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| 'Chiva': Typical Party Bus in Colombia and Ecuador |
Easy and Cheap, detailed guide to busing it down the West coast of Latin America; this is in the hope of giving you a bit of a budget, stops, and list of great hostels in South America.
*You’ll notice as you get further down South the buses and hostel price get more expensive. I suggest you spend more time in Ecuador and Peru if on the real cheap ;).
Bus advice:*You’ll notice as you get further down South the buses and hostel price get more expensive. I suggest you spend more time in Ecuador and Peru if on the real cheap ;).
1. The roads in Colombia are winding and hilly- take nausea tablets and be prepared for a bumpy ride!
2. Spend the extra dollar and ask for the most direct route.
3. They are longer than what you expect: they will tell you 2 hours and it can be up to 4 hours....Why? Colombians are very friendly and they will pick up passenger on they way..Therefore it is very common to have many unexpected stops
4. Try to take day buses, especially from Bogota heading to borders. Many ‘dangers’ can be avoided by riding during the day.
Bogota - Cali
Date: 11th-12th of Feb, 2011
Bus: Expresso Boliviano, Time: around 12 hours, Price: $54.000(Col) each
Stayed: Iguana Hostel, Price: $9 (USD) private each
Info: Cali is known for its nightlife, its the Colombian hub for salsa and home to some of the most beautiful women.
Cali-Ipiales
Date: 12-13th
Bus: Trans Ipiales, Time: 12 hours, Price: $40.000(Col) each
Stayed: Hotel don Lucho(breakfast + T.V.) Price: 28.000 (Col) for room
Recommend: Santuario ‘Las Lajas’. One of the craziest cathedrals in Latin America, it is perched on inside a canyon and spans high above a river!
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| Border Crossing Between Colombia and Ecuador |
BORDER CROSSING, COLOMBIA TO ECUADOR
1st- Grab a taxi from hostel to Colombian Immigration, get stamped out
2nd- Walk across bridge
3rd- Enter, Ecuador walk to Ecuador Immigration(get stamped in)
4th- Taxi to Bus terminal $1
Backpacking in Ecuador
Tulcan-Quito
Dates: 14th- 16th
Bus: Flota Imbambura, Time: 4hours, Price: $5 (USD)
Stayed: Aubergue Inn (Excellentent) located between old and new town, $9 each
Recommended Teleferico and hiking
- Equator monument and GPS Equator Interactive Museum
- Museums and old town
-Gringolandia
Quito - Latacunga
Bus advice:
1. It is really cheap to travel by bus, basically $1 an hour
2. Travel times are relatively short as Ecuador is so small
3. Be carefull in Ambato bus stop, when you get off and you are grabbing your backpacks people are known to spill water on it, then they ask to help you; during the confusion someone can take off with your bag. Keep an eye out on your backpack, if something is ‘spilled’ on it don’t ask for or accept help; get into a taxi and worry about it when you get to hostel.
Date: 16th-17th
Bus: time; 2 hours, $1.50
Stayed: Hotel Cotopaxi (excellent comfort, T.V. + Breakfast), $8 each private
Latacunga-Saquisili
Bus: $0.30, 20min- day trip
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| Hitching a Ride in Quilotoa |
Date: 18-19th
Bus: 2 hours, $4
Recommend: hike 4 hours around volcano crater
-descend to bottom of volcano, kayak in the deep blue water (it feels like been back in the prehistoric times!)
stayed: Hostel Chosita (a small lodge/house run by local Quechuas, they give you traditional dinner and breakfast-real authentic experience! a must) (high altitude, freezing at night! bring lots of layers)($10)
Latacunga - Ambato - Baños
date: 19th- 21st
bus: 45 min($1) to Ambato (need to go there to get bus to Baños), 1 hour to Banos ($2)
stayed: Hostel Transalvania, has T.V with private bathroom and breakfast ($9)
Recommend: local hot water pools
-rent buggy rides
-alot of adventure sport stuff
Banos - Ambato - Loja
Bus: 1 hour(need to go to Ambato to get bus to Loja, 12 hours ambato Loja ($12) (Santa Bus company)
BORDER CROSSING- ECUADOR TO PERU
Loja (Ecuador) to Piura (Peru)(nothing interesting to see here)
Date: 22nd-23rd
Bus: Trans Loja Internacional, price: $10, time: 7:00am-4pm, 9 hours
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| Waiting... |
Backpacking Peru
Bus info:
1. The buses get better, Sur del cruz is high class, recommend for the long bus rides (15 hours more). Gives you food, drink, and BINGO!
2. Buses are actually ‘direct’ and less winding then their northern neighbors
Piura - Chiclayo
23rd-24th
Bus-Trans Linea, 3 hours, 13 soles ($4 USD)
Stayed: Hotel Tumi de Oro (not very good) private 50 soles ($18).
Recommended: Anacy Tours: anacy_@hotmail.com
1. Museo Tumbas reales de Sipan
2. Museo Brunning
3. Piramides de Tucume
Price: 25 soles
Chiclayo - Trujillo - Huanchaco
Date: 24th-27th
Bus: Linea, time:4 hours, Price: 14-17 soles
-got bus from Trujillo- Huanchaco 10min
Stayed: Mamacoha Hostel (cool little hippie place, owners very welcoming, they sang and played guitar at night) 15 soles private each
Recommend: hanging out at the beach
-surfing
- Chan Chan Ruins
Trujillo - Lima
27-28th
Bus: Linea, Time: 9 hours, Price: 45 soles
Stayed: Pariwana, Miraflores
Lima-Ica- Huanachina( little Desert Oasis)
1st-2nd
Bus: Cruz del Sur, time: 4 hours, price: 30 soles
Huancachina- 10 min taxi ride from Ica
stayed: Huacachina, 30 soles (no matter where you stay, bargain using accommodation, transfers, buggy rides, guides)
Recommended: Buggy through desert + sand boarding, 45 soles
- wine tour, 20 soles
Ica - Tacna
Bus: Cruz del sur, time: 16 hours, price; 102 soles
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| Bus Terminal in Arica, Chile |
BORDER CROSSING- PERU TO CHILE (Tacna-Arica)
1st- go to international bus terminal in Tacna
2nd-get an international taxi that crosses the border and takes yo to Arica. This will be 3.000 pesos.
3rd- The taxi driver get you to fill in the exit paper. Basically you drive 30min get to Peru immigration, get out of taxi, get stamped out and then get back in the taxi, drive 5min, get out of taxi, get your stamp in to Chile(make sure to keep the little paper with you entry!!! very important to get out).
4th- Get back in same taxi and head to Arica
Backpacking in Chile
Arica
Date: 2nd-4th March
Stayed- Arica Surfhouse- This is where I did my work exchange. It was great to visit Kurt and Nicole again. They looked great! Of course they let me stay with them for free! They became family while I was there.
Arica - Santiago
Date: 4th-6th
Bus: Tur bus, about 30 hours, Price: $27.700 ($55)
This is extremely long!! If you are good with sleeping in buses you can do it. If not break it up. I recommend La Serena or Iquique.
Or buy a flight with TAM Airlines for around $100(USD)
Stayed: Bellavista Hostel, dorm of 4 ($17USD)
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| Winding Road Between Chile and Argentina |
BORDER CROSSING- CHILE TO ARGENTINA
The crossing is one of the easiest! You get off and get stamped out and in at the same time, while customs deals with your bag. Easy! But sometimes there is a whole line of buses and a lot of people crossing through.
Santiago - Mendoza
Date: 6th- 7th
Bus: CATA Internacional, time 8-10 hours (this depends on the month, if it is in winter it can be delayed even longer or the crossing can be closed because it is snowed in) The plus for land travel is that you don’t have to pay the visa of $100 dollars when you fly in!. Price: 380 ARG pesos ($94 USD).
Stayed: Trotamundos, price: $12 (dorm 4)
Mendoza - Buenos Aires
Date: 7th-9th
Bus: Andesmar, time: 14 hours, Price: about 400Arg ($100 USD)
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