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The Bus Ride From Hell: Bogota to Guican in 14 Hours
You would think I’d know better by now.
But apparently I’m a slow learner. It’s not as though I haven’t already done three long bus rides in South America – including one that was 16 hours long. But those bus rides were in Chile and Argentina – where the buses have leather seats like a business class seat on an airplane. They recline. They’re roomy. And they allow you to see outside.
Not so – on my recent bus ride from Bogota to Guican – now regarded by me as the BUS RIDE FROM HELL.
If I’d been smart I would have re-read my 30 tips for long distance bus rides - before getting on the bus. We all need a little refresher if we haven’t been traveling in countries where travel isn’t as straight forward as it usually is in North America.
One of Colombia’s very uncomfortable buses
The bus ride was the one big unknown with regards to our Colombia trip. We knew we had to get to Guican – the gateway town for hiking in the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy - from Bogota. There were two options – a supposed 10-12 hour bus ride OR an expensive trip by private car that would take about nine hours.
So in the interests of saving money and absorbing some local flavour we chose to travel to Guican by bus. Just getting information was painful. There are confusing websites and the individual bus lines don’t have websites. Fortunately Rodrigo our guide let us know that the bus companies to choose from were Fundadores, Concorde and Libertadores – though Libertadores only goes overnight.
Bumpy parts of the road – where for hours you can’t go more than 30 km/h
We also weren’t sure if we should buy a ticket ahead of time – but that would have been a lot of work and as it turns out unnecessary. But to be on the safe side we made our way to the Main Bus Terminal in Bogota – a huge, sprawling affair – an hour before our 6 am bus was scheduled to leave.
If you know what bus company you’re using then it’s a snap to buy a ticket. But there are dozens of bus companies so that information is very useful to have beforehand. Buying our ticket took seconds. It is not possible to purchase tickets online. To be on the safe side bring cash for the tickets. Ours were only about $US 25 one way.
Buses in Guican waiting for the next load of passengers
You might be wondering by now what made this bus ride the bus ride from hell.
A number of things:
- Even though there is a washroom on the bus, it doesn’t work and I have heard that is the case on all buses these days in Colombia (please correct me if I’m wrong). So you have to find a bathroom in one of the small towns along the way. That can be time consuming and you never quite know if the bus will leave without you. In fact I had to hold the bus back from leaving as John hadn’t returned when the driver was about to pull away. (Don’t forget to bring your own toilet paper and small change in case you have to pay to use the facilities.)
- John and I had both started taking Diamox the morning we left for Guican. It’s a drug that does wonders to prevent and alleviate the symptoms of altitude sickness. But one of the side effects is that it acts as a diuretic so you have to pee A LOT. And you’re supposed to drink a lot but that wasn’t going to happen on this bus ride. So if you choose to go by bus, do not start taking Diamox until you get to Guican.
- The windows on our bus had a darkened section – which I’m sure is helpful in the hotter, sunny regions, but it prevented you from seeing out properly. There was always a line in the middle of your vision. And it was very annoying.
- The seats are wildly uncomfortable. If you do recline them and someone is behind you they quite literally have no room. The seats go back to within one inch of the seat behind so being jammed is a problem. The one bit of good news is that for a few hours here and there we would get two seats to ourselves.
- If you didn’t bring noise cancelling headphones then you are in for 14 hours of non-stop, repetitive music. And some of it was the squeaky, disco type that was just about as bad as fingernails on chalkboards.
- If the bus gets crowded then kids go on mother’s laps and you could end up seating three people where there should only be two.
- The roads after Tunja are potholed, washed out, broken down and a mess. Expect to go no more than 30 kilometers per hour as a top speed for at least four hours. It took us in a car on the return four hours to do 140 kilometers.
- The drive, though beautiful, takes you through country that is rife with landslides. If it’s raining which it was for us for the last few hours, try not to obsess about the fact that the bus might just be thrown over a cliff in a very real landslide. There are numerous signs that speak to the geological faults in the area. And sometimes in rainy season the road can be closed for DAYS.
- Keep your expectations in check. I was counting on arriving in Guican in 10 hours. When 4 pm rolled by and I found out how far away we still were I almost went into shock. Plan on the trip being 14 hours.
- The bus is a milk run. Anyone can flag it down over the entire route. So there is loads of stopping and starting and loading of bags.
- Food and drinks are best bought in quantity in Bogota. That way you won’t be worrying about the bus pulling away without you. We ate a few bars we had and that was about it. When we arrived in Guican the restaurant had closed so other than a hunk of cheese and a piece of bread we had nothing else to eat all day.
But there are a few good things about the bus ride I should mention.
Gorgeous sunset over the mountains about three hours from Guican
The scenery is stunning once you get past Tunja. Deeply incised valleys, tall mountains and even glacier views can be seen. And you get a taste of what the rural life is like in Colombia. People on the bus were friendly and helpful and in fact in the last hour I pulled out my computer and entertained kids and adults with photos of Canada.
The rest of the photos are taken on our return trip – done from the comfort of a car. There was no way you could pay me to do the trip by bus back to Bogota – especially since we would have arrived back in Bogota in the middle of the night.
The pretty town of Susacon at about the half way point
Rural scenes and hilly country
You see lots of laundry drying
Rooster chained to a restaurant door
Biking seemed popular on weekends
Just hanging out in small town Colombia
Incredible cloud formations
A stop to pick up a couple of these corn and cheese pancakes
Fruit for sale from a road side stop
A statue I believe is of Santiago Botero – a mountains winner in the Tour du France in 2000
Would you concur and call this the bus ride from hell?
What bus rides have you taken that have been memorable?
Leigh McAdam
HikeBikeTravel
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About Hike Bike TravelAvid world traveler. Craves adventure - & the odd wildly epic day. Gardener. Reader. Wine lover. Next big project - a book on 100 Canadian outdoor adventures.
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24 Responses to The Bus Ride From Hell: Bogota to Guican in 14 Hours
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About
I’ve been all over the world – to all continents but Antarctica and to a grand total of 53 countries. I’ve always got some sort of an adventure planned – even if it’s only a weekend. I thrive on change and travel provides that.
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Thanks so much for the insight! Are there any other cheap-ish modes of travel from Bogota to Guican or other Colombian cities that you might recommend? I’m traveling in March/April. Thx again!
@Jessi To my knowledge you’re stuck with the buses. The good news is that the price is right – just monitor your expectations in terms of the length of the trip.
Well, the corn and cheese pancakes look pretty amazing! So does the gorgeous scenery. Love your photos of real life in rural and small town Colombia. It does indeed sound like a miserable trip, but you got to Guican safe and sound — and we get to read about your adventures.
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I don’t love doing the long bus rides, but I always love looking back on them; they’re always an experience!! Great pictures as always Leigh!
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@Gillian Long bus rides do give you the sense of a country – and that was the reason for taking one in the first place. I’m very happy though that we didn’t have to do the return by bus. A private car felt like heaven and 9 hours was a piece of cake.
I think all of us travelers have the bus trip from hell story. Mine came from Thailand to Cambodia. The first three hours from Bangkok to the Cambodian border I had the three seats in the back to myself and the bus was A/C. I think having it so good just made the rest of the trip that much worse. It was a complete nightmare the moment we stepped into Cambodia. The best and most memorable experiences are the ones that were not so fun at the time.
Traveling Ted recently posted..A Ham Lake Gunflint cross-country ski breakfast
@Ted Your point is very true. At least now with a blog we know we can get a good story out of most any bad experience. I can’t imagine the heat and humidity in your bus.
This was quite an unforgettable experience for you and John, Leigh! I agree it does sound like the bus ride from hell. Your mere mention of “try not to obsess about the fact that the bus might just be thrown over a cliff in a very real landslide” was enough to give me goosebumps. I would never have made it through this bus ride. Glad you made it safely. The rural setting looks wonderful from your car ride though.
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@Mary I did look at all the steep terrain we passed beneath and took note of all the landslides from the past and just hoped we’d be lucky to get through in one piece. Fortunately as you can see we were.
I couldn’t do 16 hours on a good bus. But at least you got a good story out of it!
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@Billie That’s exactly what I was thinking as the time on the bus got longer and longer…
Wow! That does sound rough.. but if you made it there safely I’d say it was a success.. and the photos you took along the way .. what beautiful country side!
I’ve been thinking about taking the ‘tica bus’ all the way from Mexico through Central America to Panama and can only imagine how tiring that will be
James Abroad recently posted..Photo Essay – The Rare & Exotic Wildlife World Zoo
@James You have an adventurous spirit if you’re seriously contemplating that trip. Good luck!
the statue said it was Santiago Botero? I don’t think he is, since Botero is from Antioquia. it was probably one of the many famous Boyacense cyclists. Colombia has had a lot of famous cyclists running the main European competitions for decades.
sorry for bad English.
@Hue No I can’t actually say though are guide seemed to think he was one of the Tour winners. I may be mistaken and you are probably correct.
You brought back so many bus ride from hell memories and yes I would say this one qualifies, heck “14 hour bus ride” in itself qualifies, without the other stuff, but the lack of toilet and bad/loud music really tops it.
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@Laurel The two issues you mentioned and just the length of it nearly did me in.
I think 14 hours are too long for a bus travel but you made it, Bravo!!. I can not adjust more than 5-6 hours. I agree that outside view is beautiful but I would love to cover this way with a bike. Was there any dealer who can offer you bike on rent??
The scenery is just unreal and your bus rocks!
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@AgnessI totally agree about the scenery – and the topography was pretty wild.
Without a doubt, Leigh! The darkened windows would make me feel blind as I like to see where I’m going. The seats would be next on my list. Having to pee A LOT would be the end of me — I’d probably be still in Colombia trying to get back home. Glad you made it so you could pass on this info. You got some fantastic shots, though! Thank you!!
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Sounds like an interesting experience, to say the least. Memorable though, no? And not exactly boring…
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@Sophie It was memorable – that’s for sure. I’m in no rush to do another long bus ride though.
That all sounded like a nightmare. If there have been alternatives and it would be a choice of traveling by bus for 10 hours or paying 2x or even 3x as much for a more comfortable option, I’d pay. It’s not fun travelling even by train for more than 6 hours, much less in a bus.
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