Road Adventures Nicaragua Costa Rica Crossing the Border

Crossing the border (frontera) from one country to another in Central America is relatively easy except going into Costa Rica. Without going through long border crossings you can drive the PanAmericanana Highway from Guatemala to Costa Rica all the way.

Costa Rica wanted to add to the uniqueness of their country not convenience.In Costa Rica if you are planning to travel by road they decided you needed another adventure.

This can take anywhere from a half hour to 2 hours +…

Driving your vehicle across becomes a little more complicated. If you have in mind taking another’s person vehicle-… You really do not want to drive it if at all possible.

For those who drive their vehicle, this list below will be helpful. In the case of not driving then just delelte those parts or items pertaining to vehicles.

Items required:

• a couple of pens - in case one gives up on you
• valid passport with current stamps
• valid exit visa stamp if you are a resident of Nicaragua but not a citizen
• valid exit documentation for your Nicaraguan vehicle should you be driving. With the local Officials it could at least take from a half a day to 2 days depending on your luck. The requirements are obtain from the Policia at the town where your vehicle is registered,.
• valid vehicle registration card - circulation
• proof of insurance for your vehicle
• cedula - should you be a resident
• valid drivers licence.
• 3 photocopies of your passport (main page), vehicle registration, insurance certificate, exit visa for your vehicle, cedula, (include front and back side of all documents that have printing or stamps)
• patience - generally more then usual - simply because you do not know what kind of adventure you are going to run into.
• a spare batch of patience just waiting for the real fun adventures you may have.
• a high dose of positive attitude and humor
• plenty of small denomination bills - Cordobas or dollars (US) on the Nicaraguan side and Calones or dollars (US) on the Costa Rica side. More often then not you get a better rate of exchange from the coyotes. But you have to know what you are doing. You would have to know the exchange rates in that case.

Normally it takes around 30 minutes to 1 hour. At the boarder,if the traffic is heavier it could take longer. Mostly equal time for each country.

Leaving Nicaragua:

First charge. Crossing the boarder for 4 people with a vehicle costs 80 Cordobas (about $4.00). Tax for the local town.   Based upon number of people in vehicle.

If you already have paid for the entrance into the boarder you must go to the offices where you obtain a free customs form.   This is in the building where you see all of the buses lined up in the center. To register where you have been, where you are going and where you are from….

make sure you have your Passport out and ready to fill the proper information out.   (most times the forms are generally bilingual both English and Spanish)

By the time you have the forms completed you then have to stand in line…

…Did I mention patience?

When the Migration officials stamp your passport and send you on your merry way. The price for Non-resident’s $5. Any time, this can changed,.

IF you are traveling with your own vehicle you must also go to another office on the Nicaragua side.

On the Nicaragua side you will obtain an inspection paper from the local inspector and if the Policia are close by, you are lucky because you can have them sign off on the inspection.

With the vehicle inspection form signed off by both the

• inspector and
• Policia

you then get to stand in line to have the migration officer check for

• properly signed vehicle inspection,
• the proper registration,
• insurance,
• exit papers for your vehicle, and
• driver’s license.

You go to the next line, by the time they approve, to wait and have the Policia check for the proper registration, insurance, exit papers for your vehicle, and driver’s license.

Before getting to the next stop which is the exit post; everthing has to be approved so that you receive a vehicle exit ticket.

Before continuing to the fumigation office, hand your exit ticket to the officer at the exit post. The price will be 60 Cordobas (approx). $4.00) and this for the spraying of your vehicle to disinfect it before going into Costa Rica.

Then, you drive to the Costa Rica boarder buildings and …

Join us for the rest of the adventure of crossing the border…Literally, it has saved hours to other motorists!

Best Beach Vacations

When you’re ready for a beach vacation, it can be tough to pick from among vacation destinations.You can go to the Caribbean, or Hawaii, or a spot closer to home.Take a look at this top 10 list, it can help you decide on where to go for your next vacation.

1.  Hawaii    If you live on the mainland, you can choose to put your frequent flier miles to good use and take a beach vacation on the island of Hawaii.You can get a vacation deals package and you can relax on the beach. Honeymoon vacations on the big Island would be wonderful. Hawaii has great weather.What a wonderful choice for your beach vacation.

2. Cape Cod    Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket are all surrounded by beautiful scenic beaches. There are beaches on the bay and ocean sides of the islands. Bayside beaches are typically much calmer than oceanside beaches. There are lots of Cape Cod hotels to consider.

3.  Wildwood     Wildwood Crest is a small shore resort community located at the southern end of New Jersey.Wildwood NJ has great beaches that are among the nicest in the US.S. They have thousands of hotel rooms. The boardwalk has amusements and piers with rides. There are many other interesting attractions in southern New Jersey.

4. Myrtle Beach     Myrtle Beach is one of the top domestic tourist destinations in the continental United States. Each year they get millions of visitors a year. Its a popular vacation destinations for millions of Americans. North Myrtle Beach will not disappoint you. Myrtle Beach has some great hotels. 

5. Florida Keys     The Florida Keys is the perfect tropical retreat with balmy weather and beautiful beaches. It is an archipelago with many tiny islands. The Florida Keys stretch 100 miles away from the mainland and Florida Keys hotels offer new experiences for both old and young alike. Florida Keys vacations start in Key West. The natural surroundings give the island a real tropical feel and smell.

6. Cocoa Beach     Cocoa Beach is an hour drive east of Orlando. Its on the beautiful Space Coast. It offers loads of recreation and relaxation. A beach vacation, a weekend getaway, or just a day at the beach, you’ll find everything you need in Cocoa Beach. One of the more affordable vacation spots in all of Florida is in and around Cocoa Beach. Besides offering the best of a beach vacation, you can go parasailing. You may also like to try a eco-tour to get up close with Florida’s wildlife.

7. Costa Rica     This can be the ideal tropical paradise for your Costa Rica vacations. You can enjoy watch whales and dolphins at play. The rainforest is a paradise for eco tourism. Its home to a wide variety of plants and animals. For an action-packed vacation why not try to surf, hike, go rafting, canopying, diving, deepwater fishing and snorkeling. There are affordable and more exclusive resorts for a costa rica vacation.

8. Bahamas    The Bahamas is a caribbean vacation choice many take each year. Kids will love the white sandy beaches. those seeking waves you will want to head to beaches on the eastern side of the island closest to the Atlantic. There are many ways to enjoy the warm waters off the shores of this beautiful island. The tough part would be choosing from the  bahamas vacation packages available.

9. Punta Cana    Punta Cana is on the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic. It has miles of white sand, coconut trees and many resorts. Tourists long ago discovered Punta Cana and Americans are now catching on. An affordable tropical getaway, most stay in all-inclusive resorts. A Punta Cana vacation packages may be just right for you.

10. Cozumel     Cozumel has beautiful beaches and an exotic location. A vacation package would be ideal for honeymooners. Enjoy breathtaking sunsets, moonlit walks on deserted beaches, and enjoy romantic candlelight dinners. You can go diving, deep-sea fishing, snorkeling, kayaking and more. Cozumel has a Caribbean flair. Be sure to book your Cozumel vacation packages early to avoid disappointment.

Costa Rica: Experience Pura Vida

Costa Rica is located in Central America. It’s part of the land mass which connects North America and South America. Costa Rica is bordered by Panama to the south, The Pacific Ocean to the west, Nicaragua to the north, and the Caribbean Sea is its eastern border.

Costa Rica has many miles of beaches- approximately 635 miles on the Pacific side, and 132 miles on the Caribbean side. Costa Rica is about 10 degrees above the equator, so the climate is mostly tropical.

Since Costa Rica seats between two oceans and two continents, it has a wide variety of plant and animal species. Some would consider Costa Rica to be one of Mother Nature’s greatest wonders. The country is defined as extremely bio-diverse, and is home to a huge number of plant and fauna species. Actually, the region has 8 biological reserves, 20 national parks, and many other protected areas, guaranteed to thrill the most devoted nature lover.

There are seven provinces in Costa Rica: Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia, Limon, Guanacaste, Puntarenas, and San Jose. The ecotourism focus is evident in all these areas, as you experience a wide variety of natural formations, including rainforests, mountains, beaches, rivers and volcanoes. In addition, you can see more than 2000 kinds of trees, 200 species of mammals, 800 kinds of ferns, and 1,000 kinds of orchids. Clearly, there are many things to do in Costa Rica.

Five percent of all known animals live in Costa Rica. In fact, the land bridge that Costa Rica sits on is thought to be responsible for the diversity of animals within the country, as some traveled down from North America, and some traveled up from South America.

And the natural charm doesn’t stop there. As mentioned previously, Costa Rica has several hundred miles of coastline- and where there is coastline, there are beaches. The edge of the country has hundreds of miles of beaches, with the ones on the Pacific side being more secret, less developed, and smaller than those on the Caribbean side. The inside of the land is determined by mountain ranges which lay from north to south. The country’s capital, San Jose, is in the center of Costa Rica, and sits within a mountain valley.

Due to the presence of beaches and mountains, Costa Rica has a unique geographic environment. It has seven active volcanoes, along with several dormant ones. It also has a large network of rivers, in addition to the beaches and mountains we’ve already covered.

Costa Rica really is a natural paradise. Due to its location, temperatures are constant throughout the year, varying only a few degrees through the seasons. Since it is a tropical country, days are usually hot, but the nights bring with them a cool tropical breeze.

If you want to experience lounging at the beach, hiking in the mountains, and getting up close with all kinds of animals and plant species, you won’t find a better place to do this than Costa Rica.

Was This The Inspiration For Jurassic Park?

Cocos Island is a small volcanic rock covered by a misty rain forest.  It is roughly rectangular in shape and about 9 sq. mi. in size.  It is located just over 300 miles off the coast of Costa Rica and has often been described as the most beautiful island in the world.  (actually, there are two different Cocos Islands, with the other one being in the Indian Ocean) Some say that it was inspiration for the Michael Crichton novel Jurassic Park.  Cocos is a Marine World Heritage Site.

The island was first discovered in the early 1500s and became legendary as a potential place where pirates hid their gold. There have been at least 300 expeditions that have searched for the gold, but nothing of significance was ever found.  It is considered uninhabited, but has two encampments of Costa Rican park rangers. 

Like many other interesting destinations in the world, tourists are allowed to visit the Cocos, however, they are not allowed to camp, stay overnight, or remove any plants or animals. It is very popular especially for its diving.  Some of the largest schools of hammerhead sharks in the world can be seen here, and there are many other types of fish of all sizes. 

Coco’s Island has officially been a part of Costa Rica since 1949. 

The most common route to the Cocos is to fly to San Jose, Costa Rica, and then take a 10 day boat trip, which needs to be prearranged.  Since the trip from the mainland to the island can take 36 hours one way, you only end up with seven days of diving.

The island is isolated and has a unique biological diversity.  This makes it ideal for doing research in regard to the evolution of local species, and the impact on the island of environmental factors. Despite its isolation, the island has been affected by man in that pigs, goats, and rats have been introduced.  The reason for the pigs and goats was to allow them to breed and provide fresh meat the next time sailors showed up. Rats were unintended, but always seem to show up where ever humans do.