Booking choice: The Nicaragua Full Day Tour, from $230 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
Guanacaste, in northwest Costa Rica, is close enough to the Nicaraguan border that several operators run same-day tours across it. They all promise the same thing: a second country, Masaya Volcano and Granada, with the border handled for you.
What the listings say less loudly is how long the day is. This guide covers both sides, using the live Viator listings and hundreds of guest reviews.
The quick answer
Yes, if you accept a very long day. The most reviewed tour runs about 15 hours, with pickups from 4:00 AM, two border crossings and short stops outside Granada, for $230 per person including meals and fees. Guests who loved it call it the highlight of their trip; the complaints are almost all about time in the van.
Can you really visit Nicaragua in one day from Costa Rica?
Yes: tours leave Guanacaste before dawn, cross the land border at Peñas Blancas, visit Masaya and Granada, and bring you back the same night.
You do not need a car or your own plan for the border. Guides walk you through both immigration posts, and on most tours the fees, breakfast and lunch are included.
Ready to pick a date? The most reviewed tour includes pickup, border help and both meals.
Check dates for the Nicaragua Full Day TourHow long is the day?
About 15 hours on the most reviewed tour, and 9 to 12 hours on the tour that starts in Liberia.
Pickups on the flagship tour run from about 4:00 AM near Tamarindo to 6:00 AM in Liberia. One guest was back in Tamarindo at 10 PM; another, on the Playas del Coco tour, left at 5 AM and was back at 9 PM. The closer you stay to the border, the shorter your day.
What do you see in Nicaragua?
Breakfast by Lake Nicaragua, the Catarina viewpoint over Laguna de Apoyo, the active crater at Masaya Volcano, colonial Granada, and on the flagship tour a boat ride among the lake's islets.
Granada gets the most time, about two and a half hours on the flagship itinerary. The crater stop is short, around 15 minutes. Read Masaya Volcano and Granada in a day for each stop.
How much does it cost?
From $220 to $260 per person for the shared and private tours listed on this site, with $230 for the most reviewed one.
Check what is in the price: most tours include fees and both meals, but the cheapest small-group day lists only its vehicle. Children pay the full adult rate on the flagship tour. See every tour compared.
The classic: pickup across Guanacaste, breakfast, lunch, park and border fees, and the islet boat ride.
Explore the Nicaragua Full Day TourWhat do guests love about it?
The guides, the feeling of seeing a different country and culture, Granada, and the volcano.
Reviewers repeatedly name their guides, praise the help at immigration, and say the breakfast and lunch were good. Several call it the highlight of their Costa Rica trip, and one noticed how much more affordable Nicaragua felt than Costa Rica.
What do guests complain about?
Time: the drive, the border queue and short stops.
- One guest called it "a LOT in one day" and felt rushed.
- One had about 20 minutes at a market and lookout, and paid to use the bathroom there.
- Another said the horse carriage in Granada was an unexpected $10 per person.
- In rain, one group's boat ride skipped the island stops.
- One guest learned on the day that a companion needed a visa.
Who should skip it?
Anyone who hates long drives, families with small children, travelers without the right passport or visa, and anyone uneasy about the official travel advice.
The US State Department rates Nicaragua Level 3, "Reconsider travel". Read what the official advice says before you book. If you want Granada at an easy pace, an overnight trip suits you better than a day tour.
Which tour should you book?
Pick by where you are staying: the flagship from the beach towns, the expedition if you are in Liberia, the Costour day for a smaller group from Playas del Coco.
All three cancel free up to 24 hours before. If you are already in Granada, the half day from Granada skips the border altogether.
Staying near Liberia? The expedition starts at 6 AM there and runs 9 to 12 hours.
Check dates for the Liberia expeditionFrequently asked questions
Is a Nicaragua day trip from Costa Rica worth it?
For most guests, yes: the most reviewed tour rates 4.6 from 609 reviews. Go in expecting a very long day with short stops, and it is a memorable one.
What time do Nicaragua day tours leave?
Pickups on the most reviewed tour run from about 4:00 AM in the Tamarindo area to 6:00 AM in Liberia; the operator sends the exact time the day before.
Can I go to Nicaragua from Costa Rica without a tour?
Yes, independent travelers cross at Peñas Blancas too, but a same-day round trip on your own is hard to time. The tours handle transport on both sides and help at immigration.
Ready to book
Choose your day
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option here. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Nicaragua Full Day Tour from Costa Rica
- Hotel, condo or house pickup from Tamarindo to Liberia (some resorts pay an extra fee)
- Breakfast, lunch and bottled water
- All taxes, fees and handling charges, plus national park fees
Nicaragua One Day Expedition from Liberia
- Meet at Plaza Santa Rosa mall, Liberia, at 6:00 AM (free pickup inside Liberia)
- Breakfast and lunch; transport on both sides of the border
- Bilingual guide; all taxes, fees and border charges
Day Trip to Granada from Playas del Coco
- Hotel pickup and drop-off, 5:00 AM start
- Driver-guide and an air-conditioned vehicle
- Breakfast and lunch
