If you want to travel from Santa Ana – El Salvador to Sonsonate, you can take either bus #216 or bus #209. Here, I share all the details to help make your trip smooth.
Santa Ana is a cool city for some local exploration and for using as a base to explore the surrounding area, such as visiting the archaeological sites of Casa Blanca and Tazumal, hiking the Santa Ana Volcano, and doing la Ruta de las Flores
The frequent and convenient bus #216 to Sonsonate departs from the Francisco Lara Pineda bus terminal in Santa Ana.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes.
Chicken bus 216:
I travelled to Sonsonate to visit the Sonsonate Railway Museum (Museo del Ferrocarril). I will be reposting this soon.
You can also take the bus #209 to Sonsonate, which departs from the slightly hidden La Vencedora terminal in Santa Ana, which is where you also take the bus #248 if you are doing the Santa Ana Volcano hike.
Duration: 2 hours 20 minutes
I have taken the 209 bus, pictured above, back from Sonsonate to Santa Ana twice, but truth be told, you’ll be better off taking the bus #216, which runs more frequently and is almost an hour faster.
Both the #216 and #209 arrive and depart from the Sonsonate Bus Terminal.
Important tips when travelling by bus in El Salvador:
- Buses do not run once it gets dark, so make sure you factor this in when planning your day
- If you are travelling from San Salvador to Sonsonate, you need bus #205 from the Occidente Terminal in San Salvador
- Strictly cash only
- You can NOT make reservations