© meltravels — An old US school bus repainted into the infamous public ‘chicken bus’

If you’re flying into Guatemala City, upon arrival at the airport there are shuttles (even without prior reservation) to Antigua, from where you can then further your journey to other parts of the country. Otherwise, take a taxi to a bus terminal to catch a chicken bus to your destination.

Pros and cons between a shuttle and a chicken bus?

Truth is, they don’t differ very much in terms of comfort. Taking a chicken bus from Guatemala City, which is the starting point for most buses, you’ll be guaranteed a seat so you won’t have to be swaying interminably in the center aisle.

And in terms of time saved, I’ve found that there’s no significant difference between the two either since all the drivers drive like hell’s on fire anyway. The chicken bus will make stops for people to get on and off but that doesn’t contribute to a significant delay in reaching your destination. Any delays will be due to highway constructions.

In terms of cost, the chicken bus is generally cheaper, although for some routes there is no significant difference. For example, from Antigua to Panajachel or Guatemala City, you can get it as cheap as $5 or $7 with a shuttle, which works out about the same as a chicken bus. But for longer routes there might be a larger margin of difference.

Point is: if you’re hesitating about taking a chicken bus, don’t… unless: (1) you have a hefty amount of luggage, then you might want to consider a shuttle, or (2) if you don’t want to take the chance of being robbed while you’re asleep or unaware - I’ve had my wallet stolen from me before while I was asleep, and I met a traveler once who unknowingly had his pocket sliced open with a knife and his passport and cash stolen. But the better reason to opt for a shuttle over a chicken bus is (3) not having to make multiple connections. A shuttle brings you from A to B in one vehicle, sometimes even door to door.

However, for every first-timer in Central America, the chicken bus is an experience not to be forgone since it offers up a true local experience (once you’re a veteran you’ll probably tire of it). So here I’ve listed a few places in the country you might want to make your way to from la capital, with the bus terminal addresses provided in Spanish.

Some helpful pointers before you start:
- ‘entre‘ means ‘between’
- ‘y‘ means ‘and’
- ‘6a‘ stands for ‘6th’
- Q stands for Quetzales, the Guatemalan currency ($USD1 = Q7.5)

Also, with every bus you take, ask where it brings you. Often once you get to a terminal you get inundated with bus ayudantes asking you where you want to go and when you tell them you want to go to Panajachel, they take your bag and put you on a bus to Los Encuentros where you have to change buses to get to your final destination. So to be safe rather than sorry, use your fledging Spanish and ask clearly before you board your bus.

For Antigua, go to Varias Empresas on 1a Avenida, entre 3a y 4a Calle, Zona 7. Buses leave every 15 minutes from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and passes through San Lucas Sacatepéquez. The journey takes 1 hour and costs Q5.

For Chichicastenango, go to Veloz Quichelense on 41 Calle, entre 6a y 7a Avenida, Zona 8. Buses leave every hour from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. and passes through San Lucas Saxatepéquez, Chimaltenango and Los Encuentros. It takes 3 hours and costs Q12.

For Panajachel, go to Transportes Rebulli on 41 Calle, entre 6a y 7a Avenida, Zona 8. Buses leave every hour from 5:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., passing through Chimaltenango, Los Encuentros and Solola. The journey takes 3 hours and costs Q12.

For San Marcos, go to Transportes Marquensita on 1a Avenida, 21-31, Zona 1. Buses leave at 6 a.m., 6:30 a.m., 8:40 a.m., 11 p.m., 12 p.m, 3:30 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., passing through Chimaltenango, Los Encuentros, Cuatro Caminos and Quetzaltenango. The journey takes 5 hours, not sure how much it costs.

For San Pedro La Laguna, go to Transportes Mendez on 41 Calle, entre 6a y 7a Avenida, Zona 8. The only bus leaves at 1 p.m., passing through Chimaltenango and Los Encuentros. The journey takes 4 hours, not sure how much this costs either.

For Santiago Atitlán, go to Varias Empresas on 4a Calle, entre 8a y 9a Avenida, Zona 12. Buses leave every 30 minutes between 4 a.m. and 5 p.m., passing through Escuintla, Cocales and San Lucas Tolimán. The journey takes 4 hours and costs Q25.

For Quetzaltenango (’Xela‘), go to Transportes Galgos on 5a Avenida, 6-36, Zona 12. Buses leave 5:30 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 2:30 p.m., and 5 p.m., passing through Chimaltenango, Los Encuentros and Cuatro Caminos. It takes 4 hours and costs Q45.

Or Lineas América on 2a Avenida, 18-47, Zona 1. Buses leave 5 a.m, 9:15 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 3:15 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.

Or Transportes Alano on 12 Avenida “A”, 0-65, Zona 7. Buses leave 8 a.m., 10:15 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 3 p.m., 4:15 p.m., and 5:30 p.m.

For luxury and direct service, go with Linea Dorada, 16 Calle 10-03, Zona 1 (Tel: 2232-5843). Buses leave at 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. The journey takes 4 hours.

For Coban, go to Escobar y Monja Blanca (Tel: 2238 1409) on 8a Avenida, 15-16, Zona 1. Buses leave every hour from 4 a.m. to 5 p.m. and passes through El Rancho, Rio Hondo, Zacapa and Chiquimula. The journey takes 4.5 hours and costs Q30.

For Flores - Santa Elena, go to Fuente del Norte (Tel: 2238 3894 / 251 3817) on 17 Calle, 8-46, Zona 1. Buses leave every hour for 24 hours, passing through El Rancho, La Ruidosa, Rio Dulce, San Luis and Poptún. The journey takes 9-10 hours, and costs Q80.

Alternatively you can go to Linea Dorada (Tel: 2232 9658) on 10a Avenida y 16 Calle, Zona 1. Buses leave at 9 a.m., 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. The journey takes 8 hours and costs Q180.

Or, the 3rd option: ADN (Tel: 2251 0050 / 2251 0079) on 8a Avenida, 16-41, Zona 1. Buses leave at 9 p.m., 10 p.m and 11 p.m. The journey also takes 8 hours but costs Q230.

Note: You can also fly to Flores with Taca Airlines.