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1 Entering Nicaragua with a Car or Motorbike
2 Driving in Nicaragua
3 Gas and Diesel price in Nicaragua
4 Safety and Security Considerations
5 Camping in Nicaragua
6 Navigation
7 Special Overland Travel interests
8 Vehicle Maintenance
9 Buy or sell a car or motorbike in Nicaragua
10 References
11 Helpful External links

Entering Nicaragua with a Car or Motorbike

Correct as of: February 2010

Required Paperwork

Passport of registered owner (original and 1 copy).
Drivers license of registered owner (original and 1 copy).
Vehicle registration (original and 1 copy).

Process at border

(To check if you need a travel Visa for Nicaragua, application instructions and fees see: Nicaragua Visa online application at VisaHQ.com)

The owner of the vehicle gains entry at immigration (migración), including a stamp in their Passport. This costs $7.00 USD, and can only be paid in $US Dollars. Be sure to get a receipt.
The owner must show the new Passport stamp (including a copy), Drivers license, the original Vehicle registration and the immigration entry receipt to customs (aduana).
The owner is issued a temporary import permit for the vehicle.

NOTE: You may encounter locals offering to help you with paperwork to get across the border. See Border Crossing Helpers for advice.

Cost of entry

Free for the vehicle, $12.00 USD for people.

Permitted length of stay

90 days. Nicaragua is part of the CA-4 Border control agreement. This agreement grants travel between Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua for a TOTAL of 90-days. The number of days remaining on your CA4 is written in your passport as you travel from country to country. The 90-day limit begins when you enter any country that is part of the CA4 agreement. To avoid penalty and fines, Exit the CA4 countries and enter into Costa Rica or Mexico/Belize before the 90-days limit expires.

Extension of stay

Unknown.
Describe the process to extend the permitted length of entry for the vehicle, if possible.

Storing a vehicle and temporarily leaving the country

(unknown)
Describe if/how a vehicle can be stored, and for how long.
Also mention if the owner / temporary importer can leave the country while the vehicle is in storage.

Exiting with a vehicle

Ironically, this is much harder than entering the country with a vehicle, and is known to be one of the more difficult "exits" in Central America. The exact process will vary depending on which border you are at.

Get sign-off on your paperwork from both a customs officer and a police officer.
Take your temporary import permit and the signatures gained above to customs, where they will sign more things, and cancel the permit.
The registered owner is stamped out of Nicaragua at immigration.
When actually driving out, present the piece of paper with signatures, and you are free to leave.

Driving in Nicaragua

Insurance requirements

Car insurance is mandatory

Cost of insurance

About $12.00 USD per month for a 4x4.

Where to purchase insurance

At the border

Driving license

Technically an International Driving Permit is required.
In reality, showing a license from anywhere in the world seems to be good enough.

Driving side of the road

Right.
Right-Hand-Drive vehicles are NOT allowed in Nicaragua (Law 431, Art. 165). We paid a bribe to the transit police at the border to get our vehicle in.

Mandatory items in vehicle

None.

Roads

General Road quality

Roads in Nicaragua are generally of good quality. Lesser roads are gravel and can be very bumpy and rutted, especially near the coast. All roads on Isla De Ometepe are extremely rough gravel.

Road signs

Road signs are mostly common and clear.

Toll roads

None.

Bribery in Nicaragua

Police bribery is common in Nicaragua, where they actually are trying to enforce road rules like speeding.
See the bribery tips page for advice.

Checkpoints

Police checkpoints are not common in Nicaragua, though you may encounter them on the Pan American highway. You'll be asked to show your Passport, Vehicle registration, drivers license, and the temporary import permit you were issued at the border.

Traveling with pets

As with all borders in Central America, be ready for bribery if you have a pet.
According to travelers in 2012, you need: ^[1]

A Health Certificate for the animal in Spanish (updated at least every four months)
A vaccination record (the European Pet Passport works well)
You will likely pay around $15.00 USD

Gas and Diesel price in Nicaragua

Last updated: May 2012

Currency and unit to display:

Gasoline Grade	Price
Regular	??
Super (90)	??
Premium (95)	$5.47 USD per Gallon (US)
Ultra (97)	??
Normal Diesel	$0.91 USD per Liter^[2]
Diesel (low sulfur)	??

Price Information: gasoline-germany.com - International Gas / Petrol / Diesel prices - Nicaragua (not updated since 2007)

Gas and Diesel / Frequency

Gasoline shortages in Nicaragua are not a problem. If you are going to Isla De Ometepe, fill up before getting on the ferry to avoid the high prices on the island.
Typically gas stations are not more than 100 - 200km apart.

Gas and Diesel Quality

Accepted to be good quality.
Sulfur content of diesel is unknown.

Safety and Security Considerations

Driving at night

Driving at night is not considered a huge problem in Nicaragua, though it's not recommended due to safety concerns and road hazards that can not be seen in the dark.

Vehicle parking

Parking vehicles on the street in smaller towns during the day is typically OK. Find a secure parking lot in big cities and at night. Secure parking will cost around $2.00 USD per night.

Special driving considerations

Police enforce road rules more strictly than other Central American countries, so try to obey the road rules where possible. Speeding and crossing double lines are a sure-fire way to get pulled over, where you will almost certainly have to deal with bribery.

Security advisories and information

Camping in Nicaragua

Camping is not very popular in Nicaragua, though campgrounds can be found wherever there are backpackers. Organized camping is $2.00 USD to $4.00 USD per person, per night.
Being far away from major roads is preferable for wild camping.

Camping guide books

No specific book exists, though the usual backpacker guide books mention a campground in virtually every town and city, especially near the beach.

Drinking water

Tap water in Nicaragua is not safe to drink. Every corner store sells 1 and 2 liter bottles, and 20 liter bottles can be bought at most large grocery stores.

Navigation

Paper maps

Purchase maps before arriving, good ones are very difficult to find in Nicaragua.

GPS Maps of Nicaragua

Open Street Map: Appears to have good coverage.^[3]
Garmin: Apparently no map of Nicaragua.
TomTom: No map of Nicaragua. ^[4]

GPS co-ordinates for camping, propane, gas, repairs, etc. in Nicaragua

Camping Sites: Nicaragua - Detailed list of campsites and propane filling with description, directions and GPS co-ordinates. Some at hotels (lists facilities and price), some roadside and free.
Central America Camping Locations - List of campsites, with basic directions and GPS co-ordinates. Mostly free sites.
Camping Log 1: Central America - List of campsites, shopping, fuel, propane and border crossings with excellent descriptions and GPS co-ordinates.
White Acorn camping log page - GPS co-ordinates and excellent description of campsites]

Special Overland Travel interests

Isla De Ometepe - The island is extremely beautiful and you will save a lot of money in taxis if you take your vehicle across on the ferry. In early 2010, the price for a small 4x4 and driver was $25.00 USD one way. Note the roads on the island are extremely dusty and bumpy, and can be extremely slow going.