Renting a car costs from US$40 a day for a tiny hatchback or around US$70 for a 4WD by the time youve added the extras. Is there any cheap transportation? To collect money from travelers, the brocha or ayudante will inquire about your destination. It's a real pit of a town with some of the skankiest houses of ill fame in the country. Chicken Bus from Guatemala City to Lanqun Chicken Bus in GC - Guatemala City Message Board - Tripadvisor Things To Do in San Pancho A List of The Top 15, Things To Do in Playa del Carmen A List of The Top 21, Things To Do in Puerto Vallarta A List of The Top 20, Things To Do in Guanajuato A List of The Top 10, Backpacking Mexico Top Reasons To Travel Here Now, Manzanillo Colima Ultimate Travel Guide. The second-largest country in Central America, Honduras is a sprawl of mountains, islands, coastal plains and tropical lowlands. To flag down a tuk-tuk, simply put out your hand and make an up-and-down waving motion, as if youre patting an imaginary child on the head. There are no schedules all depends on the driver's mood. GuateGo On GuateGo, you can check all available transportation options from Guatemala City to Lanqun. Gasoline is more expensive in Guatemala than it is in the United States but cheaper than in Canada, Australia and Europe. June until September can be overcast and cloudy, and rainfall frequent, so if you're looking to avoid the rains on your trip to Guatemala City, plan to in the drier season! All rights reserved. These trucks are not suitable for those who must get to their destination faster. If you arrived by air, make sure to have your airline send you a breakdown of fees paid. Typically, the driver manages the bus and decides where it goes and at what time. Once you're 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). It's actually surprisingly welcoming. No elements found. Be warned that local driving practices can be alarming, including overtaking on blind corners. Where they are available, boats are often the preferred mode of transport because theyre quicker than going by road. The Chicken Bus Guatemala is a spectacular and rather shocking sight to witness. In remote parts of the country pick-ups (picops) supplement microbus services, and for sheer joy of travel, you cant beat the open-air views (unless its raining!). The Colorful Chicken Buses of Guatemala (with Photos) - Touropia Striking work by photographer Richard Mosse shows how merging art and technology can cut through dry data. Just remember that some of the problems in this big city could happen in any big city. The interiors of the buses are just as vibrant as the exteriors, if not more so. Make use of your rational thinking and instinct to keep yourself secure. You are warned (mostly by people who never . Some even have air-conditioning, which is always welcome in this sweltering tropical climate, particularly for routes in the lowlands. Sign up for our weekly newsletter and well send you our 101 Ways To Earn Money For Travel eBook for Free, plus well send you a series of emails to show you how to travel in a financially sustainable way. A chicken bus in Guatemala is known for a range of factors. But yeah, as everyone else says, avoid the red city buses. Once there, we collected our backpacks from the roof of the bus and started walking. Each bus driver decorates and paints their bus to be more pleasing. What I would suggest is talk to your hotel about nearby attractions and see if there are any chicken buses that can take you there. A Traveler's Guide to the Chicken Bus in Guatemala The tracks are a whirlwind of activity. The weather in Guatemala City stays relatively constant all year, with temperatures ranging between an average of 17C (63F) in January and 21C (70F) in April. For the most part the service is extremely comprehensive, reaching even the smallest of villages. From Oaxaca State: many people choose to take the coastal Route 200 through Chiapas and down into Guatemala. I wouldn't recommend any of these. Buses in Guatemala come in two classes: comfortable first-class Pullman buses and second-class "chicken buses" - revamped US school buses that go almost everywhere. For an overview of what the town of Pana is like, check out our quick video here. Other drivers tell tales of pride: building their own family businesses through the buses, becoming fixtures in the lives of their passengers, or even meeting their spouses while working. 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. Most local people get around by chicken bus, so these colorful vehicles offer an authentic taste of Guatemalan life: grandmothers in traditional clothing visiting family in the next village, students going back to university in the big city, city workers traveling back to rural homes for the weekend, mothers with young children on shopping trips. Reaching Guatemala's spectacular Mayan temples by public transport is easy but slow Kryssia Campos / Getty Images, Getting around Guatemala is travel in vivid color. 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. A few buses hit their routes unadornedstill bright yellow, still carrying the names of the school districts they once served. They don't take reservations and you couldn't rely on them if they did. Outside the capital, metered cabs are non-existent, so its essential to fix a price before you set off. There are tour companies all over San Cristobal that you can approach independently to book a ticket. Short-distance buses have seats that may become bothersome pretty quickly. She loves meeting new people, trying new cuisines, and learning about the unique cultures of our world. And another thing: how did the passengers know that was the correct exit fee? Once youve boarded, make haste if you must share a seat as these buses tend to be overbooked. Lonely Planets Accessible Travel Resources, The best Mayan sites in Central America: Pyramids of power, Buy the latest edition of The Travel Book, The best places to visit in February 2023, How I travel with writer Sheila Yasmin Marikar, 22 things you should know before traveling to El Salvador, How to get around in Honduras, from the cloud forests to the beaches, All you need to know about visas for Honduras, Best time to visit Honduras for whale shark spotting, white-water rafting and avoiding the hurricane season, When to visit Oaxaca for festivals, food and fun, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Since our final destination was Lake Atitlan (which is 220 kms from the Mexican border), rather than try to figure out all of that transportation ourselves, we thought it seemed logical, easier, and basically the same price, to opt for a shuttle bus to take us from San Cristobal in Mexico all the way to Panajachel on Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. Getting the bus to Antigua is a bit of a pain. 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). Chicken Bus on the Streets of Antigua Esquintla to El Salvador Border (Frontera) We stood facing the intersection, waiting on the south side of Calle 9 and 1a Avenida. The buses leave at every half hour, once every hour from 8am until 5pm with a break for lunch (8.30am, 9.30am, 10.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm, 2.30pm, 3.30pm, 4.30pm) and take roughly 3h 45min. Look for the bus with the city name on the front. The driver's assistant who might have gone to school for three years can remember where every passenger got on, how much they paid, how much change they had coming to them and how many bags they had on the roof. Exploring this fascinating corner of the Americas is easy, but getting from A to B may take longer than you think. Colorful bumpers and lighting give the chicken bus a swaggering appearance. For all their flaws, I love traveling by chicken bus, even though theyre cramped, uncomfortable and not the safest way to get around. Theyre slow going, but theyre one of the best ways to meet locals. I rode a tourist shuttle between Antigua and GC, and we drove past a chicken bus that had just landed on its side beside the road. But you can also take them in the capital to get you closer to certain attractions, instead of paying more for a taxi. These retired US school buses have been given a new life and a bold new look, with bright primary colors and a riot of chrome trimmings. Some have a TV screen up front playing music videos or action movies dubbed into Spanish, while others will let you enjoy the scenery or have a snooze in peace and quiet. The city buses, however, do accept cash payments on the bus and will make stops anywhere along the route just shout when you're ready to get off. 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. You may also like: Things to know before visiting GuatemalaThe 14 best beaches in Central AmericaThe best Mayan sites in Central America: Pyramids of power. Today Guat is an incredibly tranquil place compared to decades past. 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. 170Q/$22.30, at 9:00pm, 8 hour journey). You only need to go there and inquire which ride takes you to your selected location. These buses are a unique mode of travel that involves paying with cash, unlike regular modes of public transit that need a pre-loaded card. But that is rare. How to get from Guatemala City to Flores, Guatemala, How to get from Guatemala City to Atitlan Lake, Guatemala. Wheelchair-accessible accommodation is scarce, and wheelchair-accessible transport is near non-existent. Additional fees and charges for optional products and services may apply. To go to the museums or the zoo, for example, I took the local train and got off on the trebol. Direct Chicken Bus from Guatemala City to Panajachel
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