How to get from Antigua, Guatemala to Leon, Nicaragua by land

January 10, 2018 8:33 PM

I'm in Antigua and I would like to get to Leon. If I only want to be on the road during the day, and in cheap hostels at night, what route do I need to take to avoid staying in major cities (eg., Guatemala City, San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa, etc)?

I know enough Spanish to get by. Thank you.

posted by aniola to Travel & Transportation (5 answers total)

Bigfoot shuttle from Antigua to Leon?
posted by vunder at 9:24 PM on January 10, 2018

Stick your thumb out. You may have to ride on top of cargo in the back of an open truck, but it is a very good way to learn something.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 2:04 AM on January 11, 2018 [1 favorite]

I'll echo Mr. Yuck. I've hitchhiked a bit in Guatemala and Belize by myself as a solo woman, and much more with a couple friends in Mexico. It's really a great experience, and quite common. I remember getting a ride out of the Copper Canyon after a record snowfall about ten years ago, and in the back of the pickup truck were three laborers who'd brought blankets as their luggage, a grandmother, and her three little grandchildren, and me and my friends. We were all squished together, piled under blankets, cozy as bugs. It was lovely--and my Spanish, while passable, isn't enough to shoot the shit meaningfully with anyone.

If you leave early enough in the morning (say, 4-6AM), you can also take a series of chicken buses a fairly long way for dirt cheap. You'll probably have to go through the big cities, but just the dusty bus terminals on the outskirts of town used by locals for medium-haul distances.

Also, if you're looking for more solid route recommendations than you're getting here, I'd probably ask this question on the Trip Advisor forums, or maybe the Thorntree (which I haven't used in years), or even a Couchsurfing message board.
posted by tapir-whorf at 6:34 AM on January 11, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: What I'm looking for is names of cities to catch buses/chicken buses/minivans in, and which to stay overnight in. It looks like a three day, two night trip if I want to stick to riding in the day, which I do.

Note: I have a bladder the size of a peanut; hitching (which I have done before in Guatemala) is out. I'm typing on a smartphone and don't know my way around those other forums, so I'm really hoping someone here will know a good route.
( Though trip advisor did have a colorful story about someone getting held up at gunpoint at nighttime on that same bigfoot route suggested above.)
posted by aniola at 7:53 AM on January 11, 2018

Best answer: I've traveled extensively between all these locations on both local buses and Tica Bus. I think you'll prefer the local bus option. They have the advantage of being shorter trips (so your bladder size is accommodated for) as well as much cheaper.

You can get to San Salvador using local buses for under $10. Stay overnight in San Salvador. Then use this route to get to Leon. You can, of course take a Tica / King Quality for either leg of your trip if that seems easier.

Anecdata: Neither I nor any of my extended network of traveling friends have ever been held up at gunpoint on a bus.
posted by ananci at 5:26 PM on January 11, 2018 [1 favorite]