- Forums
- Eurotrips
- Map
- Rail Passes
- Eurail Global Pass
- Eurail Select Pass
- Eurail Regional Pass
- Eurail Austria-Czech Republic Pass
- Eurail Austria-Germany Pass
- Eurail Austria-Hungary Pass
- Eurail Austria-Slovenia/Croatia Pass
- Eurail Austria-Switzerland Pass
- Eurail Benelux-France Pass
- Eurail Benelux-Germany Pass
- Eurail Benelux Pass
- Eurail Czech Republic-Germany Pass
- Eurail Denmark-Germany Pass
- Eurail France-Germany Pass
- Eurail France-Italy Pass
- Eurail France-Spain Pass
- Eurail France-Switzerland Pass
- Eurail Germany-Poland Pass
- Eurail Germany-Switzerland Pass
- Eurail Greece-Italy Pass
- Eurail Hungary-Croatia/Slovenia Pass
- Eurail Hungary-Romania Pass
- Eurail Italy-Spain Pass
- Eurail Portugal-Spain Pass
- Eurail Scandinavia Pass
- Eurail One Country Pass
- Eurail Austria Pass
- Eurail Bulgaria Pass
- Eurail Croatia Pass
- Eurail Czech Republic Pass
- Eurail Denmark Pass
- Eurail Finland Pass
- Eurail Greece Pass
- Eurail Hungary Pass
- Eurail Ireland Pass
- Eurail Italy Pass
- Eurail Norway Pass
- Eurail Poland Pass
- Eurail Portugal Pass
- Eurail Romania Pass
- Eurail Slovenia Pass
- Eurail Spain Pass
- Eurail Sweden Pass
- Booking
- Travel Tips
- Links
- Podcasts
South America bus vs planes question
Sat, 02/05/2005 - 01:40
Member
So as I’m realizing more and more that since there are enough places I want to see on my upcoming 3 1/2 month trip to South America to fill several years, and since I will obviously have to pick and choose key places and narrow down to about 5 percent of what I’d LIKE to do, I’m starting to think I might actually want to take some flights while there just to save time towards the end (the second half of my trip will be more city-based), depending on costs.
The basic route I’m going will be:
Antifogasta down to Santiago,
Santiago over to Buenos Aires,
Buenos Aires up to Iguazu,
and then Iguazu over to Sao Paulo/Rio.
What I’m wondering is which of these travels would be best to fly, ie, for the sake of time, and which tend to be relatively fast via bus, or simply great scenic bus rides. And then of course when it would be cost effective/worth-it to fly, and when I would just end up spending tons more money.
Anyone familiar with those particular routes and/or have advice or suggestions?
Or simply time/cost knowledge, bus or plane, for transporting between any of those points??
Thanks!!
Antofagasta is 15 hours from Santiago. Santiago to BA is 24 hour. Buses on both routes are pretty nice and the Santiago-BA one has decent scenery. I guess it’s up to you whether you think it’s more important to save time or money. Flying was just not in my budget, so I know nothing of flight prices. LANChile puts specials on its website on Tues. morning.
I believe the bus ride from Sao Paolo to Rio is 7 hours. I believe that from Rio to Iguassu by bus is about 13 hours, or 3 hours by plane.
Look into the mercosur south american flight pass. It can save u a lot of $$$ if u plan on flying a lot.
I´m in Venezuela now and I´m bussing it between Caracas and Medellin Colombia. The airfare was $340usd one way so I opted for the $65usd bus fare , so far Ive seen some nice scenerary although Ive been a bit cramped on some buses (a 4 bus journey)
chao
I know this thread is a month old but I was surprised by what Felipe said. Our next extended trip will probably include S.A. and going cheap is always our goal. Do all long distance buses run around $65 or was this an exception? I guess I thought transport would be cheaper than that…not SEA cheap but not near-Europe prices either. Thanks for any help. Amy
Flight passes could be worthwhile depending on how many countries you want to cover. I was amazed by how much time I spent on buses. I am a little surprised by the quote Felipe mentioned — maybe it’s high because it’s an international bus into a country that’s a risky place to travel? The most expensive bus I took was a 35-hour trip halfway down the length of Chile and it cost $50. Other than that, I can’t remember paying more than $20-30 for a bus, even for international trips.
I just did the Santiago to BS AS route via BUS in December ’04. MeredithBlueEyes is right on with the time frame.
The route I took was Santiago to Mendoza U$11 (Bus change) then to BS AS for U$75.
I’m pretty sure that the ticket was around U$75 from Mendoza to BS AS – but that was FIRST CLASS and if you can afford it I suggest you do it. It was a double story bus with about 40 seats in "coach" (top story) and first class had the entire bottom floor (seats 6 people) – Lot’s of room and the seats fold down into beds. Be sure to ask for "CAMA SUITE". That’s the best type of seating. Then it goes down from there: "COCHE CAMA", and "SEMI CAMA".
Personally I’d take bus over plane…you do have a lot of time and your more likley to meet a lot of people along the way.
I lived in Argentina for about 5 years, so if there is anything you need more help with, just ask.
Oh, and if it’ll help you judge distance, a bus ticket from BS AS to the coastal area (beaches) of Pinamar costs 42 pesos (about U$13 and takes 4 hours)