Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [67]
Each módulo has a number of side-by-side ticket vendors from various companies, sometimes trying to hassle you for their buses. For some long-distance destinations – particularly to the Caribbean coast – you can haggle. The usual type of bus is the climatizado, which is air-conditioned.
DOMESTIC BUSES
For all domestic destinations in the Domestic Bus Routes table (opposite) there are frequent departures during the day (for destinations like Medellín, Cali or Bucaramanga usually half hourly) by a few different companies (at least). Shop around for prices and departure times.
Direct buses to Villa de Leyva (from COP$15,000, three to four hours) are less frequent. At time of research, Flota Valle de Tenza ( 428 1008) had one bus daily departing at 6am (COP$16,000, three to four hours), Libertadores ( 428 1053) had services at 4:50am and 2:30pm daily, and Alianza ( 295 1864) had departures at 9am and 4pm on Saturday and Sunday only. All these buses go from módulo No 3.
If you have time to kill, the kid-oriented Maloka is nearby.
INTERNATIONAL BUSES
Buses for cities around South America depart from módulo 2 (blue) in the bus terminal. Expreso Ormeño ( 410 7522) sells tickets for most destinations. The following departures go twice daily on days listed:
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GETTING AROUND
Rush hour in the morning and afternoon can really clog roads – and space on the buses.
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To/From the Airport
Both El Dorado and Puente Aéreo terminals are accessible from the center by busetas and colectivos marked ‘Aeropuerto.’ In the center you catch them on Calle 19 or Carrera 10. At the airport they park next to the El Dorado terminal. They all pass by Puente Aéreo en route. Urban transport to the airport stops at about 8pm.
If going by taxi (about COP$15,000), you pay a sobrecargo (surcharge) of COP$3100.
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DOMESTIC BUS ROUTES
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El Dorado terminal has a special taxi service aimed at protecting passengers from overcharging by taxi drivers. At the exit from the baggage-claim area there’s a taxi booth where you get a computer printout indicating the expected fare to your destination. You then take the taxi, which waits at the door, and show the printout to the driver. The fare is paid upon arrival at your destination.
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To/From the Bus Terminal
There are both buses and colectivos running between the bus terminal and the city center, but the service stops around 9pm. During rush hour the bus trip between the terminal and the city center may take up to an hour.
Take a northbound colectivo marked ‘Terminal’ from Carrera 10 anywhere between Calles 17 and 26. You can also take a bus or colectivo from Calle 13 west of Av Caracas.
The best and fastest way is a taxi (COP$8000 to COP$12,000). The same applies if you are going from the terminal to the city center; you can take a bus or colectivo, but it’s best to go by taxi.
The bus terminal has an organized taxi service like the one at the airport.
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Bicycle
Bogotá has one of the world’s most extensive bike-route networks, with over 300km of separated, clearly marked bike paths called CicloRuta. Free Bogotá maps from tourist information centers show the CicloRuta paths.
In addition, on Sunday and holidays, about 120km of city roads are closed to traffic from 7am to 2pm for a citywide Ciclovia, a well-run event to get Bogotá out on two wheels. Fruit juice vendors and bike repair stands line the cross-town event. The catch is that no one – and we tried hard to find someone – rents bikes currently. Consider going on a bike tour or buying a cheapie (Click here). Ciclovia runs along Carrera 7 all the way from La Candelaria to Usaquén – it’s worth witnessing even if on foot.
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Bus & Buseta
Apart from TransMilenio (Click