Getting from Argentina to Bolivia By Bus, Train and Air


There are several ways you can enter Bolivia from Argentina. First of all, there are regular flights from Buenos Aires to Bolivia's three main cities (Santa Cruz, La Paz and Cochabamba) connecting through Santa Cruz, on several airlines such as Boliviana de Aviación (BOA) and Aerolineas Argentinas. The following are overland options for the main tourist circuits in Bolivia:

BY BUS from Jujuy/Villazón

Start in Jujuy, Argentina (in La Quiaca) and take a bus to Villazón Bolivia.

From Villazón you can take a bus every day at about 6:00 p.m. to Potosí. It's a 12-hour trip and costs about $15 US dollars. This is how some people enter when they plan to visit the Salar de Uyuni salt desert.

There are buses from Potosí to Sucre every day. This is a 4-5 hour trip and costs about $8 US dollars.

There are buses from Sucre to La Paz every day. This is roughly a 14-hour trip and costs about $20 US dollars.

There are also buses from Sucre to Cochabamba every day. It's a 12-hour trip and costs about $15 US dollars.

Buses leave Cochabamba to La Paz every day. It's a 6-7 hour trip and costs about $15 US dollars.

From La Paz you can travel by bus to Copacabana (Lake Titicaca). Buses leave every day from the Tomás Katari plaza across the street from the Cementerio General (city cemetery) of La Paz all day long between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. Look for the Manco Kapac or 2 de Febrero bus lines or look for the little minivans operated by Cooperative 6 de Junio. It's a 3-4 hour trip to Copacabana and costs about $4 US dollars.

From Copacabana you can travel to Puno, Peru. It's a 3-hour trip and costs about $10 US dollars. You can purchase your tickets at any of the travel agencies located on Avenida 6 de Agosto in Copacabana. The Peruvian bus lines that travel to Puno are called Panamericano, Colectur, and Tours Perú.

You can also take a bus from La Paz to Tiwanaku (Tiahuanaco): they leave the La Paz bus station each day at about 6 a.m. and return at about 6 p.m. It's a 3-hour trip and costs about $5. Numerous hotels and tour operators (located on Calle Sagarnaga on the street that runs along the left side of the San Francisco Cathedral to the Witch's market) also offer day trips to Tiwanaku. You can also take a minivan from the cemetery (same cemetery as above for Lake Titicaca).

BY TRAIN from Jujuy/Villazón

Travel first from Jujuy to Villazón, Bolivia. There is a train that runs from Villazón to the Uyuni Salt Desert passing through Tupiza, and then continuing to Oruro. Trains leave Villazón on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. The cost to Uyuni is about $10 US dollars, and straight through to Oruro is about $30 US dollars.

From Oruro to La Paz you can take a bus. It's a 3-hour trip and costs about $5 US dollars.

You can visit the WESTERN Bolivia train company's website for exact pricing, schedules and connections: www.ferroviaria-andina.com.bo

Alternately, you can travel from Uyuni to Potosí by bus (8-10 hours and about $10 US dollars) and from there on to Sucre - La Paz - Copacabana - Puno.

BY BUS OR TRAIN from Salta/Yacuiba

From Salvador Maza (Salta, Argentina) you can travel to Yacuiba, Bolivia.

In Yacuiba you can take a bus every day to Santa Cruz. It's a 14-hour trip and costs about $15 US dollars.

You can also take a train from Yacuiba to Santa Cruz three times per week. It's a 10-hour trip and costs about $20.

You can take a bus from Santa Cruz to Cochabamba every day for about $10 US dollars. It's an 8-hour trip.

From Cochabamba to La Paz it's another 6-7 hours and costs about $15 US dollars. See above for traveling from La Paz to Copacabana and Puno.

You can also travel from Cochabamba to Sucre on a bus every day and from Sucre you can continue on to Potosí and the Uyuni Salt Desert. Buses leave Cochabamba for Sucre every day. It's a 12-hour trip and costs about $15 US dollars.

BY BUS from Salta/Bermejo/Tarija

You can take a bus from Orán (Salta, Argentina) to Aguas Blancas, and from there on to Bermejo, a small Bolivian border city.

From Bermejo you can take a bus to Tarija. It's a 4-5 hour trip and costs about $5 US dollars. Bus lines (Andaluz, Albornoz, El Chapaco, Padcaya, San Lorenzo, Expreso Tarija, San Lorenzo, Expreso del Sur, Expreso San Roque) offer differing quality and pricing.


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Comments for Getting from Argentina to Bolivia By Bus, Train and Air

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Nov 16, 2014
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Yacuiba
by: Bryan Jacobs

Yacuiba is great! No typical hostel for backpackers, but cheap hotels. The one thing to note: take care with taxis! Especially SHARED taxis! First, the center of town is a ways from the border, so you'll ned some form of transport. There are micro buses that are cheap and abundant. The thing about the taxis is they are not established reputable ones. The one I took with a buddy was in cahoots with a local on the side of the road that faked the car hitting him. He got into the taxi, pretended to be a cop, and demanded our passports. There were some telltale signs beforehand. Watch out for things like: where the cabbie tells you to sit (backseat as opposed to the front), cabbie closing or re-closing your door for you... then locking it, flashing his lights in broad daylight with no other car coming (it was a signal to the accomplice to step out and get 'hit'). All of these things happened and it culminated in the fake cop, once in the cab, angrily demanding our passports even though we had nothing to do with the "accident". Luckily two things happened: One, we both are pretty savvy having traveled a lot and knew better than to surrender our passports, and two, by sheer luck the trunk couldn't close all the way due to the size of one of the backpacks. We were able to jump out of the taxi, grab our stuff out of the trunk, and go catch a micro like we should have done in the beginning. I'm still not sure if the guy sharing the cab was in on it, but the fake cop was spitting mad, and the cabbie stood there looking absolutely ashamed of himself as we ripped our baggage from the trunk and walked off. So.... that was a long way of saying: spend like 2 Bolivianos on a micro for the 15-20 minute ride into town. Much safer AND cheaper!

Nov 04, 2014
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No Trains
by: Altiplano Bolivia

There are no train services between Argentina and Bolivia. The only reliable train service in Bolivia is the route from Villazon to Oruro via Tupiza and Uyuni.

Nov 02, 2014
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Need advice
by: Shatha

I would like some one to advice me how easy to go by train from Argentina to Bolivia and how long it takes by train ?

Mar 04, 2012
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Argentina to Bolivia - Better Route
by: Altiplano Bolivia

The best route is from Salta direct to Tarija. In this way you get from one nice city to another and don't have to spend time in difficult border towns such as La Quiaca (Argentina) and Villazón (Bolivia), San Jose de Pocitos (Argentina) and Yacuiba (Bolivia) which don't really have much to offer to tourists apart from overpriced and under quality accommodation. However Hotel Paris in Yacuiba is okay and the town is perhaps one of the nicer border towns you will find even if it is incredibly hot.

You can take a comfortable Flecha bus at 6:30 am from Salta to Aguas Blancas (Argentina) arriving around 11:00 am and then cross the river in the small boats to Bermejo on the Bolivian side or take a taxi to the international bridge border crossing 5 minutes north of the town.

Buses from Bermejo a frequent and cost only (20-25Bs) USD3-3.50 but a better option is a trufi which will be faster and more comfortable for 30Bs (USD4.35). They leave when full and it only takes 3 hours to make the 195 km trip to Tarija.

Another option is the Dragon Rojo which leaves from Salta at 4:00 am and should have you in Tarija by 1 pm. It costs 140ARS (USD32.00).




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