Bus travel guides
Guides by city
Pick your destination: each guide tells you which bus to take on every leg.
For students moving to Managua, León or Estelí who travel home at weekends.
Granada guides
Managua → Granada: UCA minibus or Huembes bus
Granada is one hour from Managua. The UCA minibus is the fastest and most comfortable way; the Huembes bus is cheaper and stops in Masaya.
How to get to Laguna de Apoyo
No bus goes down to the lake shore. Any bus between Granada and Masaya or Managua drops you at the entrance, and from there you go down by taxi, mototaxi or on foot.
Granada ↔ León by bus (via Managua)
There is no direct bus between Granada and León. You take two minibuses via UCA in Managua, about 3 hours in total, or a direct tourist shuttle.
Estelí guides
Estelí and the Miraflor reserve by bus
Estelí, the cigar city, is 2 h 30 from Managua by express bus. Miraflor, its cloud-forest reserve with farm homestays, is reached on a rural bus from the COTRAN Norte terminal.
Moving to Estelí to study
Estelí draws students from across the north. It has two terminals at opposite ends of town, so it pays to know which one you need before arriving with your suitcase.
León guides
Managua → León and León → Las Peñitas
León is 1 h 30 by minibus from UCA. The beaches of Poneloya and Las Peñitas are 30 minutes further on a bus that leaves from the Subtiava market.
Moving to León to study
León runs on university time. How to get there from Managua, Chinandega, Estelí or Matagalpa, where the bus drops you and how weekend trips home work.
Managua guides
From Managua airport to anywhere by bus
Augusto C. Sandino airport sits on the Carretera Norte, 15–25 minutes by taxi from the bus terminals. There are no tourist buses from the airport itself: the trick is a short taxi to the right terminal and the bus from there.
Moving to Managua to study from another department
Which terminal is closest to home, how to get from the terminal to the UCA area, and how to plan Friday and Sunday trips without missing the last bus.
Big Corn Island guides
Bluefields guides
Masaya guides
Moyogalpa (Ometepe island) guides
Peñas Blancas (Costa Rica border) guides
Popoyo (surf beach) guides
San Carlos (Río San Juan) guides
San Juan del Sur guides
Somoto guides
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