Buenos Aires to Rio overland

Hi All

we have about 8 days to travel overland from BA to Rio, we want to go via uruguay, (to save a visa for me from Paraguay).

Any thoughts on local transport?

Fussy

Me again

The other option is the usual Argentinabbrazil via the falls. Local transport options anyone?

thanks Fussy

Hi Fussy,

Best option is to bus all the way, and break the journey at the Falls. It takes approx 20 hours to travel from BA to Puerto Iguazu. I'd recommend taking a late bus, so that you will sleep for a chunk of the journey.

From Puerto Iguazu/Foz do Iguacu it takes another 20+ hours to Rio.

Check out Via Bariloche bus company for the Argentinian leg and Pluma for the Brazilian leg.

Hope that helps.

Hi samsara2

Any particular reason for selecting via bariloche buses?

thanks Fussy

Samsara was right suggesting Via Bariloche, because they have the best service to Iguazu (I talked about today about this in some other question...),
but they'll be most expensive also. the very best one is the "tutto letto" service.
Only if you are terrible short of money take the "semicama"service, it's the best way to arrive to destination feeling miserable and uncomfortable.

I'd pay (as I already did more than once) Via Bariloche, "tutto letto" or at least "ejecutivo"

But it's not as long as 20 hs, it's 16hours.
You can take some other services, cheaper, that already takes 20 hours, because they stop in many towns during the way

in fact, the complete tour by bus usually takes that because they stop going in Wanda (open air semi precious stone mine) and back in San Ignacio jesuits ruins. These are very worth visits, but if you are short of time, it's fine to skip them and go directly to Puerto Iguazu.

Just mentioned Via Bariloche because that's the service I used on that leg of my trip. Can't comment on whether they are the best or not. I agree with Quimera to take the coche-cama or tutte letto class. It's worth the extra dollars. i think I paid approx 40-50USD for that journey for the full service and it was very comfortable. You even get a glass of champagne, and if you go and make friends with the driver and the stewards, you get lots of champagne!

I definitely think it's worth splurging a little extra on those long routes. I took a few cheaper buses around the south of Argentina across the pampas, and there were no DVDs, no food service on board etc. Okay to do every so often when you're feeling invincible, but it does make the journey much more arduous.

Hey, I never realized I could have more whisky!
(champagne turns me ill, I always take the whisky for a good sleep)

attention: what other buses services offer as "coche-cama" is not the same that the "tutto letto" in Via Bariloche.

I only know one other bus company that offers a service even superior to V.B., but it doesn't go to Iguazu, but to Mendoza and San Juan, and it's "Sendas".

(Samsara, you tried V.B., so you can understand my surprise when I realized the service Sendas had, dear it was as travelling on Captain Kirk's chair on board of Enterprise!)

Via Bariloche runs also Tigre Iguazu, I took that one also once. Not bad service, but stopping in every town, and Gendarmeria (soldiers) coming on two or three times checking passangers and luggage... my NY friend is bipolar, and had a lot of medicines with her, she was afraid they could think she was carrying illegal drugs
(nothing happened)

[ Edit: Edited on Sep 11, 2008, at 5:09 AM by quimera ]

OP,
I don't know where you are from, but check if you need a visa also to come into Brazil.
USA citizen need it, and many other also.

Deat Responders

to all thanks for all the advice, there is clear winner with the bus lines, via bariloche .

And to quimera, I know I do need a visa for brazil.

thanks Fussy