How to Travel Around Guatemala by Public Transport

How’s it going, my beautiful readers and fellow travelers?

—We are good Angie, so good, alright, get on with the necessary info

—Ugh, so impatient *rolls eyes*

Today I’m bringing you some info about transportation that I actually discovered after a month into traveling around Guatemala. It amazes me how little information, or how incomplete the information is, even today. I have a theory about that, but that’s a topic for debates on Instagram or somewhere else more instant, you know how it is.

When I arrived in this beautiful country at the end of 2023, I’d set myself the goal of traveling only by public transport, also known to English-speaking, European, and American foreigners as “chicken buses.” Why are they called that? You might be wondering— NO ANGIE WE’RE NOT WONDERING ANYTHIN— JUST HUSH, I WANT TO EXPLAIN.

They’re called chicken buses because local people often travel with the goods they sell, and sometimes that means traveling with chickens or baby chicks.

How to travel around Guatemala

Anyway, the info I’d googled before arriving in the country told me I could either travel on these public buses or take private shuttles — the ones that run a specific route and take you along with a group of (99%) foreigners from your accommodation’s door and drop you off at the door of the next one. All comfortable and neatly arranged for extra pleasure.

Here are a few of the routes I did by public transport:

Antigua to Panajachel Panajachel to Xela Xela to Antigua Santa Ana (El Salvador) to Antigua

I traveled by public bus most of the time because, generally, it was cheaper, and also for the experience itself. I feel like you can’t really get to know a country if you’re stuck in your tourist bubble; but that’s obviously just a personal opinion, NO JUDGMENT.

How to travel around Guatemala by Public Transport

Now, it wasn’t until I had to travel from Livingston to (almost) the other end of the country that, when I asked how to get around Guatemala, a third option came up: private buses.

I mean, it seems obvious to me now, since that’s how people travel in every country, but when I was searching online, those options never came up, and I never really questioned it.

To get from Livingston to Guatemala City in the same day, I used a combination of transportation I hadn’t used before: a public boat (not a speedboat) plus a private bus. In my case, I used a bus from the Litegua company. It was pretty spacious, with A/C and bathrooms. It cost 125Q (about 14.5 USD). If I’d done the trip using public transport, it would’ve cost me about the same once you add up all the connections, and I don’t think I would’ve made it to my destination the same day.

Other companies that exist in the country, depending on the area you want to travel to, include Monja Blanca, Rutas Orientales, Cristobal Colón, and Fuentes del Norte.

This is a local alternative to chicken buses. These buses, like in any country and unlike the shuttles, have their own station, so they won’t pick you up from your accommodation. But they’re much more affordable and comfortable, since they have bathrooms and more space.

I’d recommend them especially for long routes, since that’s where stringing together public buses can become never-ending. Trust me, I know from experience, HEHE.

So now that you know how to get around Guatemala with all the available options (you can also hitchhike if you’re feeling it, or rent your own car), I don’t know what you’re waiting for to visit this country.

Traveler hugs!

Titín