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Nicaragua - Costa Rica border crossings?? Nicaragua - Costa Rica border crossings??
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  #1  
Old 22 Nov 2010
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Exclamation Nicaragua - Costa Rica border crossings??
Folks, if any of ye know of the border crossings between Nicaragua and Costa Rica, I could really do with a quick answer to this. Basically, I need to know if it's possible to cross between San Carlos (on Lago Nicaragua), and Los Chiles, on the Costa Rican side. I had made a plan to take this crossing, but just read in my guidebook that it's a river crossing, in small little crappy boats. Not for bikes. It says there is a road between the two, but you need special permission to use this. I'm guessing it's military or something of that nature. Anyway, the ferry on Lago Nicaragua to San Carlos goes tomorrow, and there's not another one for a few days, so I need to find out ASAP if it's possible to cross this border (as in get permission to use the road), or I won't take that ferry. I don't have time to take the long road around to San Carlos, or take it back if I can't use that border crossing.
Has anyone taken this route at all? Any info would be much appreciated!
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Old 22 Nov 2010
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The short answer is yes.

Someone crossed at San Carlos on a Dakar coming south from Nicaragua last month and posted on either this site or ADVriders.com in the latin america section. His only problem was getting the mandatory Costa Rica insurance. He had to leave his bike at the Costa Rica border and take a bus to get insurance in a town south of Los Chiles I seem to recall, since they didn't sell insurance at the border shack or in Los Chiles. He came around the lake instead of taking the ferry across the lake and said it was no problem. He just mentioned a ferry across one river. No canoes or anything.

I have been to that border crossing to check it out when I was riding around northern Costa Rica a few years ago, and the laid back border guards at the migracion shack said I couldn't go check out San Carlos and Lago Nicaragua on a rental bike so I turned around and rode back south. It was a decent gravel road and the border guards said that the road to San Carlos was just a few kilometers over the hill and down to the lake. It is a really remote outpost in the middle of nowhere. My kind of border crossing. Have fun!

P.S. found the link: Board Crossing In Costa Rica. - ADVrider
his post is at the bottom with the deets.

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John Downs
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Old 22 Nov 2010
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Wow, full marks to you there John, fair play. I had already wrote off this route, didn't think I'd get any answer back in time to catch that ferry tomorrow, but there you go, ask and you shall receive. It is exactly my sort of border crossing as well, and it will keep me away from that truck infested Pan-Am, so all good. I will put a posting up of my experience of the crossing when I'm done.
Cheers again!!!!!
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Old 31 Jan 2011
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please post, I am taking this border as well, especially want to knoow about the insurance hassle
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Old 31 Jan 2011
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What would you like to know about the insurance? I crossed that way this last Fall. Not really a hassle, everything went smooth just had to take a nice bus ride to get the insurance.
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Old 3 Feb 2011
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No bus rides needed for insurance. The compulsory insurance for Nicaragua and for Costa rica is sold right at the border terminals and they will gladly point you to the sales clerk. Price is good.No entry allowed without it.
Same for Belize .And now Panama too has joined the enlightened countries who sell the liability insurance to travellers at the border as a condition for entry.Just make it a point to show up early in the day so you do not run into the case where the insurance seller may have decided to call it a day
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