Note from Molly: We traveled for 4 1/2 years in South America, and published a free eBook: Cheap Places in South America & Budget Travel Tips. This is from the ‘How To Save Costs on Transportation’ chapter.
I bet you thought I was going to say “take the bus instead of fly” from one destination to the next. And then roll your eyes with that ‘as if I didn’t already know that’ expression on your face. Well, you’re right and then not so right.
Taking the bus is how most budget travelers are going to hop from one town or country to the next in South America and in most cases is the cheapest from of transportation – though not the most comfortable way to travel and often very time-consuming.
In Argentina and Brazil you can easily log over 50 hours on busses and still only have seen a small part of the country.
Ecuador and Chile, however, are much smaller and travel times shorter, so bus travel is very cost-efficient. In Ecuador you can cross from one end of the country to the other (Quito to Guayaquil) in 8 hours, for only $10 USD.
When traveling by bus in rural Bolivia, Ecuador or Peru, often times there is no actual bus terminal, just a roadside designated area for drivers to drop-off and pick-up passengers.
The photograph above was taken at one such stop in Atoche, Bolivia – on our way from Potosi to Uyuni.
Locals in the area make a living by providing snacks and drinks… sometimes cheap eats like salchipapas – cut-up fried hot dogs with french fries in a paper cone.
In Bolivia it depends where you want to go, and in some cases taking the train a much better option, such from Tupiza to La Paz. On this route there are no first class busses (they will sell you a ticket for one but I promise you won’t be impressed), back-breaking bumpy dirt roads and the cost of the Wara Wara train (have to go to Oruro then bus three hours to La Paz) the same cost.
Even in the cheapest Wara Wara train cars you have heating, comfortable seats, movies and a full-service restaurant car at your disposal for the duration of the 16 hour journey.
Another budget train route is from Buenos Aires to Mar del Plata on the Atlantic coast. When you take the cheap Diario train that runs daily it is around half the cost of taking the bus and an hour or so less (6 hours instead of 7).
And again, you have a full-service restaurant car to sit in and have a meal or drink while enjoying the view. For more information on this train route including pricing click here.
Airfare, due to lack of competition and not enough customers, is outrageously expensive in South America. Yet, believe it or not, there are situations where taking the plane can not only save you money, but also add an extra day to your itinerary for you to enjoy.
Want to visit Iguassu Falls (Brazil) after a stay in Montevideo, Uruguay?
Get online and check airfares before you shell out $40 USD for the Boquebus, $12 USD for a bed in a dorm in Buenos Aires, $15 in food and drinks then another $130 USD or more to sit on your rear-end for 19 hours.
Puna airline can get you there in two hours, for less cost. Heading to Buenos Aires after visiting Punta del Este? Puna can get you there in an hour for only $25 USD, if you fly on a Wednesday.
Colombia has low-cost, in-country flights that can save you much time and cost similar to what you would spend on a first-class bus. Prices change depending on the season and special deals can be available so it is always a smart budget move to get online, try to find a cheap flight before you head to the bus terminal to purchase your ticket.
Three airlines with domestic flights are: Aviana, LAN Colombia (formerly Aires) and Satena.
Busses are priciest in Brazil and the journeys are long. When you can, fly.
Rather than a grueling two-day $300 USD or more (most likely more as you would want to break it up and stay a night somewhere) from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro, you can fly with Puna for only $200 USD, and not have to deal with hassles of crossing the border by land.
For long legs of your trip, always jump online and do a search for airfare, you may be pleasantly suprised with what you find.