Need Information on the Bolivian Bus Carril

by Cindy
(Cochabamba Bolivia)

Hello, In about 3 weeks, my husband and I will be traveling from Cochabamba to Sucre, spending a day or two in Sucre, and then going on to Potosi. I'm interested in possibly taking one of the Bus Carrils - either from Cochabamba to Aiquile (and then taking a bus from Aiquile to Sucre), or the Bus Carril from Sucre to Potosi.

Has anyone taken both or either of these trips? Do you have a recommendation of one over the other? Do you know how difficult it is to get a bus from Aiquile to Sucre?

Any suggestions/recommendations would be appreciated. The only information I can find online is in Spanish, and my Spanish is not great.

Thanks!
Cindy

Comments for Need Information on the Bolivian Bus Carril

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Aug 08, 2014

Thank you Cindy Jaye
by: BoliviaBella.com

Cindy Jaye we greatly appreciate that you took the time to come back, add information and share your experiences on our site. We rely on you and others who have been here to do that - it keeps BoliviaBella.com up-to-date, reliable and accurate and we're grateful for travelers like you who have helped us maintain that reputation :)

Thank you!!!
Bella

Aug 08, 2014

Recommended trip
by: Cindy Jaye

As a follow up to this post, we ended up taking the bus carril from Sucre to Potosi and it was a lovely day!

Tickets were 25 Bs and the scenery was spectacular. The carril leaves the station at 8:00am. You buy tickets that same morning, so you need to be at the station early. We arrived at 6:30 and there was already a long line.

The carril leaves from the train station at El Tejar. However, finding the station can be a challenge, since the station is rarely used and many people (including tour guides and cab drivers) are not aware that the station is still operating.

The bus started full, with several people standing. However, after the Vila Vila stop, the bus was mostly empty. Most passengers were locals, but there were 5 of us tourists. We were the only 5 to ride all the way to Potosi. We were traveling on a national holiday, so I don't know if this affected the number of passengers or not.

This was a great way to see some small towns off the usual tourist trail, and as I said, the scenery was beautiful. Locals were selling snacks at El Tejar and Vila Vila. The trip took 6.5 hours and you get off at the Potosi train station, just down the hill from the center of town.

Jul 21, 2014

Bus carril schedule and English info
by: Anonymous

You might want to read this page in English:

http://bolivia.for91days.com/2011/06/05/from-sucre-to-potosi-by-train/

This is the schedule:

Bus-Carril Cochabamba-Aiquile Tue-Thu-Sat
Bus-Carril Aiquile-Cochabamba Wed-Fri-Sun
Bus-Carril Sucre-Potosi Mon-Wed-Fri
Bus-Carril Potosi-Sucre Tue-Thu-Sat

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