Jimbo's Guide to Argentina #2 - Travelling by Bus

This is my second foray into my experiences of living and travelling in Argentina for a period now closing in on 2 months. You can't travel much in Argentina without using the buses and it is a very different experience to long distance bus travel back home. The only other alternative is to fly but often that can be very expensive (due to there being no low cost operators) and there may not be a flight going where you want to go. So here we go...my guide to bus travel in Argentina (sorry spanish speakers I'm going to take a one post rest from translating. This one would probably take me hours to translate)

Observation 1. Comfort factor.

This is the type of seat I have had on 3 out of the 4 overnight journeys thus far. Before I go on I need to say that there are a rather confusingly large amount of different classes of seat. A bloke I spent a bit of time with in Bariloche - James from near Birmingham, he's a Wolves fan so can understand the Scottish "support the underdog" mentality (no offence to Wolves fans!) - he said he was baffled at first with the array of different seats and I quote "I've never known anything like it". You can get Semi Cama, Cama, Cama Ejecutivo, Cama Suite, Ejecutivo, Cama total.... the list goes on! You also have to be a little careful because cama from one firm may not be quite as good as cama from another due to how recently (or not!) they've upgraded their fleet.

Anyway, broadly semi-cama don't recline as much as this and are thinner (4 seats across a bus rather than 3). Also, you might not get food in a semi-cama seat.

A cama suite or cama total is likely to recline even further (fully flat) and you might get better food. I've had a cama suite once (from Posadas to Buenos Aires) and it was great. Unfortunately not all routes have these seats.

Anyway, you can normally get a cama if you book a couple of days in advance and they are usually only about 50 pesos more expensive (less than a tenner) than semi cama so I'm all in for cama every time.

Observation 2. Value for Money

Traveling by bus is usually significantly cheaper than an flight equivalent flight. If you go overnight you also save on hotel and with some food thrown in too the savings add up.

Example..just looking up some prices now...

Mendoza (where I am now) to Buenos Aires on Wednesday

BUS...I can get a cama suite for $525 pesos or Cama for $475. Its an overnighter and takes 14-15 hours.

FLIGHT $758. If you add on a couple of hundred pesos for a room and about 40 or 50 or more for a meal you can see the savings on the buses. That is actually one of the cheaper flights I've seen. The difference is usually bigger.

By the way - if anyone gets motion sickness at all (like my brother), forget the bus, the drivers don't mess about and there is a wee bit of rocking and rolling on the sometimes uneven roads.

Observation 3. The food's ok

With an overnighter Cama (depending on when you board) you sometimes get a early evening snack...

I've travelled on Andesmar a couple of times as they are the biggest firm around the Andes (could you guess from the name?) Heres the wee goody pack that acts as teatime snack or breakfast.

Now then, what have we here...a pack of dry toast (this is actually ok - a bit like a cracker), some jam for the toast, a sponge (filled with ... Dulce de Leche!) and a biscuit (filled with ..... Dulce de Leche!). I must admit this is all a bit sweet for me so I always take a couple of apples and bananas and some cereal bars on board to supplement my diet.

 What's this biscuit like then....

 Hmmm, icing type covering (quite thick), crumbly biscuity bit next, and a very thick filling of DDL. Total calories 242 - thats almost as much as a mars bar (280) . What does it taste like ....

CHOMP!....





















(note - posh wee finger just sneaking into shot!!!)

Hmmm, not bad... but one bite is about enough for me ... far too sweet! That is not what I want for brekky (there's only so far I go with "when in Rome..."!)

The Cena Caliente (hot dinner) usually (on Andesmar at any rate) comes about 11 or midnight and is no better or worse than average airline food. I always make sure I get a glass our two of Vino tinto to help me drop off :o)

Observation 4. In "flight" entertainment...

This was tremendous. Last nights bus trip kicked off with bingo! As you can see I did not win, but the lucky couple next to me won a bottle of vino. Good spanish numbers practice for me as well.

Apart from bingo - which would always be a winner for me - the entertainment can be very hit and miss. I've had some decent or at least watchable movies (300, transporter, a Brazilian film about some folk singers that I managed to understand a lot of the spanish dubbing for - I was very pleased with myself :o) ). However, it's common for a movie to be switched on at dinner time (midnight) so that can go on quite late and it can be loud. I combat this with some chill-out music on my iPod (plus the aforementioned vino). Also, I have very little interest in something like Fast and Furious 4 - iPod time!

We've also had some pretty dire retro 80's & 90's pop videos (UK, US) or of some ageing crooner who still seems to manage to charm the ladies in the videos despite being far too old for long hair and medallions. Sometimes it's better when they just switch it off - usually this is for an extended period after the midnight film and breakfast at 8. Ah, peace and quiet!

Observation 5. I can actually get some sleep.

I've tried to get overnighters as much as possible. Partly not to waste a day, partly to save on a hotel room but also because I can actually get a few hours sleep. It's not like a decent sleep in a proper bed but it's not too bad. A bit like having to get up for a 7am flight to London. Sorry to disappoint, I have no pictures of me sleeping!

Observation 6. You get to see more of the country.

Argentina has lots of big open spaces between cities and you just wouldn't get to see that if you always took flights. Also you get to have a look at the towns on the way through. For example, I wish I'd stopped at El Bolson...next time.

Observation 7. The locals travel by bus.

The buses are predominantly filled with locals with the odd few tourists.....and as I say....

Cuando Estes en Argentina.....Haz como los Argentinos!


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I'll finish with a few holiday snap shots from the lovely Bariloche...these were from a cycle loop round some lakes with James from Brum...James and I also enjoyed the real ale bar in the previous post. This is a slightly longish story so I'll cut it slightly short...we were talking to a couple at the bar and the guy randomly asked another guy if he came here every day or just Thursdays...todos los dias was the reply (every day). Next night we walk in and there he is at the bar..I couldn't resist catching his eye and saying "todos los dias?!" "Si, todos los dias" he said with a laugh and thumbs up.

If you're reading this - Have a great time in Oz, James!

Out west of Bariloche town. On this day the volcanic ash from the chilean volcano was not bad at all - you can see a little haze in the distance. It got worse in the afternoon.

On a bike again! 

Lakes abound!