Not again!
I cringe as I hear the "pop" "whhhoooooosj"... then "screeeeech" of brakes. There is no doubt in my mind what it is. Its the 12th tire of my 3 week Bolivia journey popping.... I don´t just think - "I wonder how long it will take" I worry "I hope they have a spare"!!!
Few travellers can make their way overland in Bolivia without incident - this lens offers tips and advice to help you plan AND prepare for the unexpected! Ofcourse it focuses on buses around Santa Cruz where I live, but dont let that stop you from sharing your horror bus stories from all over Bolivia in the guestbook!
Reliable Bus Companies
But seriously, I want to use this lense to update you on the various information we have on bus companies in Boivia (operating through Santa Cruz).
COPACABANA is the largest bus company in Bolivia, they have the largest fleet of buses and have the best reputation among the Bolivian public. I found out recently through some Santa Cruz locals that this company is favoured by Boivians because they have death insurance. Hmmm... sounds ominous but to me it says 2 good things - 1 - if you die on their bus (unlikely), your family is going to get a wad of cash. Secondly - they are actually probably not so keen for their insurance premiums to rise and therefore will be drively safely to ensure nothing happens!
I need to clarify here that there is also a bus company TRANS COPACABANA. This is not the company recommended above, it is a company that is trying to ride on the good name of COPACABANA - which says it all really, doesn´t it.
MOPAR is a company that I have travelled with a number of times through Bolivia and had excellent experiences each time - this is particularly the case on the Sucre to Santa Cruz route. The 1 tyre that blew was fixed within 10 minutes - they wouldn´t even let us get off the bus because the passengers herding like cows would make them late!
EL DORADO has had some bad luck this year - two major accidents just outside of Cochabamba, including one that killed 30 students from a Cruceñan university. Note that this occured on a very dangerous and accident part of the highway.
You would ASSUME (as one traveler incorrectly told me) that this would put them sufficiently out of business but on a recent trip (in car) from Santa Cruz to La Paz we saw at least 6 very new El Dorado buses driving VERY SAFELY compared to some of the other buses on the same route. We vote this company as safe.
Stay tuned for updates and don´t forget to leave your latest bus stories in the guest book!
Bolivian Road System
La Paz - Oruro 3hrs paved
Oruro - Uyuni 10hrs dirt - bumpy
Uyuni - Potosí 7hrs dirt - bumpy
Potosi - Sucre 3hrs paved
Sucre - Santa Cruz 17hrs dirt - rough in parts
S Crz - Cocha 10hrs paved
Check out these other good links for Bolivia Independent Travel
- Air Travel in Bolivia
- One of my other Squidoo Lenses - for when you decide you just can´t take another bus
- Train Travel in Bolivia
- Trains are another convenient overland option in Bolivia
- Backpacking Bolivia
- Independent travelers resource for travelling in the Santa Cruz Region
- Jodanga Hostel
- The best hostel in Santa Cruz - and of course where you can come and chat to me to get all the latest info on the roads in Bolivia!
New Guestbook
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by Bolivia_Blogger
I am a perpetual Bolivia traveller, based in Santa Cruz fascinated with this beautiful and interesting country - my aim is to make...
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