There are two ways to get from Santa Ana to Suchitoto by bus. One way is to take a bus back to San Salvador and then another to Suchitoto, or you can travel via Apopa and Aguilares.
Enjoying a beer at Simmer Down in Santa Ana:
I made this journey in 2022, but a fellow traveller emailed me to say that the details were still correct as of February 2024.
Santa Ana to Suchitoto is done in 3 sections:
- Santa Ana to Apopa
- Apopa to Aguilares
- Aguilares to Suchitoto
Bus 1. Santa Ana to Apopa
Bus #276 to Apopa departs from the east side of the Francisco Lara Pineda bus terminal in Santa Ana.
I have no idea about the schedule of the Santa Ana Apopa bus, but I turned up at 9:15 and we departed 5 minutes later.
Fare: 0.74 USD
Duration: 2 hrs 45 (bad traffic on the highway)
I jumped out at the junction with the road going north:
I used the baño in the Puma Energy gas station and took the next bus north from the same spot.
Bus 2. Apopa to Aguilares
Bus #117 starts its journey in San Salvador and goes to Aguilares (via Apopa).
Fare: 0.50 USD
Duration: 45 minutes
Bus 3. Aguilares to Suchitoto
Bus 117 dropped me off near Central Park in Aguilares. The driver kindly waited whilst I got the shot:
Unsure where the exact departure point was for the bus to Suchitoto, the final leg, so I hot-footed over to the turn-off to Suchitoto and just waited. It seemed the most logical point. The owners at the little roadside stall confirmed this for me.
Bus 163 came past at 1:15 pm
Fare: 0.75 USD (for just 20 km)
Duration: 60 minutes
The arrival point in Suchitoto is the main stop outside the municipal market, opposite the “Jehova” supermarket:
Total fare from Santa Ana to Suchitoto: 2.00 USD
Total time needed: 4 hours 55 minutes.
Tips for travelling by bus in El Salvador:
- Buses do not run at night
- You can not make a reservation for the chicken buses in El Salvador
- You can not pay with credit card
- You can not pay with BITCOIN
- Cash is King here, and the official currency is the US Dollar
- Start early