Motorcycles are available for rent in Antigua and around Lago de Atitln. If you have a decent budget, you can charter a flight to other destinations around the country with ARM Aviacion, which operates out of La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City. Answer 11 of 12: I want to experience a ride on a 'chicken bus' in GC. Chicken Buses are the most inexpensive public transportation in Guatemala, but they are also crowded. The real chicken buses are the ones that run on every road in the countryside. Way back when, the primary question I'd get was the safety issue. Use the chicken bus to go from one town to another in Guatemalas departments and towns. For some people, they may represent the resourcefulness and tenacity of the Guatemalan people. As it turns out, they are repurposed American school buses. Taxis are available in all the main towns, and their rates are fairly low at around US$3 for a short ride (or US$5 in Guatemala City). In the country the chickenbuses are filled with 50-70 Indian farmers going or coming from fields or market. We were told that there is an official exit fee for leaving Mexico a fee that is included in your airline ticket if you arrived in Mexico by plane. Not exactly a classic "chicken" bus, but it was an old barely functional school bus. Read our Privacy Policy. It is quite an experience. With no passenger trains and few people able to afford a car, virtually everyone travels by chicken bus in Guatemala. Consider changing the search query. How to Take the Local Bus from Guatemala to El Salvador First-class buses also known as 'express buses' ply busy routes between major destinations, with regular services from Guatemala City to Quetzaltenango, Huehuetenango, Flores (for Tikal) and Panajachel (for Lago de Atitln). Still, there are options for explorers of all budgets, and in such a colorful country, the journey is all part of the experience. Unfortunately, its either pay the $1.30, or dont enter the country. The minibus picked us up at our hostel at 7:30 am and together with 17 other passengers, we left the city. Around noon we arrived at the border town ofCiudad Cuauhtemoc. Visit Antigua with the nearby Pacaya volcano before heading to Lake Atitln and further to Tikal, once one of the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient Maya. You can catch this bus in two places, (1) At their terminal located at "Corner 21 Calle & 1A Avenida" in Zone 1 with the times listed above or (2) 15min later, at the chicken bus terminal in Zone 8 (41 Calle & 5,6,7,8 Avenida). Please adjust your filters. We heard last year over 200 drivers of these busses were either assaulted or killed. . Dariece is a co-founder of Goats On The Road, and an expert in saving money, finance management, building an online business and of course travel. With 200 miles of coastline, over 170 volcanoes, multiple archeological sites and a rich coffee and cacao farming tradition, El Salvador is a wonderland. The buses are full of smiling Guatemalans, chattering children, and, you guessed it, chickens! And if you have to sit around and wait for the next minivan, eat something delicious! These brightly colored trucks arent just about the animals. Still, you can rent bikes (including mountain bikes) in most tourist centers and it's easy enough to cycle around in town or follow the tracks that wind around Lago de Atitln and Antiqua. Along the Pacific coast, you can explore the mangroves of the Chiquimulilla canal from Monterrico and Paredn. Driving at night is never a good idea: in addition to low visibility and the possibility of animals wandering onto the road, intoxicated drivers and armed robberies are a real risk. Starting at 5:00 AM, departure times are every 30 minutes approximately. Theyre slow going, but theyre one of the best ways to meet locals. You shouldn't visit Guatemala City without at least one trip in a Chicken bus. Most buses do not have safety belts, travelers are often forced to remain standing in the aisles, and mountainous routes are typically narrow. Hope this was helpful !! When you arrive at the Terminal Sur of Escuintla, take the chicken bus to Sipacate, which leaves every hour. Youll find the ride less bumpy and drier if you sit near the back. In need of a ballpoint pen, or some knock-off super glue, or some herbal concoction that may or may not work for intestinal parasites and arthritis? The one-way fee is 35 GTQ (4.60 USD). Here's everything you need to know about visas. In the garage, the buses get structural modifications and a cosmetic update. Not any more. How to get to El Paredon, Guatemala The Guat. It helps that they're dirt cheap, but thats not the only reason Id recommend taking a chicken bus at least once while youre in Guatemala. The majority of school buses in the United States are a minimum of a century old and have logged more than fifty thousand kilometers. Nick and I were both baffled by this, but kept our mouths shut, as we had our get out of Mexico free papers. Flights to Guatemala City (GUA) from GBP 659* You can't depend on them for arriving on time (in other words, not the ideal mode of transportation for those on a strict schedule), but they're a fun way to travel and generally safe. In this area, the proprietors real ingenuity may be shown. Chicken Bus Guatemala City - Panajachel - Connected Horizons Always check the insurance conditions you may not be covered for loss or theft so always park somewhere secure. . Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. Me and my girlfriend researched a lot on where exactly to catch the direct bus (if it existed) from G. City (Zone 1) to Panajachel but eventually just arrived in G. City and found it out ourselves. When it comes to Guatemala city please just don't take needless risksgenerally tourists are left alone, but that isn't a rule. Is there any cheap transportation? Cheap way from Guatemala City to Antigua (Chicken Bus?) You can catch this bus in two places, (1) At their terminal located at "Corner 21 Calle & 1A Avenida" in Zone 1 with the times listed above or (2) 15min later, at the chicken bus terminal in Zone 8 (41 Calle & 5,6,7,8 Avenida). Drivers have to pay protection money to gangs, often out of their own pockets. Just pipe in a little Barry Manilow through the speakers and feel free to take a nap. This fourth edition of The Travel Book features incredible photography that illustrates each country, accompanied by a profile that includes details of when to visit, what to see and do and how to learn more about the countrys culture. Small dollars and coins are usually a good idea for paying your fare. Tell the driver where you want to get off or, if you know the stop, simply bang on the side of the truck to let the driver know you are ready to get out. Anyone who has spent time on a farm knows that any livestock responds to fear by defecating and urinating furiously as the two farmers below it could attest. If unsure ask people where to stand exactly for the bus going to "La Frontera de El Salvador" or someone directing the buses will ask you where you are going. Known locally as camionetas, chicken buses are more frequent than Pullman buses, and they cover pretty much every city, town and village in Guatemala. travel experts. Len to Guatemala City - 7 ways to travel via bus, car, shuttle, and plane Do I take one leaving GC, for example, to Antigua? If you arrived by air, make sure to have your airline send you a breakdown of fees paid. Each passenger is allocated a seat and all pullmans are pretty punctual. So, we had no choice but to take a bit of a hit and change our money at the border. To go to Guatemala and not experience this ride is not visiting GC at all! But the best time to visit depends on what you want to do. The local. Their patterns indicate routes and companies, and are often a point of pride for their owners. With an average income of less than US$400 a month, owning a car is out of reach for most Guatemalans, so the vast majority of locals rely on public transport to get around. The windows are covered with silvery Christian phrases, Christmas decorations, fringes, and portraits of naked female figures or Chee Guevara. While Guatemala has a law that guarantees the rights of disabled people, and makes it illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities, in practice little is done to enforce the rules. Not all bus lines are created equal, however. What bike paths? We needed to walk about 100 m to the immigration booth to get our official Guatemalan stamp in our passports. Antigua is off most such routes. Once youre through immigration on the Guatemalan side at La Mesilla, you can find a chicken bus to take you to your final destination such as Quetzaltenango (40 Quetzals/$5.25) or Huehuetenango (20Q/$2.65, 2 hours). Exploring this fascinating corner of the Americas is easy, but getting from A to B may take longer than you think. No longer off the beaten track, Guatemala has made it onto the radar of trendsetters and Hollywood stars. A peculiar sight flies through Guatemalas densely packed cities streets and rolling, mountainous countryside: a fleet of thousands of American school buses. In practice, if you stand by the side of the road, you may find that tuk-tuks stop and ask if you need a ride. Things to do in Guatemala City Providing fast, nonstop links between the main tourist centres, shuttle buses are very popular in Guatemala. I tend to stick with shuttle vans just because they are faster. Tropic Air runs from Flores to Belize City. All the main routes are paved, but beyond this many roads are often extremely rough. Planning to travel here? Yes, there are some relatively safe runs on local buses. Several terrific boat trips start in the town of Sayaxch, including the trip to Lago de Petexbatn and Aguateca and along the Ro de la Pasin to Ceibal. Stops along the way arent clearly marked, but if you let the driver where you want to go, theyll tell you when youve reached your destination. Note that tickets are often collected by conductors at the end of the journey, so make sure you dont lose yours. As for the chicken buses, the majority are fine to ride onfrom time to time you hear of robbers getting on different ones, but that can happen anywhere in the world! If you like the freedom of traveling according to your own schedule, driving is always an option. 2023 Lonely Planet, a Red Ventures company. First off, GC stands for Guatemala City. In other words, enjoy travelling around the country, it's really not that dangerous, just keep your eyes open. We were in the northern highlands in the early morning. These express services are about 25 percent more expensive than the regular buses around US$1.50 an hour, though there are some very luxurious, more pricey options. It is a reliable and easy-to-use platform to compare prices & schedules and make a booking online. But it is on the Panamerican highway. Journey Duration: +8 hours. First-class buses - also known as 'express buses' - ply busy routes between major destinations, with regular services from Guatemala City to Quetzaltenango , Huehuetenango, Flores (for Tikal ) and Panajachel (for Lago de . A warm, subtropical climate makes Honduras an ideal year-round destination. Many more speak of the long hours, every day of the week, and the struggle to see their families, while others dream of migrating to the very place their buses come from. For a couple of bucks, a Chicken Bus (also known as parrilleras) will take you to any remote site throughout Guatemala. Shortly afterward, an ambulance passed us on its urgent way to GC. More commonly known as tuk-tuks, mototaxis are found in just about every town in Guatemala, although theyre much less common in Guatemala City and Quetzaltenango. After receiving our stamped passports back, we continued to the Guatemalan border, in the same bus that we arrived in. However, for tourists they are an adventure and for the less adventurous, they are a risk. But yeah, as everyone else says, avoid the red city buses. Put a luggage rack on top. Which bus terminal will it leave from and how much roughly should it cost? No parts of this These days, the bus TV has hit the scene: On a recent trip I got to watch a solid hour of Spanish-language hair band videos. Really appreciate your. For all their flaws, I love traveling by chicken bus, even though theyre cramped, uncomfortable and not the safest way to get around. Then they were auctioned off for less than $2,000 and driven south to their new homes for a new life. Discover Lake Atitlan on kayaks, explore the active volcano Pacaya or play hide and seek in the large archaeological complex of Tikal before heading out to Belize for its fantastic underwater world and gorgeous beaches. To collect money from travelers, the brocha or ayudante will inquire about your destination. Between 2010 and 2017 attacks on buses have claimed more than 2,000 lives, notably in the capital of Guatemala City, according to Insight Crime, a think tank and publication that investigates organized crime in South and Central America. From Oaxaca State: many people choose to take the coastal Route 200 through Chiapas and down into Guatemala. If you purchase items through these links, we will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Be warned that local driving practices can be alarming, including overtaking on blind corners. I guarantee they all carry machetes. But to know them you need to access a couple different sources. Guatemala isnt the easiest of destinations for travelers with mobility requirements. Guatemala City. First-class buses are about double the price of second-class buses, but theyre also much faster, safer and more comfortable. When I first arrived in the country and couldn't believe it was that bad, I did hop on a few red buses and sheer luck would have it that nothing ever happened to me. Here's how to get around. They were playing salsa music as usual. TAG Airlines offers scheduled flights between Guatemala City and Flores or Puerto Barrios while Mexican airline Aeromar offers flights between Guatemala City and Flores. Tuk-tuks have largely replaced pickup trucks or picop, as locals call them as the preferred method of cheap local transportation. Youll be well received almost anywhere if you travel by bike, and most towns will have a repair shop.