Nicaragua to La Fortuna by public transport | Costa Rica - A Backpacker’s Guide
The public transport route from Nicaragua to La Fortuna, Costa Rica is a long one and immigration can take a while. In total it took me almost 9 hours. So it is best to start the journey as early as possible.
Step 1: Rivas to Peñas Blancas
Arrive at Rivas bus station from your origin point in Nicaragua. Most towns have a direct bus to Rivas so this should be fairly straightforward. The station you will be dropped off at is "Terminal de Buses de Rivas" and the next bus is from the same place. It will have Peñas Blancas written on the front and/or back of it but people will also be yelling La Frontera.
When I did this journey it was packed and taxi drivers were coming up to me saying the buses were full and they could take me instead. Politely decline as this is not the case. The first bus I tried to get on was full but another pulled in 10 seconds later and I squeezed on there. It cost me C$50.
Step 2: Leave Nicaragua
They will drop you in a car park with lots of other buses from there you follow the road down to the building labelled "Terminal de Pasajeros". There’s also a lot of signs saying salida de Nicaragua leading up to the building. There’s a $1 fee as you enter the building and then a $3 exit fee. You have to pay these in USD not cordobas so make sure you have some with you. After getting your passport stamped they will scan your bags and you exit the building.
Step 3: Enter Costa Rica
After you leave Nicaragua keep following the road along and you will end up seeing the immigration building for Costa Rica. The last currency exchange people are on the road just before this and it’s best if you have colones for the next buses so it is good to switch some cash if you can. Go through immigration and get your passport stamped. They’ll ask for your exit flight as part of the entry requirements. There are no fees during this process.
Step 4: The Border to Liberia
After you leave the building keep walking and on the right you will see a fence with buses behind it. Go through to the other side of the fence and there will be a regular looking bus rather than a coach, check with the driver it’s heading to Liberia but it should be and there will also be a queue of people waiting for it. This bus cost me ₡2000.
Step 5: Liberia to Cañas
I arrived at about 1:20pm and jumped on the 1:30 bus to Cañas. They leave from the same station so when I got on the bus to Liberia the bus to Cañas was there waiting just to the left of my bus. There was a sign in the front window saying the destination but I checked with the driver to be sure. This one cost ₡1825. This bus should be every 30 mins and the Google maps point for this bus stop is “Terminal de Buses Municipal de Liberia”.
Step 6: Cañas to Tilarán
The bus from Cañas dropped me off a block from a bus stop labelled “Parada de Autobús Cañas - Tilaran” on Google maps. The driver pointed the bus out to me and I jumped straight on with the driver leaving a few mins later. Again double check with the driver it is heading for Tilarán but it was also say Tilarán inside the bus. This one cost ₡565. This bus should be every hour on the hour, however, mine left around 2:50pm so this may not always be exact but it will leave from this stop.
Step 7: Tilarán to La Fortuna
The Tilarán bus will drop you off out the back of the church Catedral San Antonio de Padua. This is a temporary bus stop while they are doing some repairs on the proper one. The bus to La Fortuna leaves from here so you don’t need to move. When the regular bus stop is in operation it is called "Parada de buses Tilarán".
This bus is a coach and will read Quesada on the front but it stops in La Fortuna on its way. Again double check with the driver. The last bus leaves at 3:30pm and I got in to Tilarán at 3:20pm. The La Fortuna bus pulled in just after I arrived but the driver had a break so we actually left closer to 3:45pm. It cost ₡3300 and drops you in La Fortuna town at “Terminal de autobuses La Fortuna” which is a short walk to any of the hostels.
This route is current as of April 2024 and should also work in reverse.
For the bus timetable in the opposite direction see:
The home for unique & authentic travel
