All of the buses coming and going through Suchitoto pass by the Mercado Municipal (see map). They continue down that same street and head out of town at the Alba gas station, where buses to Aguilares go one way and buses to San Salvador go another.

Suchitoto to Terminal de Oriente

When in Suchitoto you can grab either the 129 full size bus with a/c for $1,  or the 140 microbus $0.90. Important: on the return trip this bus passes close but not right at the Terminal de Oriente. You are likely to be let off in the same spot I was and I am not sure I recommend it, especially late in the day. Essentially you are dropped at a little side street that leads to a staircase that goes to the terminal through a back road. There is a high military presence and probably for good reason. Remember, the area around the Terminal de Oriente is not a good one, and my guess is a little back alley like this is low on the safety list. So what to do instead? Stay on the bus until the last stop and grab a really cheap taxi to the terminal. See photos below.

Terminal de Oriente to Suchitoto

The bus doesn’t pull into the actual station, instead it passes on the main highway outside of the station just ask someone and they will tell you exactly where to stand. Buses to Suchitoto are originating from the Punta de Microbuses 140 in the centre. Open in Google Maps.  You have two bus options. You can either take the 129 full size bus with a/c for $1, or the 140 microbus $0.90 and both take about 1hr. Very important: there are several 140 microbuses that pass here so be sure you get on the one labeled Suchitoto. I am told some of the other routes go to some less safe areas. Both buses take about the same time.

Suchitoto to Santa Ana

I have not done this one myself but here is what the lovely girl at the tourist information centre mapped out for me. First you need to get the 163 heading to Aguilares. This bus leaves every 40 minutes and costs $0.70. Tell the driver you are going to Apopa and need to get off at the Texaco gas station. You can then grab the 119 or the 125 heading to the POMA last station in Apopa. From there grab the 276 to Santa Ana. This bus passes every 2hrs and starts at 7am. Sorry not sure when the last bus is but my guess would be around 5pm.

One traveller named Davy confirmed this and commented below with extra details from Sept 2018:

Suchitoto -> Aguilares 40 minutes $0.75
Aguilares -> Apopa 30-40 minutes $0.40
Apopa -> Santa Ana 2 hours $0.80

The bus to Santa Ana left at 10:45h at the Puma gas station, but stayed for 10 minutes at the market around the corner to fill up. The bus 276 final stop is at Terminal de Occidente.

Another Traveller named Lauren added extra details to this route (Dec 2018):

Note: the gas station you want is the Puma at the end of Apopa on the right hand side, NOT the first one you pass on the left at the beginning of town. The 276 only goes between Apopa and Santa Ana. Because of this it doesn’t come down the main road, but rather comes into the carpark of Puma. If you look at the gas station from the road it arrives and leaves on the left hand side. The bus arrived at 11.15am, left at 11.20am and slowly went through the markets, meaning it didn’t really leave down until 11.45am. Arriving at Santa Ana at 1.45pm.

San Miguel to Suchitoto

Get on the bus headed to San Salvador and ask the bus driver to drop you at San Martin and be sure you make it clear you are going to Suchitoto so he will drop you in the right spot. There is a bus that runs approximately every hour to Suchitoto.  We haven’t done this but one helpful traveller confirmed some details – “When the driver drops you at San Martin, you have to cross the big boulevard using a crosswalk overpass and wait for the bus 129 or a microbus 140 with Suchitoto written on it, that comes much more frequently then the 129 bus!” (see comments section below)

Suchitoto to San Miguel

One helpful traveller name Kostas has given us the details on this route. He says: “In Suchitoto, take bus 129 to San Salvador from the side street at the market. Let the driver know you want to get off at San Martin on the highway at the overpass. It takes about an hour. Cross the highway (use the overpass) and catch bus 301 to San Miguel. A couple things to note: San Martin is not the safest town, so don’t get off on the town center and walk to the highway, or don’t wonder around. The 301 buses to San Miguel are newer and the number is hard to see, pay close attention or you might miss one, or two, like we did.” 

El Tunco to Suchitoto

Heading from the beach – El Tunco to Suchitoto? Here is how you do it nice and quick! Grab the 102A (a/c microbus) from El Tunco (or Sunzal or La Libertad). This bus will cost $1.50 and will take you all the way into San Salvador. From the last stop, take a taxi to the Punto de Microbuses Ruta 140. It isn’t far from where you are dropped off, but this area of San Salvador isn’t the greatest and I am told by locals that the safety of this area is improving, but I myself prefer to take the cheap taxi ride which only about 17 blocks and shouldn’t cost you more than $5.  Once you are at Punto de Microbuses 140, you will know you are getting on the right bus because it will be labeled Suchitoto in big letters. This bus will cost you $0.90 and takes about 1hr.

Suchitoto to El Tunco

Head back to San Salvador and go all the way to the last stop, Punto de Microbuses ruta 140 and grab a taxi to the Punto de Microbuses 102. Make sure they are taking you to the stop with microbus 102A to Sunzal. This bus will pass by El Tunco on the way to Sunzal. Easy! (see above for extra info)

Aguilaris to Suchitoto

The bus from Aguilaris to Suchitoto is #163. It depart every 30-40 minutes. More information coming soon.

Help your fellow traveller

If you have taken any of the buses on this page, please drop us a comment below about how the trip went, what time you left, how long it took and what it cost. And, definitely let us know if we have anything wrong.

Lets help each other in our travels!