From Guatemala, Nicaragua is either one long day in a shuttle to León or two Tica Bus tickets with a night in San Salvador. This page lines up both, in both directions, with the border taxes each operator lists. The full Tica Bus network, terminals and conditions are on our Tica Bus page; this page uses only the legs that reach Nicaragua.
Quick summary
- To León: Adrenalina Tours runs a daily 02:30 door-to-door shuttle from Antigua to hotels in the centre of León: US$95, stated at 18 hours (checked October 9, 2026). Out of stock in the booking widget that day.
- To Nicaragua on Tica Bus: two tickets. Guatemala City to San Salvador ($20 or $35), then El Salvador to Nicaragua ($55, leaves 12:30 a.m., arrives 2:00 p.m.). Total US$75-90.
- Borders on the bus route: Valle Nuevo / Las Chinamas into El Salvador, then El Amatillo and El Guasaule through Honduras into Nicaragua.
- Taxes listed by Tica Bus: Guatemala none; Honduras $3 entry; Nicaragua $14 entry and $4 exit ($1 / $1 for CA-4 nationals).
- Coming back: León to Antigua Monday to Saturday at 03:30 (ask Adrenalina), or Tica Bus Nicaragua to El Salvador at 2:00 a.m. daily.
Shuttle or bus: the comparison
Prices as published on October 9, 2026, in US dollars.
| Adrenalina Tours shuttle | Tica Bus, two tickets | |
|---|---|---|
| From | Your hotel or address (Antigua) | Guatemala (terminal address on our Tica Bus page) |
| To | Hotels in the centre of León | Nicaragua, as labelled in the timetable |
| Departs | 02:30, daily | Leg 1: 05:30, 06:30, 2:00 p.m. or 4:30 p.m. (weekdays). Leg 2: 12:30 a.m. daily |
| Time | 18 hours (stated) | Leg 1: 6 hours by the timetable. Leg 2: 12:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. |
| Price | US$95 (out of stock on October 9, 2026) | $20 or $35 + $55 = US$75-90 |
| Booking | Reserve 48 hours ahead | Fares quoted for online purchase only |
| Luggage | One big bag + one handbag; 10 USD per extra bag | See the Tica Bus page |
The Antigua to León shuttle
From Adrenalina Tours’ product page, read October 9, 2026:
- Availability: daily; departure 02:30 AM.
- Door to door: yes. Pick-up at your hotel or address; drop-off at hotels in the centre of León.
- Duration: 18 hours.
- Price: 95 USD per person.
- Booking: “The shuttle services need to be reserved 48 hours in advance”.
- Status on the read date: the booking widget showed Out of stock.
The page does not name the border crossings the shuttle uses, and the product is sold as Antigua to León, with no Guatemala City pick-up listed.
Tica Bus to Nicaragua, leg by leg
Tica Bus does not run Guatemala to Nicaragua as one service. From Guatemala City it sells San Salvador, and from El Salvador it sells Nicaragua. The legs below come from its timetable page; it adds that “Las tarifas indicadas son exclusivamente para la compra en línea” (fares apply to online purchase only) and that arrival times are approximate.
Leg 1: Guatemala to El Salvador (border: Valle Nuevo y Las Chinamas)
| Departs | Arrives | Fare | Days | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05:30 a.m. | 11:30 a.m. | $35,00 | Daily | Servicio Diamante |
| 06:30 a.m. | 12:30 p.m. | $20,00 | Daily | |
| 02:00 p.m. | 08:00 p.m. | $35,00 | Daily | Servicio Diamante |
| 04:30 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | $20,00 | Monday to Friday |
Leg 2: El Salvador to Nicaragua (borders: El Amatillo / El Guasaule)
| Departs | Arrives | Fare | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:30 a.m. | 02:00 p.m. | $55,00 | Daily |
On those clock times, a 2:00 p.m. departure from Guatemala City is in San Salvador at 8:00 p.m., four and a half hours before the 12:30 a.m. Nicaragua departure. The timetable labels the destination of this leg only as Nicaragua; the Managua terminal address and Tica Bus’s transit-hotel notes are on our Tica Bus page, and the San Salvador options on Guatemala City to San Salvador.
The borders and what each costs
The bus route crosses three borders: Guatemala to El Salvador, El Salvador to Honduras at El Amatillo, and Honduras to Nicaragua at El Guasaule. El Salvador’s migration service lists both Las Chinamas and El Amatillo as open 24/7.
Tica Bus’s migration-requirements page, read October 9, 2026, lists these taxes. They are a bus operator’s summary, not a government tariff:
| Country | Entry | Exit | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guatemala | None | None | “Para ingresar y salir de Guatemala no hay pago de impuestos.” |
| Honduras | $3 USD | Not listed | Applies to all nationalities |
| Nicaragua | $14 USD | $4 USD | CA-4 nationals: $1 USD entry, $1 USD exit |
Other Nicaragua rules on the same page:
- Passport: at least 6 months of validity for a stay of up to 90 days; CA-4 nationals may travel on a national ID card (DNI, DPI) instead.
- Pre-check at El Guasaule: “Si va a ingresar a Nicaragua por la frontera El Guasaule, se le solicitará llenar prechequeo.” Entering through El Guasaule, you will be asked to fill in a pre-check form.
- Customs form: a regional traveller declaration, available at the terminal on the day or at the border.
- Banned items: “Nicaragua no permite el ingreso de binoculares, cámaras profesionales, drones, controles y baterías para drones y objetos punzocortantes” (binoculars, professional cameras, drones and their controllers and batteries, and sharp objects).
The crossings into El Salvador are compared on El Salvador border crossings. How a trip through the CA-4 countries counts against your Guatemalan stay is on the CA-4 border run guide.
Coming back: Nicaragua to Guatemala
- León to Antigua by shuttle: Adrenalina’s León page says “Ask for Leon, Nicaragua to Antigua Guatemala: Monday to saturday at 03:30 Hrs”. It is a request, not a bookable product on that page.
- Tica Bus, Nicaragua to El Salvador (El Guasaule / El Amatillo):
| Departs | Arrives | Fare | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02:00 a.m. | 05:00 p.m. | $55,00 | Daily |
| 12:30 p.m. (through service from Costa Rica) | 02:00 a.m. next day | $63.00 | Monday, Thursday, Saturday |
- Tica Bus, El Salvador to Guatemala (Las Chinamas / Valle Nuevo): 05:30 a.m. ($35,00, daily, Servicio Diamante), 07:00 a.m. ($20,00, Monday to Friday), 02:00 p.m. ($35,00, daily, Servicio Diamante) and 05:00 p.m. ($20,00, daily).
Sources
- Adrenalina Tours, Shuttle Antigua to Leon, Nicaragua, read October 9, 2026
- Tica Bus, Rutas, horarios y tarifas and Requisitos migratorios, read October 9, 2026
- Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería de El Salvador, Horarios fronteras terrestres, read October 9, 2026
All fares and times were read on the operators’ own pages on October 9, 2026. Bus fares are per leg and per date; check yours before you buy.
More international routes are listed in the Guatemala transport hub.
