To Bogota from Villa de Leyva and other Bogotá, Colombia Transportation Tips

'Mode': TO
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: There are two direct buses from Villa de Leyva to Bogota every day. One is leaving very early in the morning and one in the afternoon. As I didn’t want to be in a hurry in the morning it suited me better to travel via Tunja. When I arrived at the terminal in Villa de Leyva the bus was leaving for Tunja within a few minutes. The buses are frequent and takes about an hour to Tunja and cost 4500 pesos (July 2007).

As I entered the terminal in Tunja and asked for a bus to Bogotá a man took me to a bus that was soon leaving. He said the ticket was 10 000 pesos, but when I was going to pay on the bus it was 13 000 pesos (other people around me paid the same price). The bus was a big air-conditioned bus (not very cold) with comfortable seats. To the bus terminal in Bogota it took over 3 hours (there were some road constructions along the way). Many people went of at Portal del Norte and that’s what I would do another time, to take the TransMilenio bus to the city centre.

On the same bus as me was a Canadian woman and she was also going to Platypus so we decided to share a taxi. At the terminal you can take a safe taxi. By the exit you can buy a ticket for the taxi. You say your name and where you are going and you will get a ticket with the price, the number of the taxi and a telephone number to call if you have complains. To Platypus (in Candelaria) the taxi was 7400 pesos.

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'Mode': TO
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: It is very easy to make a daytrip to Zipaquira from Bogota using public transport. I took the TransMilenio (red buses) nr B74 from Avenida Jiménez bus stop to the end stop Portal del Norte. It was 1400 pesos and took 25 minutes.
From Portal del Norte there are frequent buses to Zipaquira. They were leaving from the other side of the platform I arrived to. The bus to Zipaquira was 2800 pesos (August 2007) and it took 55 minutes. When the bus stopped near a road crossing and many people went off I asked if it was Zipaquira and it was, and it was also the place for me to go off at as I wanted to visit the salt cathedral.

Going back to Bogota I walked down to the main road and stopped a bus with the sign Bogota. When it passed Portal del Norte it stopped by the side of the road and from there I and the others had to walk over the road on a bridge to the station. At Portal del Norte I looked for a sign saying B74 but couldn’t find it. I asked for the TransMilenio for Museo del Oro (the stop I wanted to go to) and I was told to take number J 72.

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'Mode': TO
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: I went up very early to go to the bus terminal. I didn’t have a reservation and thought a bus was leaving at 6.40 for San Agustin. From Platypus to the terminal this early in the morning a taxi was 8800 pesos (August 2007).

At the terminal I found out that the first bus to San Agustin was leaving at 7.00. I bought a ticket from Coomotor for 42 000 pesos (the first price was 46 000, but as I said it was expensive the women immediately gave me the other price). At the terminal there are several cafeterias and I had breakfast at Donkin Donuts (sandwich and coffee for 6200 pesos). If there is no bus direct to San Agustin you can also take a bus to Pitalito and change there.

The bus was rather small but comfortable, and there was a toilet. I had asked for a window seat as I wanted to see the scenery along the way. The disadvantage with sitting there was that the cold air condition was blowing out right above and a sweater was needed (at least on my right side).

The bus ride took 11 hours. About halfway we stopped to eat. After I came from the bathroom it seemed that everyone ate different breads (only the drivers had tamales). I thought there was no time to order anything else so I bought a yoghurt and some bread with cheese which I didn’t like. I was still very hungry and when we stopped at the terminal in Garzón (I think) I hurried to a cafeteria to buy lunch (meat, rice, salad and Pepsi for 6500 pesos).

The landscape is very beautiful at some parts and you can at several places see Magdalena River.

The bus arrived to San Agustin just as it started to get dark. As I didn’t know the way to Casa Nelly and didn’t want to try finding the way in the dark I took a car there for 5000 pesos. I asked for a taxi at the Tourist Office, which is situated just where the bus stops.

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'Mode': TO
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: We were three persons leaving Casa de Nelly and San Agustin for Bogotá the same morning. The guide Pacho helped us with the tickets and brought them to us the evening before. The price between San Agustin and Bogotá, with Coomotor, was 44 000 pesos (August 2007). The direct bus for Bogotá is leaving very early (5.30am) so we left Casa de Nelly by foot at 5am (it was too early to get a car). It was still dark and I was happy not to walk this dark road alone.

While it had been cold in the bus from Bogotá it became very hot in this bus as the air condition didn’t seem to work. We were stopped once at a military checkpoint were all men had to be searched. Between that and lunch we got problems with the bus, a flat tyre I think. We had to stay in the closed bus while it was fixed, or at least I thought it was being fixed, but we continued with reduced speed and went to a few garages where no one seemed to be able to give us the help we needed.

Finally we stopped for lunch (and bathroom as the toilet in the bus didn’t work). We stopped at the same road café as on the way down and once again everyone seemed to eat different kind of breads. I was very hungry and asked for chicken, but it had to be quick as the bus were not stopping for too long. I got chicken, rice, potatoes, pasta and salad for 3500 pesos. I’m glad I had proper food as we still had many hours left until we reached Bogotá.

This tip turned out to be too long so it is continuing below...

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'Mode': TO
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: The tip from above continues...
After lunch we stopped at a few more garages and finally came to one that could repair the bus properly. After waiting for half an hour we saw the driver and the other man working on the bus crossing the road to sit down at one of the bars. I and the other two tourists (one from Colombia) did the same and had a beer.

When we came closer to Bogotá traffic was moving very slowly as many people were returning to the city after the weekend.

We arrived to the bus terminal in Bogotá late, about 14 hours after we had left San Agustin. I bought something to eat to bring to the hostel and then went to take one of the “safe” taxis to Platypus. To take a safe taxi from the terminal you will stand in line, say your destination to someone in a window and then you will get a recite with destination and price, and also a telephone number you can call if you have any complaints and the number of the car. This late it was 8800 pesos to Platypus from the terminal.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Bicycle
Getting TO/AROUND: On Sunday mornings (and holidays) between 7.00 - 14.00 some of the main streets in Bogotá are closed down for cars. Lots of cyclists, skaters and pedestrians use the roads instead. For example can you go along Carrera 7 from Plaza Bolívar all the way to the north part of Bogotá. Carrera 7 will be car free, but cars will cross the street going from east to west or the opposite.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: TransMilenio is a rapid bus system that has been running since December 2000 in Bogotá. The red buses have their own elevated stations in the centre of the main avenues and they run on their own lines along the avenues. The tickets are bought at the stations (I paid 1400 pesos for a ticket between Avenida Jiménez and Portal del Norte in August 2007). The buses are frequent and runs between 5.00 - 23.00. There are a lot of different numbers and some of the buses are express buses (not stopping at every station) so if you are unfamiliar with the system you better ask someone at the station or your hotel for help.
TransMilenio is running along the main avenues like Avenida Caracas, Carrera 30, Avenida de Las Americas, Avenida 81 and Avenida Jiménez.

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Website: www.transmilenio.gov.co

'Mode': TO
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: Many buses are passing by San Gil on there way to Bogota. I arrived to the terminal in San Gil just after 7am. There were two companies next to each other offering tickets for a bus leaving 7.30. One was Omega that had a small bus and one was Copatran which had a big bus. Both cost 30 000 pesos (July 2008). I bought a ticket with Copatran. The bus didn't arrive until just before 8am (coming from Bucaramanga). The chairs were very comfortable and could be leaned back a lot, with support for the legs. There was still enough space between the rows of chairs. And there were two toilets on the bus. But it was too cold. I don't like air condition and can't understand why it must be so cold on the buses. After 1,5 hours we stopped for a 30 minutes break to eat (I had been at the same place the previous year). After that they showed the film Too fast, too furious - Tokyo Drive.
At 14.15 we stopped at Portal Norte, but I thought it would be more convenient to continue to the terminal and take a taxi from there, instead of the Transmillenio from Portal Norte. I had forgotten that it took as long as another hour to go to the terminal.
At the terminal I stood in line for one of the secure taxis. I gave the address to where I was going and got a paper with the car number and the cost of the journey. To Platapus it was 7400 pesos.

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'Mode': TO
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: The taxi from Casa Platypus to the bus terminal took about 20 minutes and was 9400 pesos (July 2008). I arrived to the terminal about 6.50am and asked for buses to La Plata. The only direct buses are leaving night time so I bought a ticket to Neiva where I could change. The first company I asked had a bus at 7.30, but Copatran had one leaving at 7am so I bought a ticket for that bus. The ticket was 28 000 pesos and the journey took 6 hours. During the journey they showed two films (Too fast too furious, Tokyo drive and Ghost) alost without sound. We made a short break once (I had been at the same place the previous year as well).

In Neiva a man from Copatran brought me to the minibus to La Plata. It was leaving in less then half an hour, 13.30 and the ticket was 12 000 pesos. After a while the bus got a flat tyre, but it took only 15 minutes to change. After that stop some men had to push the minibus so the driver could start it. We were at the terminal in La Plata at 15.50. The terminal is outside the town and a taxi to the main plaza cost 2500 pesos.

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