Job Discussion Forums

[jooooooey]

What is the cheapest way to get from Bogota to Chile? I'm flying in to Bogota, and want to make it to Santiago as cheaply as possible. I assume a (long ride in a) bus would be the cheapest.

I'm not concerned about safety, sights, how long it takes, being uncomfortable, etc. I just want to get there as cheaply as possible. Does anyone have any advice? I was finding a lot of variation when I looked myself.

My second option is Peru. It seems that Peru would be comparable, maybe a little cheaper. Any advice or figures would be appreciated. If I can't afford it, then I'll stay in Colombia and find work there, but I want to make it down south if I can. Thank you.

[just_a_mirage]

Really, you have to consider saftey. There is frugal, then there is fool-hardy. I wpuld never in a million years take a bus through Southern Colombia into Ecuador. That is FARC country, and incredibly dangerous to gringos. You can take the bus from Ecuador to Chile after flyingfrom Bogota the short distance to Ecuador. From Guayquil to Lima, there are some decent buses, some of the newer ones serve meals, etc. Its a good 30 hour trip though. Then connect there to Chile.

[naturegirl321]

[jooooooey]

Then there is no way to get south of Colombia without taking a plane? Is it just unsafe or outright dangerous? I assume then that South Americans do it, but not Americans?

When I check flights, the cheapest I can find to Ecuador from Colombia are around $300. That's not a huge amount, but for me it's a lot. It's very pretty country too.

Sometime you don't save that much money on buses anyway, but I don't know if that would be true in South America.

Thanks for the help.

[naturegirl321]

[naturegirl321]

Here's an example of what you could run into at an election, http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/apr/10/runoff-likely-in-peru-election-led-by-military-man/

i personally have travelled alone through Peru and from peru to Ecuador and back to Peru, never to Colombia. We're considering visiting Colombia next year, or Venezuela, I'd rathergo to Colombia, since I've never been.

I would however, never enter Colombia on an American passport, I'd use my Peruvian one (knew it would come in handy for something), I also look very Latin, despite the fact that my parents are more gringo than MacDonald's and speak Spanish well enough that when people question my accent I just say I have a speech impediment and they believe me

[just_a_mirage]

It is outright dangerous to travel by bus in Southern Colombia. Ecuador is safe to travel by bus, my teenage daughters and I (very gringo looking) have lived here for many years and have not qualms about that, but I would never travel through the guerilla area north of the Ecuadorian border. Kidnappings are very common and in many cases, the victims are kept for YEARS until a ransom is paid or they are located by Colombian military. I dont know your financial status, but if you are looking for the cheapest way to get to Chile, my feeling is you probably couldnt pay a million or so in ransom. Please be safe.

[labomba]

I've done this route by bus and I would suggest to take a plane due to the costs of the buses and the time you spend, for which you would have to add on the costs for breaking the journey to rest and food etc. I know the route is expensive by air but that is what I would try first.

By bus from Bogota to Cali onto Pasto and the border with Ecuador at Ipiales the route is very well travelled by several major bus companies, several times a day and through the night and goes along the Pan American Highway.

"While we advise against travel to the rural areas of some departments through which the Pan-American Highway passes, the Highway itself is generally well guarded."

"If entering or leaving from or to Ecuador via the Pan-American Highway, you are advised not to stop en route between the border and Pasto, the route between Cali and the border with Ecuador is considered to be volatile."

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/south-america/colombia

My advice would be that incidents do occur on the route south from Cali but it is a major route that I travelled last year and would travel again.

It is always cheaper not to take international buses and cross the border yourself, though sometimes the international bus is not that more expensive, e.g. going from Guyaquil, Ecuador to Piura, Peru.

Another problem is the better quality buses are always more expensive and you will want to take them rather than the buses packed with people in the aisles that stop at every junction.

[labomba]

The Cali - Ipiales route is travelled reguarly by locals and foreigners:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2020171

As a precaution you could travel that part only by day.

From Ipiales you cross to Tulcan, then Quito, through Ecuador you can go via Loja or Machala, onto Tumbes (Peru) and Piura, onto Lima, then Tacna, Tacna and across the border to Arica (Chile) and then to Santiago.

Lima to Tacna is about 20 hours.
Arica to Santiago about 28 hours alone through Chile.

[jooooooey]

Thanks all, this helps a lot.

So it seems that going by bus is either outright stupid, or not that big of a deal, probably depending on how safe of a person you are.

From what I gather, it's not that big of a deal if you are careful, though there's always a chance of bad luck. So I'll probably take that route. Lonely planet was a wealth of information, thanks, I should have checked that first.

[jooooooey]

Just to follow up on this, I went from Colombia to Lima on the cheap local buses, and it wasn�t a problem at all. In southern Colombia, people had their kids and families in the bus. You�ll see soldiers on the sides of the highway all through Colombia, but it felt pretty safe. Things do happen sometimes, from what people tell me, but it didn�t feel dangerous to me and lots of Americans do go on that route.

The whole trip cost me less than $100 (I took the economy buses). I stayed in some hostels which cost a little more, and it took 4 or 5 days. If you hurried, packed your own food before leaving, and stayed the night in a hostel only when necessary, it would definately save you a lot of money compared to a plane.

Where I ran into trouble was in Ecuador (not Colombia). Someone stole my bag out of the back of the bus and so I stayed in Lima. So I don�t know the cost to Chile.

And about the whole visa thing, it isn�t going to matter if it says American or Peruvian. No one even looks at it, and people in Colombia were really friendly and helpful.

Speaking Spanish is really useful, especially in the border between Ecuador and Peru (be careful exchanging money there), but it does not have to be perfect.

[naturegirl321]

Glad it worked out for you. Sorry your bag got stolen. I always keep mine with me.

Oh, it's "definitely" by the way, no "a"

We'll probably be going to COlumbia next year, but will probably fly. HOping to get a good deal on LAN.