Shuttle Bus Antigua to Leon
backpacking Guatemala
If you are like us, boarder crossing days are usually filled with a sense of heightened alertness, excitement and a bit of anxiety! Honduras and El Salvador often make headlines for the wrong reasons and knowing you are heading into these countries sets those emotions into overdrive. So we are please to report getting from Guatemala to Nicaragua (or one of the countries in between) is not as scary as it may seem. We will talk you through our crossing below and let you know the tips to not get caught out (spoiler its to do with money).
The easiest way to do this is by shuttle bus simply pick your landing country book your ride and away you go. All hostels have shuttle contacts who are able to take your details we booked ours through Adra Hostel and did the whole journey from Antigua to Leon Nicaragua in one go, roughly 20 hours and around $60 USD per person, prepare for neck-ache! Starting at 5am you will be picked up from your hotel or hostel. As an estimate you should arrive in Leon around 6pm although I have not heard of anyone hitting the ETA and we arrived gone midnight!
As we write this post August 2023, we still need to mention corona virus, there are restrictions to prevent the spread of coronavirus we will also include general requirements from north to south.
Guatemala
No proof of vaccination required (but have it on you anyway)
You must keep to the social distancing rules
A mask is required in hospitals, medical clinics, vaccination centres, medical laboratories, nursing homes, prisons, and on public transportation.
You don’t need to provide proof of your vaccination status for entry into Guatemala.
Honduras
A negative test is not required
A mask is necessary and mandatory in public spaces
No proof of vaccination required (but have it on you anyway)
An entry fee of $3 USD will be payable keep the receipt until you leave the country and make sure your passport is stamped.
El Salvador
A negative test is not required
Masks in public places are not necessary however, mask usage remains considerably more widespread and may be expected in some contexts (for example in some meetings)
No proof of vaccination required (but have it on you anyway)
Tourist card may be required for $12 USD keep it with you.
Nicaragua
All corona virus restrictions have been dropped
$10 USD arrival tax, which should be paid in cash.
Exit taxes may be charged of up to $45 USD
Currency
The USD is your friend when crossing boarders in Central America, fortunately we crossed with some small USD notes and some larger ones also. It is a good idea to take these out ahead of time if you know you will be crossing these boarders as these will be invaluable. Make sure you break them as some boarder officers will claim they 'do not have change' which puts you in a tricky spot if you only have a 20 dollar note for a 3 dollar charge.
As a minimum try to take:
10 x 1 dollar bills
4 x 5 dollar bills
2 x 20 dollar bills
Total $70 USD in your pocket and you should be fine. If you have your money sorted ahead of the time the only other things you need to make sure you have are your passport and your backpacks.
The stamp in stamp out process is simple, your driver will guide you through and generally there is a group of you going through the process so you can bump your way through together. The bus doors are opened at each stop and are searched by customs officials, hold onto your receipts as you go through each boarder and its as easy as that. The toughest/ longest part is Nicaragua where you have to fill in customs forms before the bus driver takes each passport and goes into the customs office for you. The boarder closes early so your driver will have the Nicaragua boarder as a deadline in their mind. We just got through as the last vehicle before the boarder closed for the night. The bus driver was in the immigration terminal for over an hour but on his return he redistributed our passports and we crossed over into Nicaragua where Leon is roughly an hour down the road. After a 20 hour bus journey, a cold beer and hostel bed feel like heaven.
Shuttle Bus Antigua to Leon
Below, is a video from the morning after we landed in Leon. The white building behind is the Cathedral-Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary check out our Blueprint Coffee Break Special on this awesome building.
Now it seems silly to say but to get from Leon to Antigua ... the process is the same but in reverse, book a shuttle to where you want to go and jump onboard.
Green Travel
From a sustainability point of view I would endorse the shuttle, you are able to share the ride with multiple people and generally the shuttles are reasonably good on fuel economy. I am a big fan of a bus as you simply get to relax and watch the landscape change as a driver does the hard work.
You can fly from Guatemala city to Managua in Nicaragua but a direct flight will set you back around $600 although it is only 1hour 20 minutes! But you lose the scenic views of the Honduras and the El Salvador coastlines. If you do not do a direct flight you can get a cheaper flight but ironically they are often a similar time to the shuttle bus and your carbon footprint will be much greater. Regardless of what you choose to do, enjoy your trip, stay vigilant and look after yourself and your fellow travellers.
If you take this journey, please check your own requirements for visas. We write this article as British Passport holders and have used the British government guidelines for entry requirements to each country.
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