Salvador to Lencois Bus Trip

I only took a night bus there and back, so can't comment on the scenery, but i believe there isn't a lot to see. There was only one stop from memory from Lencois to Salvador for about 20mins. Safety wasn't an issue. Yes buses tend to run on time, but could possibly be a half hour late or more. You just never know sometimes. You will probably need 30-40mins in a taxi to get from the Salvador rodoviaria to the airport, so factor that in. Its cutting it a bit fine in my opinion.

Neither the scenery nor the towns along the way are very interesting. The landscape is mostly typical of the 'sertão': dry shrubs with a tree here and there. It's also mostly flat and only gets more interesting as you approach the Chapada Diamantina. Every now and then there are reports of the night bus being held up by robbers. It happened when I was in Lençois, though fortunately not the one I was in. I think that apart from the 20 min. stop half way the bus also stops in Feira de Santana. I know it does on the way back, because that's where I changed to a bus to Cachoeira. 1 hr 50 min between arrival in Salvador and departure to Rio might be enough, but the road between Salvador and Lençois is in bad condition (or at least it was when I traveled there).

Well maybe I'm silly but I quite enjoyed the scenery going from Salvador to Lençóis. It's not spectacular but I enjoyed watching the landscape change the further we went, and to see the houses and huts, and the people. But it was during my first few days in Brazil so I hadn't seen much yet. In my case the buses ran on time and I think both on the way over, and back to Salvador they arrived a little bit ahead of schedule.

I've also heard reports of hold-ups by robbers (especially coming back to Salvador on a night bus) but nothing happened to my night bus back. Otherwise your big gear is tagged and is safe in the hold, and you should not lose sight of your hand luggage as on any other bus in Brazil. When leaving the bus for some leg stretching, bring it with you. When going for a nap, keep it on your lap and wrap your arms around it or sleep on top of it (if it has any valuables in it like a camera for instance).

Personally I'd be very nervous about having only about 2 hours margin for getting from Rodoviaria to the airport but it should be doable. When I took a town bus from the airport to the Barra area of Salvador it took 45 minutes. Between Barra and the Rodoviaria it was another 20 minutes or so by town bus (so over an hour total). I think by taxi it could be shorter, maybe 40 minutes like #1 says but that's not cheap. Try to arrange a fixed price for the taxi before you get in.
Did you calculate check-in time? You need to be at the airport about 1 hour in advance, right?... what if there is a long queue for checking in your big luggage? If I were you I'd get an earlier bus back to Salvador (a night bus if necessary).

You can see pictures of the Chapada Diamantina and Lençóis on my travel website (link in signature).

Boa viagem,
Cecilia

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>Is the bus trip from Salvador to Lencois interesting<hr></blockquote>.
I enjoy this trip ... have done it many times, night and day. Not a spetacular scenery but I enjoyed the view from the bus window when traveling during the day.

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>Do the buses generally run on time? <hr></blockquote>
Yes, it is usually in time ... sometimes a bit late, eventually hours late if the bus break down, but this is not usual to happen.

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>Are there a lot of stops?<hr></blockquote>
There is one stop at a restaurant by the road in the city of Itaberaba, this takes abouut 20 minutes. And another stop at the bus terminal in Feira de Santana.


<blockquote>Quote
<hr> Is safety an issue on this route? <hr></blockquote>
Unfortunately some robberies have been reported now and then.

I also took the night bus. The scenery isn't worth the extra day (and hotel fare) you save by traveling overnight.