Chiapas to Managua- advice on bus route
Replies: 2 - Last Post: Oct 31, 2012 11:21 PM Last Post By: Etufft
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Chiapas to Managua- advice on bus route
We have about 4 weeks in Chiapas/ Central America. Spending first ten days in Chiapas & then husband is suggesting we take buses & fly home from Managua. (We have family in Matagalpa, we'd like to visit for 4 days and could fly home from there.)We speak Spanish, are experienced CA bus riders, and have traveled throughout Guatemala & Nicaragua on previous trips, and just a bit of Honduras- might like to see more of Honduras- or El Salvador- possibly? (Tho don't plan to surf etc & can skip beach) I think it would be nice to go back to Antigua- heard about shuttles San Cristobal de las Casas to Antigua- but wonder how long that takes?
I checked out the tika bus schedule- looks like the bus is around $80- the route suggest which must be the most direct, doesn't look all that terribly appealing, Can anyone suggest a more enticing overland route? Would it be nicer to go through Honduras?
Leave Tapachula Chiapas at 7:00 am, arrive at Guatemala at 12:00 noon. *5 hours
Leave Guatemala at 1:00 p.m,arrive at El Salvador approximately at 5:00 p.m. *4 hours
Leave El Salvador at 5:00 a.m,arrive at Managua, Nicaragua approximately at 5:00 p.m 12 hours
OR- we could scrap the overland to Managua idea entirely & stay in Chiapas- or head up to the Yucatan over over to Oaxaca for our second two weeks...(my original idea...)
1
Go to Benemerito de las Americas, Chiapas. You can get a boat upriver to Sayaxche Guatamala. From there take a bus. good luck! I have not done this, but I await your report, here.2
We have traveled throughout the region and recommend the following route, if you have time. After visiting San Cristobal de Las Casas, take the bus to Tuxla then transfer to bus going to Villahermosa. This bus trip is spectacular as it winds over the knot of mountains in the area. At Villahermosa, stop for a couple hours at Parque La Venta to see one of the best collections of Olmec artifacts anywhere. Then, take bus to Palenque (just a few hours, not a long trip). Spend two days climbing ruins there. Then, from the little town, take the ordinary combo-shuttle the locals take toward Frontera Corazon. If you have time, stop at Bonampak ruins The shuttle stops a couple miles away, but shared taxi wait for a trip to the river border. Then, organize a trip up the Umacinta River to Yaxchitlan ruins for two or three hours. Then, go downriver to Bethel. You can take in the trip to Yaxchitlan and return to Bethel on the Guatemala side in time to get passports stamped and catch the afternoon bus to Flores/Santa Elena. This bus will arrive in Santa Elena at about 9pm, and you can walk across the causeway to Flores, or take a motorcyle taxi. At Flores, enjoy the island town on Lago Peten for a day or two, and take the excursionarly shuttle for a day or two at Tikal ruins. Then, from Santa Elena take the combi-shuttle to Sayaxche on the Rio Passion. Right on the river is a good hotel. This will be very rustic, but OK. Arrange at the riverfront for a boatman to take you to any of several Mayan ruins in the area. These are really great opportunities, but because fewer tourists make it to this really great region of Guatemala. From Sayaxche, take another combo-shuttle all the way to Coban in the mountains. This town is worth one day. Then, take the rustic mountain school bus up to where Nobel Laureate Rigaberto Menchu was born at Uspatan. This is the Mayan Highlands where folks live traditional lives even today. You can stop off for an hour or so, then continue toward Lago Atitlan. Hang around this must see volcanic lake for two days before your continue to Antigua. I have photos and more details written at http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/611ff/
