(QCOSTARICA) If travelling to and from Nicaragua by way of the land border crossing at Peñas Blancas keep in mind the restrictions in the coming days, in particular on Tuesday, September 13, with the arrival of the ‘Independence Torch’.
Affected mostly are customs operations, but it could also affect immigration check-in and check-out due to the large number of people at the border for the annual event.
According to the Ministerio de Hacienda, the customs office (Aduana) will be on restricted hours on Tuesday, processing only perishable goods between 6:00am and 8:00am. All other freight will have to wait until the event has concluded. According to authorities, both customs and immigration services will return to normal operations once the Nicaragua-Costa Rica torch protocols are over.
From Peñas Blancas, the Independence Torch will then travel by land the 386 kilometres from Peñas Blancas to Cartago, in time for the Independence Day ceremonies in the Viejo Metropoli (Old Metropolis) On Thursday, September 15.
Also to keep in mind are possible traffic bottlenecks along the Inter-American highway on both sides of the border as the torch makes its way down from Guatemala. In Costa Rica, the torch will move through San Jose to Cartago, temporarily affecting even more the already traffic chaos of the Central Valley.
The annual Independence Day ceremony is held in Cartago, the original capital city of Costa Rica. It commemorates the Independence of Central America from Spain. This year it marks the 195th anniversary.
Independence Day is a national holiday, celebrated in all Central American countries on September 15.
In Costa Rica, on this day school bands march beating their drums (they have been practicing for more than a month), children wearing traditional costumes and dancing at the beat of drums. Since the beginning of the month, flags are displayed everywhere, as young and old alike, demonstrate their patriotism.
