​How to get from Santa Ana to Suchitoto by bus (via Apopa & Aguilares)

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 three stages:

1. Santa Ana to Apopa
2. Apopa to Aguilares
3. 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 am 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, near the Puma Energy gas station:

I used the baño in the gas station and took the next bus north across the street.

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