Chicken bus
Photo: User: (WT-shared) Twinkletoes at wts wikivoyage, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Chicken Buses can be primarily found in Central American countries — Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Similar buses are common throughout Latin America, but the term chicken bus is usually reserved for buses in Central America. In Colombia, they call their chicken buses chivas. Belize has chicken buses, but nobody told the drivers they could use their imaginations when decorating the buses, which tend to be boring white or beige without elaborate graphics or gigantic air horns. Fortunately, Belize is a small country and a traveler can quickly pass through and get to a place with livelier, more adventurous buses. Chicken buses are a good option for the adventurous budget traveler with a good working knowledge of Spanish.
UnderstandA camioneta is just a bus and that's what locals call their primary mode of transportation. Only tourists (and perhaps locals with much exposure to them) call it a "chicken bus" – a term that may be received as scorn.
Get aroundUsing the buses is easy, provided you know where you're going and what large towns are on the way, and if you're heading to a small town, know what large towns are beyond your destination because that's probably a bus's…
SeeYou are guaranteed a lively journey if travelling for any distance by camioneta as locals cram in and vendors jump on board selling everything from miracle remedies to food and drinks.
Stay safeUsually, large items are put on top of the bus, but unfortunately, many travellers have found that when they reach their destination their bags have not managed to complete the journey.
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Chicken bus" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: User: (WT-shared) Twinkletoes at wts wikivoyage, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons