Border crossing: Honduras to Nicaragua
If you're like most backpackers, you're probably just passing through Honduras either coming from Guatemala or El Salvador. Despite being a beautiful country, it has been rocked by political instability and drug cartel violence that unfortunately shows no sign of ending soon. For those coming from El Salvador and passing through Honduras, here is a guide to get you to León, Nicaragua.
Public bus or private shuttle?
Public bus: If you are coming from El Salvador, you will likely enter Honduras at the El Amatillo border crossing. From the Honduran side of the border, you can take a shuttle to the Honduras-Nicaragua border for $6 USD per person. The ride takes about 2 hours.
Get stamped out of Honduras and walk to Nicaragua immigration. You'll need to pay $12 USD and will receive a piece of paper that is your tourist card. Hang on to this! You may be asked for this when you leave Nicaragua.
Once you've passed through immigration in Nicaragua, walk about 5 minutes until you see a bus stop. From this bus stop you have two options to reach León. The first is to take a shuttle which will take you directly to León. It costs $2 USD per person and takes about 2.5 hours. However, the last bus leaves around 5 pm, so if you get here later, you'll have to take the regular bus to Chinandega for about $60 córdoba ($2 USD) per person, and the ride is about 1-2 hours. Then take a bus from Chinandega to León, which costs about $30 córdoba ($1 USD) per person and takes about 1 hour to 1.5 hours.
Total cost: $8-9 USD per person
Private shuttle: If you're coming from El Tunco, El Salvador and just passing through Honduras on your way to León, you can purchase a shuttle ticket from El Tunco Lodge for $30 USD per person, which picks you up at the hostel at 9 am and brings you directly to your hostel in León. Or, if starting at the El Salvador-Honduras border, take a shuttle for $6 USD per person, which brings you to the Honduras-Nicaragua border. Exit Honduras, enter Nicaragua, and grab a shuttle from the bus stop just down the road form Nicaragua immigration to León for $2 USD per person.
Total cost: $30 USD per person to go from El Tunco, El Salvador to León, Nicaragua via Honduras. Alternatively, it costs $8 USD per person to get from the El Salvador-Honduras border to León.
Border fees
There is a $3 USD fee to enter Honduras and no exit fee to leave. Upon entering Nicaragua, you must pay $12 USD for a tourist card.
Don't be thrown off by the statement on the back that says the tourist visa is only good for 30 days. We panicked a bit when we saw that, because we're spending six weeks in Nicaragua, so we emailed Nicaraguan immigration (this is also why you should always check these things when you're still at the border and not wait to read it until you get to your hostel). They responded that the papers are old and that we had 90 days to spend between any of the CA-4 countries (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua). Since we'd spent about five weeks in Guatemala, that left roughly six weeks remaining on our CA-4 visa to spend in Nicaragua.
Avoid future border issues
Make sure you get an entrance and exit stamp from Honduras. When you enter Nicaragua, you pay $12 USD for a tourist card. Nicaraguan immigration officials do not stamp your passport, just the tourist card, so make sure to keep this with you as you may be asked to return it upon leaving Nicaragua.