickly, so you’ll need to reserve early!
Popular Routes Around Costa Rica
Here are our guides to some of the popular routes around Costa Rica.
- How to go from La Fortuna to Monteverde
- How to go from Monteverde to Nicaragua
- How to get from SJO Airport to San Jose
- How to go from San Jose to Manuel Antonio
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