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When entering customs, or aduana at the Managua International Airport, you will be required to pay a US $5.00 entry fee which is payable ONLY in cash with U.S. Dollars or Nicaraguan Cordobas (C$100). Upon payment, you will receive a tourist card and passport stamp.
If you stay in Nicaragua for longer than 90 days, you will have to pay approximately $1 for each day you've exceeded your stay, at the airport or international border prior to your departure.
If you plan to stay longer than 90 days, you will have to visit the Office of Immigration in Managua (Telephone +505.244.0741). However, you will probably find it easier to cross the border into Costa Rica and then return the same day.
The following airlines fly to Nicaragua: Taca, American Airlines, Delta, Continental, Nature Air, Spirit Air, Copa Airlines, AeroMexico
Flight tip: check out Spirit airlines for extremely low rates to Miami
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Your best option is to pre-book an airport shuttle with one of the companies listed below. These are the most safe, reliable, and comfortable mode of transportation. They also offer very competitive rates. Make sure to agree on prices before departure.
Adelante Express: www.adelanteexpress.com
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(505) 8-850-6070 or (505) 2-568-2390
Paxeos: www.paxeos.com
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(505)2552-8291 or (505)8465-1090
Iskra Travel: www.iskratravel.com
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Cell: (505) 8425-5039 or (505) 8413-5510 Office: (505) 2568-2054
Tierra Tour: http://tierratour.com
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(505) 2552-8723 or (505) 8966-3482
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Buses leave Managua's Huembes Market to San Juan del Sur several times each day. Most buses are former American school buses and although they can get pretty crowded sometimes, Nicaraguan's are very accommodating and friendly so you will not only be able to practice your Spanish but also you'll get a really great flavor of the country traveling this way.
The ride is 2 1/2 hours.
Regular 'Chicken bus' from Managua to Rivas
from Mercado Huembes, every 25 minutes (3:30 AM – 7 PM)
C$ 28/$ 1.45
. Express bus from Managua to San Juan del Sur
from Mercado Huembes, every 30 minutes (10 AM – 4 PM)
C$55 / $2.84
A slightly more expensive but comfortable option is also to use one of the larger air conditioned coach companies. These buses go from Managua to the following destinations: Panama City - Panama , San Jose - Costa Rica , San Salvador - El Salvador , Tegucigalpa - Honduras, San Pedro Sula - Honduras , Guatemala City - Guatemala, Tapachula - Mexico.
Tica Bus : www.ticabus.com
Transnica : www.transnica.com
King Quality : www.king-qualityca.com
Booking seats in advance with these buses is highly recommended.
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We recommend renting a 4x4 as many of the roads leading to beaches and other activities are pretty adventurous. The majority of autos available for rent are with standard transmission. A good number of International rental car companies offer service at the Managua International Airport. Make sure to book your rental car ahead of time to ensure the vehicle of your choice, and always do your best to rent the most fuel efficient vehicle that will meet your travel needs.
Directions from Managua: Take Highway CA-1 South towards Rivas. The highway will pass through the following cities: Masaya, Catarina, San Juan de Oriente, Nandiame. Drive through Rivas and continue south. Follow the signs to San Juan del Sur.
Journey Times from Managua to other major cities in Nicaragua
Granada 1hr, Esteli 2hr 15mins, Matagalpa 1hr 45mins, Rivas 1hr 30mins
Alamo Nicaragua: http://www.alamonicaragua.com/
Avis: http://www.avis.com.ni/ Budget: www.budget.com
Dollar: www.dollar.com.ni Hertz: www.hertz.com.ni
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Getting around in San Juan del Sur is easy! If you’re going to hire a car to get to the beaches make sure it's a 4wd. Below lists all the car rental agencies, either in Managua or SJDS, as well as plenty of taxis & bus services.
Beach Shuttles
There are plenty of 4x4 beach shuttles in San Juan, all you have to do is go to any of the Surf Shops and they will help you organize one. This is the most popular way to get to the beach and it helps the locals.
Regular Taxis
You can find regular taxis situated in the centre of town at the cross-roads where the food market is. You can't miss them as they will most likely be calling out "Taxi! Taxi" or destination names to you as you walk past. They are great for local journey's and even trips out of town to Granada and such but we wouldn't recommend you use them to the beaches as you can quite ofte get stuck at the first river/hill/deep puddle, and end up walking!
Alamo Nicaragua: http://www.alamonicaragua.com/
Avis: http://www.avis.com.ni/ Budget: www.budget.com
Dollar: www.dollar.com.ni Hertz: www.hertz.com.ni
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If you're planning on venturing south to Costa Rica after your stay in San Juan del Sur your quickest option is to leave San Juan no later than 10am and grab yourself a 'Collectivo' (shared taxi) to the border, Penas Blancas (25 minutes from San Juan). It can be difficult to get a Collectivo taxi so you may wish to negotiate with the taxi drivers outside of the market at the cross roads. A taxi shoudn't cost you any more then $20 one way. A small price to pay if split between 4 people. Once at the border buses to San Jose leave approximately every 1 1/2 hrs. Try to get there as early as possible because if your final destination is San Jose, ideally you don't want to be arriving there after dark. The journey normally takes around 8 - 9 hours.
A second popular option although slightly more expensive is to head to the Tica Bus office in Rivas and get on a coach to San Jose there. This way you can relax a bit more as once you're on the bus they take care of you passport stamp and all you need to do is wait around and try some of the local snacks at the border. Booking seats in advance with Tica Bus is advisable.
Most buses to San Jose go via Liberia (1 hour from Penas Blancas), make sure to check though if this is your destination. From San Jose you can get connecting buses to everywhere you need to go.
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