If you’re staying in northern Guanacaste and are interested in visiting another country, the Nicaragua one day tour from Costa Rica is perfect for you. It takes you to the highlights of Nicaragua such as Masaya, Granada, Masaya Volcano National Park and Laguna de Apoyo. The tour is an excellent way to see a bit of Nicaragua especially if you don’t plan on taking a dedicated visit to the country.
Read more about the Nicaragua one day tour in this article and if you want to do this tour, we have an exclusive Mytanfeet discount! Get $10 USD off the tour!
**The Costa Rica land borders between Nicaragua and Panama have opened on April 5, 2021 but unfortunately the 1 day tour with our tour partner has not. We will update this post when it has.
Nicaragua One Day Tour from Costa Rica FAQ
When Does This Tour Operate?
This tour runs nearly every day with few exceptions during extremely busy times of the year (Christmas/New Years and Easter). They aren’t able to run the tour during these times because the border is extremely busy and sometimes can take the whole day to cross. We will let you know what days the tour is not running if you are inquiring about those dates.
Who Operates the Tour?
It is operated by Plus Papagayo, the only tour company that runs this tour every day.
What Is Included In the Tour?
The Nicaragua one day tour from Costa Rica includes breakfast, lunch, border fees, a bilingual guide, entrance fees, pick up and drop off and water.
How Much Is the Deposit and How Do I Know My Tour is Confirmed?
The deposit is $20 USD from Coco/Hermosa/Panama/Riu Guanacaste/Liberia/Dreams Las Mareas/La Cruz and $30 from Tamarindo/Flamingo/Conchal/Brasilito/JW Marriott/Portrero.
When you fill out the form, you will automatically be taken to Paypal in order to send the deposit. We will also send you an email with all details and send you a confirmation email once the tour is reserved.
How Long Is the Tour?
Depending on your location, pickup is usually around 4:30 AM – 6 AM. Depending on how long the border takes, you will return around 8 – 10 PM.
What Do I Need to Bring?
Please being your original passport, a printed ticket out of Costa Rica (a screenshot on your phone works too if you don’t have a paper copy), comfortable shoes and clothes, a rain jacket during rainy season, a day bag and camera.
We also highly recommend buying/bringing snacks. The tour includes breakfast and lunch but not dinner. Sometimes the border returning to Costa Rica may take awhile so it is best to bring something to munch on as the tour doesn’t make any stops for food in the evening except the border. The tour company includes water.
You can buy snacks at the border, Masaya market or Granada.
Does Nicaragua Take USD?
Yes. If you want to do some souvenir shopping, bring small USD. They will give you your change back in cordobas, the Nicaraguan currency. If you want your change back in USD, you have to ask.
Do I Need a Visa to Nicaragua?
United States and Canada do not need a visa. Please check the Nicaragua embassy website for your passport country to see if you need a visa. You will be responsible for checking if your passport needs a visa to Nicaragua and if so, for any extra visa fees.
Can I Do the Nicaragua One Day Tour From San Jose?
No. This tour only picks up in northern Guanacaste, the furthest they go is Tamarindo/JW Marriott Guanacaste.
San Jose to the Nicaraguan border is a 6-7 hour drive, so it is much too far. If you’d like to do the tour, the best option is to travel to Liberia and get picked up from there.
Kay says
Hi there:
A group of us are visiting and staying at the Pacifico Condo in Coco . We are looking to go on the one day tour to Nicaragua with 3 adults and 2 toddlers age 2 years old and 3years old. We wanted to find out if there is a pick up where the condo is located as we have the toddlers travelling with us. ? Please let us know if there is pick at the Pacifico Condo in Coco or a pick very close by within walking distance.
Also we are looking to do the tour on the week of October 7th 2019. Do we need to book in advance and are there daily trips with open spots in that week.
Thanks in advance
Kay
Sammi says
Hello Kay! The tour company can pick you up at the gate of Pacifico Condos so you just need to go from your condo to the main gate.
They run this tour everyday with a minimum of 2 people so for sure they can book it for your group, you can wait and see the dates if you’re not sure and book it a day or two before.
Matt says
Is there a discounted rate for children? My daughter is 2 and my son is 7 months. Thanks!
Jai says
Hello:
we are staying in Samara (Azura), do they pick up there?> we will be there June 25 to July 2nd.
Sammi says
Hi Jai, no Samara it is much too far for the Nicaragua 1 day tour. The furthest south they go is Tamarindo/Hacienda Pinilla.
Christopher Naldo says
Hello, we will be staying at the Margaritaville Resort, will pickup be available for us for this tour?
Sammi says
Yes! 🙂
Shannon Cormier says
Going to CR in a few weeks, is tours to Nicaragua safe?
Sammi says
Hi Shannon, the tour company started running the day tour again several months ago and we actually just went on Sunday and it was very nice! The political unrest has died down a lot and tourists are going back to Nicaragua. We felt safe the entire time and had a great day.
Laura says
Is there a tour on March 29th 2019? 2 adults 2 kids. From CoCo/Hermosa area?
What is the current itinerary for Nicaragua?
Thank you
Sammi says
Hi Laura, the tour company we work with runs this tour everyday so there is on March 29th. You can read what the itinerary is like here: Nicaragua one day tour from Costa Rica
cory says
do you pick up from this hotel:
Occidental Papagayo – Adults only
Blvd. Playa Hermosa 800mts al norte , 48-5000 ,
Golfo de Papagayo , Guanacaste , Costa Rica
Golfo Papagayo, Costa Rica
Sammi says
Hi Cory, yes! The price from the Occidental is $140 per person, $130 with our discount. You can select the Coco location and write in the comment section Occidental Papagayo as your hotel.
Darlene says
Do you pick up at Best Western Tamarindo Vista Villas on Guanacaste Beach? And what day is the tour? There will be 6 of us.
Sammi says
Hi Darlene! Yes they do! They run this tour every day 🙂
V.H. says
Hi, does the company run tour on or around 16 December 2018?
Sammi says
Hi, the tour company has been running the tour every day!
Sabrina Aloe says
Hi Sammi – just wondering if you could give an update on this tour after the Independence Day tour that went on.
I’ll be in Costa Rica, Ocotal on Nov 25th and am interested.
Thank you!
Sammi says
Hi Sabrina, the tour company has resumed operations for now. Although things may change until Nov 25, they are running it and if things get worse, the tour company will cancel it. My recommendation is to check again when the time is a bit closer to make sure things are running normally.