Santa Ana El Salvador to Antigua Guatemala

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This is how we went from Santa Ana El Salvador to Antigua Guatemala on chicken buses for about $6.50.



1. Catch the 210 bus to Ahuachapan from the bus station in the market. We got on it at 6:45am as it was making its way through the market. It took until 7:00am to get out of the town. It cost 50 cents and arrived in Ahuachapan at 8am.

2. Catch a minibus to Las Chinamas border. The bus from Santa Ana drops you on the side of a road on the edge of town. Walk towards the main road in front of you. On the right are signs to the centre of town. Follow the signs and go right down a hill towards a 'Bomba' sign. There was a minibus 11a parked on the side of the hill whilst the drivers were having some breakfast. They said they would be leaving soon so we got on there. The bus then drove to the official stop which was to the right of the park. The bus left at 8:15am and cost 50 cents.

3. This is where we had a bit of difficulty. Just before the border at 8:45am a policeman stopped the bus and said something about the border being closed. One guy got off the bus and the policeman waved us off the bus as well. The bus then carried on to the border and left us at the side of the road with the policeman. We managed to find out that the border was to be closed until 12:30pm but we could wait at the border if we wanted or return to Ahuachapan. We decided to wait at the border so when the next bus stopped the policeman had a word with the driver and we got on to go the short distance to the border.

4. At the border bus stop we were swarmed by money changers. We tried to change some money and they tried to rip us off but we knew what the exchange rate should be. To get to the border walk down the hill. The border was closed as the policeman said so we hung around for a bit and had some pupusas whilst we were waiting. We weren't sure why the border was closed and our Spanish is not good enough to have asked why so we just waited and watched. There were TV cameras, reporters and a large crowd on the Guatemalan side. The crowd lined up, walked across the bridge and turned around and walked back stopping for a talk in the middle. We assumed it was some kind of protest. Later we looked it up online and aparently the border measures were being relaxed from that day onwards meaning a check is made on only one side of the border. Aparently the Guatemalan President was there to welcome these new measures. There were a lot of army/policemen around and someone was waving out of an escorted car so I can only assume it was the President.

5. Thankfully the border reopened at 10am. To exit El Salvador there is a blue and white building before the bridge on the right hand side. We handed in our passports and got given a receipt. There was no fee, stamps or questions. Exit the building on the other side and there are steps on the right of the bridge. To go onto the bridge show your passport and receipt. Walk over the bridge to Guatemala.

6. Enter Guatemala. Keep walking along the road until you get to the migration building which stretches over the road. On the left there is a migration office. At the far left window there is a box. Put your receipt from El Salvador in the box and you have officially entered Guatemala. We were very confused that no passport checks were required but aparently this was the new process and they wouldn't even look at our passports when we asked.



***IMPORTANT UPDATE - we tried to leave Guatemala for Copan Honduras and they wouldn't give us an exit stamp as we didn't have an entrance stamp. We had no El Salvador stamp which was fine but apparently you need one for Guatemala else you have to pay a "fine." Make sure you get a stamp on entering. Our "fine" was originally quoted as Q200. We didn't want to pay but couldn't get a Honduras entrance stamp without a Guatemalan stamp. They then reduced the "fine" to Q100 and stamped us in and out of Guatemala on the same day.



7. Catch the bus to Guatemala City. After migration walk up the hill and the bus was parked on the left at the top of the hill. We got on and the bus then drove back down the hill to migration and parked on the right hand side to wait for more people. It left at 10:45am and cost Q30. The bus drove to the next town and waited there for about 40mins. Next the bus stopped at a garage for some maintenance and fuel. It was a very slow bus and the driver was very keen to use his horn repeatedly for no reason. Luckily once we reached the main highway it sped up and we arrived in Guatemala City at 2:30pm. Stay onto the last stop which is at an intersection in zone 9 somewhere with other buses around.

8. Change bus stops. There were taxis waiting when we got off the bus and the driver quoted us Q50 to go to the bus stop for Antigua. Most people from our bus got on a red bus which was parked next to our bus. The conductor confirmed it was going to Trebol which is where the buses for Antigua leave so we got on as well. After about 10 mins someone told us get off by some market stalls and other buses. I looked around for landmarks but the only thing I could see was a sign over the road saying 'elektra'. The bus stop is on Calzada Roosevelt where it meets avenue 1a just after the busy intersection. Whilst geting off the bus we realised we hadn't paid as you pay when you get on. We gave the conductor Q5 for the 2 of us and he gave us Q1 back which was all he had on him, I think the actual price is Q1.

9. Catch the bus to Antigua. From where the red bus drops you off walk back the way you came about 30m past the buses. There was a bus to Antigua just pulling off so we jumped on that. It left at 2:45pm and cost Q10. After several loops around town it stopped at the bus station West of town at 4:10pm.

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Comments

[gohi]

You were there on a lucky day!
The bridge had been previously closed for maintenance, as a part of the bridge had fallen down. You arrived on the day the bridge reopened. That's why there was a press conference and government officials :P

[GearoidJess]

Thanks for the info Gohi and solving our mystery!

[Jipsa]

2017 update / coming from Ruta de las Flores
If you are coming from Ruta de las Flores you can take bus 249 to Ahuachapan. Once they drop you, cross in front of the bus and follow the road to the left. Take the first right and walk down the hill towards the busy market and bus area. The small bus to Las Chimanas leaves on the right side of the road, after the market. Ask around to be sure. At the border, if you need to change a bit of money for the bus ride, do it on the El Salvadorean side, but wait until you are near immigration. The further down the hill you get, the better rates you'll get quoted. The final guy offered me Q6.9 per dollar, whereas the ones near the bus only did Q6.5. The rate is still bad compared to ATM's (currently Q7.34), so don't change too much. At the Guatemalan side, immigration will now stamp your passport for entry. No fees are required. After immigration you can wait for the bus to Guatemala City ("Guate") to show up. The bus ride to Guate is still similar to what is described above. Lots of honking and waiting around. After driving for a while in Guate, the ticket guy yelled a few names including 'Antigua', so I asked if I could get a bus to Antigua near there. They told me to walk a few blocks, which I did. However, the busses I found didn't go to Antigua. As it was not a nice neighborhood, I decided to hail a cab and he drove me to the right bus station in about 10 minutes (Q25). Might be better just to wait until the final station and get a cab there, although I'm not sure if that's farther away. All in all it took me around 10 hours to get from Juayua to my hotel in Antigua. Going to El Tunco and taking a shuttle could be slightly faster and more comfortable, though less adventurous ;-)