The first thing you need to know about this the UCA Microbus Terminal is that UCA is pronounced “ooka”. Learn this and every taxi driver in Managua will know where you want to go. The second thing to learn is that travelling by microbus is significantly more comfortable than travelling by an ordinary bus. They are faster and overall more comfortable for only a small price difference – although slightly less adventurous 😉
Looking for Peñas Blancas, Rivas or San Jan del Sur? You need to head to the Mercado Roberto Huembes .
This UCA microbus Terminal in Managua is essentially just a line up of small passenger vans with clear signage of who is going where. The drivers are generally quite friendly. The busses leave when they are full and so if there are a lot of people in line you may have to wait a bit – although unlikely very long. On average they leave about every 20 minutes.
If you arrive and you need a taxi – they pull up regularly here to drop people off so one is not hard to find. I am pretty sure that every time I arrive here I am quoted some astronomically high fare by the taxi drivers. The last one wanted $10 USD for 2km because I had a surfboard. Nope! I don’t tend to haggle on price too hard, if it is within 20-30C$ I am ok with it, but if you feel like everyone is trying to rip you off by too much, try crossing the street and getting a taxi from there. There are definitely honest drivers out there in the city.
Most of the information on this page is from 2017 when I update the prices and spoke to each driver. They are as follows.
Managua UCA to Granada
Microbuses to Granada leave when full cost 33C$ (Dec 2018) and take 1hr 20min – 1hr 3omin depending on number of stops. Hours of operation are 5am to 9pm Monday to Friday, Saturday 5:30am to 8pm and Sunday 6am to 7pm.
Managua to Masaya
Microbuses to Masaya leave when full and they cost 19C$. The trip takes just under 1hr. Hours of operation are Monday to Friday from 6am – 7pm, Saturday and Sunday from 6am to 6pm. Halfway through the trip the bus will pass the entrance to the Parque Nacional Volcan Masaya so if you’re getting off here try to sit close to the front.
Managua to León
Microbuses to León leave when full, cost 71C$ as of Sept 2018 and takes between 1.5 hrs and 2hrs depending on how many stops you take. Hours of operation are 4am to 8pm Monday to Sunday.
Managua to Jinotepe
To Jinotepe microbuses leave when full, cost 33C$ and take a little more than 1hr. Hours of operation are 5am until 9pm Monday to Saturday and 6am to 7pm on Sunday.
Hustle
Don’t be shocked if you are almost accosted by the guys working for competing shuttles. The last time I did this I was literally pulled in two directions by two different people. I thought that this was because I was obviously a tourist, but I soon realized they do this to pretty much everyone. Even little old ladies. It is definitely annoying, but rest assured it isn’t dangerous – some even laugh a their game. The drivers of these microbuses are definitely hustlers. Not in the sense that they will rip you off, but in that they will do everything they can to maximize their profit by getting as many people on the bus as possible.
Help your fellow traveller
If you have taken any of the buses on this page, please drop us a comment below about how the trip went, what time you left, how long it took and what it cost. And, definitely let us know if we have anything wrong.
Lets help each other in our travels!
Hello, Thanks for all of the tips!
I will be traveling from the airport at Managua to Choluteca, Honduras near the border. Do you know if any microbuses go that way? I was looking at King Quality, but I feel a microbus is way less expensive and safer than a public bus.
Gracias!
Hi Elizabeth, I’m sorry I don’t have any advice for you for microbuses. You could also try a shuttle service, there are a few that go from Leon to El Salvador, perhaps they could drop you along the way.
Hello! I’m currently planning a trip to Nicaragua for 7 days and plan to travel around quite a bit. I will be traveling with a well-trained tiny dog (5 pounds.) She’s travelled with us all over Guatemala in microbuses and chicken buses. I’d like to know if dogs are prohibited on the microbuses in Nicaragua, or if I just might need to do some convincing at times, as in Guatemala. Please let me know if you have any information/experience that will help me plan!
Hi Tricia, I don’t have any experience with travelling with animals on microbuses. I have been on a ton and I have never seen a local bring a dog with them. I don’t know if they are officially prohibited or not. I suspect it will be a mix of reactions and rules where some will say no and others will reluctantly say yes for a fee. I’d think the regular chicken buses will be less of an issue with a small dog. Have a great trip!
Hello, does anyone know if there will be busses running during Semana Santa ? More precisely on Thursday March, 29 th ?
I’d like to travel from Masaya to León (with a change in Managua, I guess).
I asked my hotel in León but they don’t know.
Thank you !
Hi Paul! this is one of those questions that every year nobody knows the answer to. I would guess that there is a good chance they will run on the 29th and likely not on the following 3 days (all or some of them). I can’t guarantee anything though.
Thank you very much.
On the page of Léon on this site there’s an add of NICATIME shuttle saying they’re operating from Léon.
Do you think I could also find a shuttle in Masaya or in Managua ?
You could try contacting Nicatime and see what their shuttles are between Leon and Masaya. Also try googling Nicaragua shuttle services. I am not familiar with all for the shuttles in Nica, only buses! 🙂
Thank you very much !
We just returned from 3 weeks in Nicaragua and thanks to all the information on this website we had successful travels. Awesome information and so grateful that all this compiled information helped us to navigate our way through Nicaragua with limited Spanish. My only advice to fellow travellers is to make sure that if arriving at the bus terminal by taxi to pay the taxi driver before you leave the vehicle (and before any doors are opened!!) as you will be swarmed by aggressive bus persons grabbing your luggage, shouting at you in Spanish and demanding money. Thanks again centrocoasting.
Hi Rooksana! Thanks so much for the really nice comments. Great tip on the taxi payment.
Hi there,
I want to start by saying thank you for this fantastic website!! My wife and I used it last year when we came to Nicaragua and it was a tonne of help. We came back this year with our two kids and have traveled to Ometepe, Rivas, Granada and now Leon with very little hassle and the information here has been bang on. Thanks again for all the information, it has been extremely helpful. On our trip to Leon from Granada we went to UCA and then to Leon. Prices were as posted on the site. The only odd thing was that at UCA they charged me $30 cordobas for my back pack, which was stowed under the last row of seats on the Microbus. I don’t know if this is the standard now but it is something to keep in mind. We’ll see if the same happens when we leave. Also, the taxis from the station seem to be anywhere between $25-$30 cordobas per person to the Cathedral.
Cheers and keep up the great work!
Thanks so much for the positive vibes, Cairo! It makes me happy to know that I am helping 🙂 That bag charge is a new thing that seems to be happening more and more. I’d understand if a bag takes up a seat, but doesn’t seem fair if the bag is out of the way. Just another tourist cash grab I guess. Thanks for all the tips and help and info, glad you had a great trip!
How do I get from UCA (Managua) to Granada? How much should it cost and how long will it take? Thanks in advance.
Have a look above at the section titled “Managua UCA to Granada”. All the info is there.
Hi there!
My friend and i are in Managua and want to go to San Juan del sur. We know you must take the bus a mercado roberto huembes however is there a bus that goes directly to sanjuan or do they all pass by rivas? thank you
Hi Alexia, check the Mercado Roberto Huembes page for the information you seek! https://centrocoasting.com/nicaragua/managua-mercado-roberto-huembes/
Hi!
We are in Nica right now. We wanna go to Ometepe. From the Managua airport we’ll take a taxi then the bus at UCA. Is it possible ? Because you didn’t mention the prize…. and is it direct? Do we have to take an other bus or do a transfer? This buses leaves about 20 minutes too?
Thanks a lot for your help!
Julie
Hi Julie! You will want to go to the Mercado Roberto Huembes terminal in Managua. There are buses that go to San Jorge, which is where you need to go to get to Ometepe. Have a look at this page for info: https://centrocoasting.com/nicaragua/managua-mercado-roberto-huembes/
Thanks you!! We will do this tomorrow!!
Gracias!!