Bus Routes and Prices from Matagalpa

Las Peñitas: Nicaragua's Northern Coastline

Just 3 hours southeast of Matagalpa lies the sleepy beach town of Las Peñitas. Far from the crowds, noise, and general party scene of the more well-known San Juan del Sur to the south, Las Peñitas offers another type of beach excursion that is no less amazing.

Because it is not as well known as San Juan del Sur, the prices at hotels and restaurants are cheaper, the beaches are cleaner and less crowded, and you don’t have to worry about vendors coming up to you every 5 minutes selling hammocks or sunglasses. 

In fact, you don’t have to worry about anyone selling anything to you… at any time. Because of its relatively undiscoveredness (is that a word?),  this is not your typical beach town where you would expect to find surf shops on every corner selling any number of beach-related necessities like towels or sunscreen. Forget about that idea right now. There is one mini-mart-esque store ( they are called pulperias in Nicaragua) that will sell you snacks and water, but that’s about it. 

Bottom Line: Bring everything you need. That means towel, sunblock, bathing suit, extra bathing suit in case your bottoms get carried away after you bite it on a particularly gnarly wave, flip flops, shampoo, floss, sunglasses, etc. Las Peñitas has everything you could ever want, but nothing that you need when your contact falls out of your eye.

In short, Las Peñitas really doesn’t know what it has. This is a one-street town where every other beach-facing house is either abandoned or in disrepair. There are a handful of hostels and hotels that cater to tourists, but it’s easy to mistake many of them as closed from the street. 

That being said, don’t judge a book by its cover. Just take one stroll along the beach and you will be in awe of its pristine coastline dotted with palm trees to one side, and rock formations jutting out of the water on the other. Several surf shops line the beach offering board rentals and lessons as well – Another secret: Las Peñitas offers up waves just as good as SJDS.

Several hotels and hostels here are situated right on the beach, meaning you can literally roll out of bed, walk out your door, and have your toes in the sand to enjoy a $2 breakfast piña colada in less than 30 seconds. Not bad for between $20-$35 a night for a private room, right?

So now that you are extremely excited to go, here are some tips on how to make it happen:

• The chicken bus to Leon leaves Matagalpa at 6am sharp. Get up early. Sleep on the bus. It’s worth it.
• Once you arrive to Leon, take a taxi to the Sutiyaba Bus Station. This should run you about 30c per person. On the corner of the bus station, you will catch another chicken bus bound for Poneloya and Las Peñitas. Hop on. This leg will cost you 13c pp.
• The chicken bus will first take you to Poneloya, then turn around and head for Las Peñitas. Again, this town is only one street, about 2km long so you can’t get lost. Just ask someone on the bus, or look out the RIGHT-BEACH-FACING- WINDOW to see where your hotel is.
  
• It is a good idea to book your accommodations prior to leaving Matagalpa. We recommend Playa Roca ($7/dorm, $20/semi-private room, $35/private room with a/c per night). This place is amazing and RIGHT ON THE BEACH.
• Most places don’t offer refrigerators, so you will most likely be eating all of your meals out. We recommend Barca de Oro. This place is also an awesome hotel, if you find that Playa Roca is booked. They have the best fish tacos you have ever had in your life. Their ambiance is awesome, and they are affordable (around 80c-120c for a meal) They are located at the very end of the bus route. You can’t miss it.
  
• Again – Pack smart. Don’t forget your towel! If you are planning on staying in a dorm, don’t forget to bring a good lock.
• There are no ATMs in Las Peñitas so get money out before you leave Matagalpa or Leon. Most hotels and restaurants take credit cards, and will keep a tab for you for food and drinks,  but have some cash handy – especially to get back. 
• Getting back: The chicken bus comes through town every hour and blasts its horn to let you know it’s on its way. The last bus to Leon is at 6:40.
• The last chicken bus from Leon to Matagalpa is at 2:45. You can catch it at the main bus station. Be aware that since this is an Express Bus, you will need to buy your ticket before you board. We suggest you get to the bus station no later than 30 minutes before your bus is scheduled to depart. Buy your ticket from the driver as you get on the bus - you will be given a ticket with an assigned seat.

Now all that’s left to do is plan your journey! And above all, for the love of God, don’t forget your towel.

Delicious Fruit in Nicaragua!

The most noteworthy food in Nicaragua is the tropical fruit. In the south more than the north, you'll find a huge array of options that change with the season. If you’re there at the right time, you can enjoy exotic fruits for a steal of deal! 

I'm talking about buying a bag of sliced, fresh mango for 10 cordobas (around 40 cents) or giant papayas the size of your leg for two dollars. 

One of the more unique fruits, dragon fruit, is sold in baskets on the street. It's mildly sweet and juicy. The fruit inside is soft with black seeds that you can eat. Beware of the juice it will stain anything it touches. You’re lips are no exception!. They will be pink by the time you’re done eating. 

Mamónes come in two varieties, small circular green seeds on a stick or bigger red, spiky ones that are sold individually. 

The red ones have a harder shell so you’ll need to use a knife to cut it. Then you can eat the pulp around the seed. 






Mamón means sucker in Spanish, which is an appropriate description for how to eat this fruit. 

To eat the green mamónes you can push your fingernail through the outer shell and then pop the whole fruity seed in your mouth. Suck the soft pulp off the seed and then spit the seed out. 

Year around you'll find bushels of bananas and plantains. Fun fact...In the lower altitudes farmers use banana plants to provide shade for their coffee plants. These shade-grown coffee beans are some of the best tasting crops in Nicaragua!

Food in Nicaragua!!

One of the things travelers worry about the most when they’re away from home is FOOD! Will I like the food? Will I know what is in my food? What if I’m just in the mood for some comfort food, will I be able to find it?

In our experience the food in Nicaragua is fairly tame. Nothing too spicy! Unless you're brave enough to use the bottle of red salsa that can be commonly found on the table in restaurants! It’s up to you if you trust what’s in that plastic bottle on the table. We always stayed away from it! :-) 

In fact it’s a lot of fast food and fried food. If you like pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken you’ll be just fine! 

As far as traditional food goes, the dish you’ll encounter daily is gallo pinto, pinto beans usually served with white rice.

For breakfast they serve gallo pinto with a fried egg, tortilla and a piece of cheese. Commonly for lunch chicken is served with gallo pinto, cabbage salad and fried plantains.

You’ll see women cooking corn tortillas on flat grills on the street. These are great and very filling! Usually the same lady will sell boiled corn on the cob as well. Nothing like corn with corn for a meal!

Enchiladas and tamales are served wrapped in banana leaves. The tamales are usually just plain cornmeal, nothing fancy, but you can add them to cheese or fresh avocado and you have a meal. 

The enchiladas are not what you expect. They are more like a fried empanada filled with flavored rice. The tacos in Nicaragua will not be what you expect, they are more like fried taquitos with shredded meat inside.  


 



Be prepared for most food to be served in plastic bags. Bags of pinto beans, bags of pastries and bags of fruit. Nicaragua has a small obsession with plastic bags. Even serving drinks in plastic bags with a straw. Not environmentally friendly, but                   convenient. 

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Traveling from Leon to San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua in one day!

If you’re in a hurry or just over having the cultural experience of the slow, crowded travel on a chicken bus, you’re in luck!! There are shuttle companies that offer travel between all the major cities in Nicaragua. They’re a little more expensive, however completely worth it if you identify with the first sentence of this blog. 

You can find these shuttles advertised in hostels, tour companies, and sometimes just on the street on handwritten pieces of paper. All the shuttles we saw left around 9:00am. 

The prices and times we found:

Leon to the airport in Managua $12.00 2 hours driving time

Leon to Granada $12.00 3 hours driving time

Leon to San Jorge Ferry in Rivas $21.00 4 hours driving time

Leon to San Juan del Sur $21.00 5 hours driving time

There was just one shuttle that dropped passengers off at all the stops along the way. It’s like a mini tour of the country! In Granada the shuttle went to each person’s hotel and dropped them off. We also stopped in Granada for 15 minutes at a smoothie shop to go to the bathroom and buy something to eat. Before we left Granada, we picked up passengers that were traveling south to Rivas or San Juan del Sur. 

In our experience, we were picked up in Leon at our hostel at 9am. Our bags were thrown on top of the van and strapped down for the ride. After all the stops, 6 1/2 hours later, we were dropped off at our hostel in San Juan del Sur. It was still an incredibly long travel day, but I have to say I was able to relax knowing that my belongings and myself were safe the entire time. For that security and the ability to stay in one vehicle the entire way, I would say it was totally worth the price. 

If you’re also trying to get from the north to the south of Nicaragua in one day, you can do it on the chicken buses. Just be prepared for a lot of transfers and you won’t know ahead of time if the bus connection will work out. Remember that most cities have more than one bus station and they are usually separated by busses going north and busses going south. You may have to take a taxi to another bus station to catch your next bus. 

Good luck and safe travels! 
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How to get to the Costa Rica Airport from San Jose

A taxi from downtown San Jose to the airport will cost you about $25 dollars. If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative, take the bus! They run several times per hour. 

The bus station to look for in San Jose is called TUASA. It’s one block south of Avenida Central on Calle Tomás Guardía, however we were never able to find that street name anywhere but on a map. The bus station is located where Avenida Central turns into Paseo Colón, those two streets you’ll be able to find easily. 

The ride will cost you 520 colones or about $1.00 and it will take 30 minutes without traffic. The bus stop is right in front of the airport so don’t worry about knowing when to get off, you’ll see it! Safe Travels!

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