San Salvador to Copan Ruinas via Bus: Easy Instructions

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Looking to get from San Salvador to Copan Ruinas? Or from Santa Ana to Copan Ruinas?

Or maybe you’re going the other way, from Copan to Santa Ana?

Copan Ruinas is a UNESCO World Heritage site with some incredible Mayan ruins you can explore without the crowds of other better-known sites.

When you’re backpacking in Central America, you are looking for the cheapest and easiest way to get from place to place, but that’s not always easy to figure out! In this case, it involves a few transfers, which sound more complicated than they are.

While figuring out this route, I thought I would have to buy an expensive private shuttle ticket. But I was wrong!

And to be honest, I could have afforded the shuttle. But I decided it would be more fun to figure out the public busses – how cool to be able to say I traveled all the way from El Salvador to Honduras via chicken buses!? SOLO! Backpacker bragging rights.

This El Salvador to Honduras bus route includes 6 buses and 2 border crossings, costs about $10 USD in local currencies, and took me 12 hours from Santa Ana.

If you’re looking for the cheapest and most adventurous way to get from San Salvador to Copan Ruinas or Santa Ana to Copan Ruinas, here are step-by-step bus instructions that I tested when making my way across the El Salvador/Honduras border using only public transport.

And I was solo!

The directions can be easily reversed if you’re going the other way (from Copan Ruinas to Santa Ana or from Copan Ruinas to San Salvador).

San Salvador to Copan Ruinas by Bus: Highlights

🚌 This route includes 6 buses and 2 border crossings.

💰 Expect to pay about $10 USD in local currencies

⏰ Leave as early as possible – the route took me 12 hours leaving from Santa Ana.

🥨 Bring water, snacks, and toilet paper.

⛑️ I felt safe the entire trip, but keep an eye on your belongings and try to arrive before dark.

🔄 To get from Copan to San Salvador, follow these directions in reverse.

⛑️ My number one safety tip for travelers, no matter where you’re going or how long your trip is, is to buy SafetyWing insurance to protect your trip.

At-a-Glance Instructions from San Salvador to Copan Ruinas

More detailed directions are further down.

Going from San Salvador to Copan Ruinas starts with a transfer in Santa Ana. Santa Ana is a great base for exploring the Ruta de las Flores and the Santa Ana Volcano!

Note: These instructions to Copan Ruinas from El Salvador can be reversed if you’re going in the opposite direction (Copan Ruinas to El Salvador).

And keep in mind that the prices of each bus may fluctuate over time.

San Salvador to Copen Ruinas

If you’re starting in Santa Ana, you can skip the first step.

• Bus 1: Take any bus that’s going to Santa Ana
• Bus 2: Take the chicken bus from Santa Ana to Metapan ($0.80 USD)
• Bus 3: Take the chicken bus from Metapan to Anguaiatu (the border of Guatemala) ($0.55 USD)
• Border Crossing 1: get your passport stamped
• Bus 4: Take the micro-bus from the border towards Chiquimula, aka “Chiqui” but get off a little early by the road towards Copan (30Qs)
• Bus 5: Take the micro-bus to Florido (the border of Honduras) (20Qs)
• Border Crossing 2: get your passport stamped (70L or $3)
• Bus 6: Take the micro-bus from the border to Copan Ruinas (25L or $1)

San Salvador to Copan Ruinas: Detailed Step-by-Step Instructions

Note: These instructions can be reversed if you’re going in the opposite direction, from Copan Ruinas to Santa Ana.

1. San Salvador to Santa Ana

To start this journey from San Salvador, you must get to Santa Ana. I personally loved Santa Ana even more than San Salvador, and I recommend travelers use it as a base for exploring El Salvador.

There are several different buses from San Salvador to Santa Ana – take any bus with Santa Ana listed on the front.

There is one with air conditioning called the “special bus” that is only slightly more expensive, but any of them will get you there.

2. Santa Ana to Metapan, El Salvador

A few different buses go from Santa Ana to Metapan, and you can take any of them (they might vary slightly in cost and comfort, but probably not much). Just hop on any bus that says Metapan.

Bus #235 (a chicken bus) stopped right around the corner from my hostel, so I took that one. I left my hostel at 7:30 am and took the bus to Metapan around 7:40 am. I paid the driver $0.80 USD (as was listed on a sign) and took a seat with my big backpack in the aisle (in hindsight, I would have tried to get a seat all the way in the back of the bus since people had to keep climbing over it while I smiled guiltily at them).

This was the busiest bus of my journey as there were a lot of morning commuters, but luckily, I got on early in the route and had a seat. It made a lot of stops and arrived at a bus station in Metapan at about 9:15 am, about 1.5 hours in total.

This was the final stop, so you don’t have to stress about when to get off. There was a store here where you can buy snacks, and I didn’t look, but I bet there is a bathroom here too (although who knows how clean).

💧 Thirsty? Always have clean drinking water on hand and save money with this reusable water bottle! It works great, turning tap water into safe-to-drink water that tastes good.

3. Bus 2 to Anguaiatu (the border, aka “la Frontera” of Guatemala)

I asked a couple of people where the bus to Anguaiatu was. Some people didn’t know Anguaiatu, but they did know what “la Frontera” meant (it means “the border” in Spanish).

People in El Salvador were so friendly that I could easily find where to wait, which was right in front of the store inside the bus parking lot. I had to wait about 20 minutes until 10:00 am for the bus to leave.

This is the second and last chicken bus you’ll take on this journey, as the rest are mini/micro-buses. It was not crowded and cost me $0.55 to go just 30 minutes to the border. I was confused about which bus to take at first because, from what I can tell, it’s the same bus that goes back to Santa Ana, but it drives to the border first before heading there.

And this is where I met two other gringo backpackers heading to Copan Ruinas! So we buddied up for the rest of the journey. You’ll probably meet other backpackers, too.

4. Border Crossing 1 / Arrival in Guatemala

About 30 minutes later, at 10:30 am, I got off the bus at the border and walked towards a very unofficial-looking immigration office located inside a temporary trailer. The border agent was very friendly and quickly stamped my passport.

There was a locked bathroom here, and a gentleman opened it. It cost $0.25 to use, and it was clean and had toilet paper.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have any Guatemalan Quetzales left from my visit a few weeks before, so I changed a minimal amount of money at the border, just enough to pay for the buses. I never exchange money at the border because you usually don’t get a very good rate.

Then, I sat down on a bench at the border with the other two backpackers to wait for the next bus.

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5. Bus 3 towards Chiquimula aka “Chiqui” (But Get Off A Little Before)

A couple of micro-buses came, but when I asked if they were going to Chiqui, they weren’t, so I kept waiting. This was the longest wait of the day, over an hour. The microbus to Chiqui finally came at 11:50 am. It cost 30Qs (the equivalent of about $3.93).

My backpack was put on the roof, and then we went. This bus made a quick stop for a break about 10 minutes away from the border.

Tell them you’re going to Copan Ruinas because they know the best way to do this. Instead of going all the way to Chiquimula, they brought us to an earlier stop about 10km or so before, where the road turns right towards Copan, to a town bus office where we would catch the next bus. This saves a good chunk of time (plus, the bus often gets full at Chiquimula, so this way, you’ll definitely get a seat).

It’s not the end of the world if you miss this stop and go to Chiquimula, but it will add a little extra time. If you tell them you’re going to Copan Ruinas, the driver will know where to bring you, so don’t stress.

It took under 2 hours to reach this stop, arriving at 1:40 pm at the bus office.

6. Bus 4 to Florido (the border of Honduras)

There is only a 20-minute wait for this micro-bus at the bus office about 10km before Chiquimula. This bus cost 20Qs (or the equivalent of about $2.55). The bus arrived at 2 pm, and again, my bag went onto the roof. They had us switch buses in Jocotan for some reason, but I’m not sure if that is a common occurrence. Just follow the group.

We arrived at the border of Honduras an hour and a half later, at about 3:30 pm.

7. Border Crossing 2 / Arrival in Honduras

A long, long line was out the door for this border crossing. I’m not really sure why. Honestly, I didn’t wait in this line, and maybe that was wrong. I went straight into the building and walked straight to the first counter, where I got stamped out of Guatemala. Then, I walked to a short line at the next counter to get stamped into Honduras.

Conveniently, both counters are in the same office. Be sure to have any required digital forms completed before arrival. The other backpackers who were with me didn’t fill out the online entry forms in advance, so they had to wait in line. I had my forms filled out, so it was much quicker, but it still took about 35 minutes to get through.

They charged me 80L or $3 to enter Honduras. They would not accept any coins, only bills. I needed change, and it took them a while to find some, so try to have the exact change if you can.

If you need any Lempiras for the border fee or the bus, you can exchange money at the border. Just exchange a little because the rate is never very good at the border.

8. Bus 5 to Copan Ruinas – the last bus!

After getting my passport stamped, I walked across the border. A couple of micro-buses were waiting, and they asked if I was going to Copan Ruinas. These buses won’t leave until all seats are full. It cost 25L (or about $1 USD), and they actually took me right to my hostel, which was nice. This was a very short ride, and I finally arrived at my hostel at 4:40 pm!

Congratulations – if you made it to Copan Ruinas, you can now brag that you went all the way from El Salvador to Honduras via public buses. What a badass traveler you are!

Tips for Taking the El Salvador to Honduras Bus

• Leave early (I left my hostel in Santa Ana at 7:30 am) in case something doesn’t go according to plan. You never know how long you’ll have to wait for the next bus, and you don’t want to attempt border crossings in the dark. Check what time the border closes if you are leaving later.

• It’s obviously easier to do this if you have a backpack since you are changing buses and walking across multiple border crossings. I have a big backpack, which was only a pain on the first bus.

• Have small change for bus fares and any border-crossing fees. I didn’t have any issue getting change, but sometimes they won’t be able to give you any.

• Have your passport and paperwork in order. Check online to see what entry forms you need to fill out. Some people had to wait much longer at the border because they hadn’t completed their digital forms.

• Be mindful of your belongings. Keep valuables on your person. I had no issues, but I’ve heard of pickpockets (as in any country).

• If the weather is bad, your bag may be put onto the bus roof, so consider a rain cover.

• Limit fluid intake and bring snacks. I only used the bathroom at the first border crossing, and it was fine. But I’m not sure what other toilets are like. And although there were a couple of opportunities to buy snacks, I was happy to have some in my bag.

• Don’t be afraid to ask people for help. Everyone I met was super friendly and willing to point me in the right direction.

• Hostels are usually the most knowledgeable about using public transportation to get from place to place since they cater to budget backpackers.

Pros of Traveling from El Salvador to Copan Ruinas by Public Bus

If you’re looking for the cheapest and most adventurous way to get from Santa Ana, El Salvador to Copan Ruinas, Honduras (or the other direction from Copan to Santa Ana), you’ll take the bus.

The same applies if you’re going from San Salvador to Copan Ruinas, although honestly, I would recommend spending a night in Santa Ana to break up the travel time a bit.

It only cost me about $8.83 USD to get from El Salvador to Copan Ruinas, and it wasn’t that difficult to figure out. I did it solo and had no issues, and I met two other backpackers on the way. Later, I met several backpackers who took the reverse route from Copan Ruinas to El Salvador.

Many people take a direct shuttle from El Salvador to Copan Ruinas, but that is expensive if you’re on a budget.

After talking to other backpackers who took this route, I decided it would be a fun adventure to attempt to get from one country to the other via public buses. And it was!

I can now brag that I’ve backpacked solo all the way from El Salvador to Honduras via public transport. Pretty cool.

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Cons of Traveling from San Salvador (or Santa Ana) to Copan Ruinas by Public Bus

Going by bus isn’t the easiest way to get between Santa Ana and Copan Ruinas or between San Salvador and Copan Ruinas – there are direct shuttles for about $50 or $60 that take about 5 hours. But it’s easier than it seems!

Usually, I’m the traveler who would choose the most straightforward option instead of the cheapest one, but I was feeling adventurous that day. Choosing the cheapest way to get from El Salvador to Honduras definitely helped me with my travel budget.

It took me about 8 hours from Santa Ana to Copan Ruinas, including taking five different buses and walking across two different country borders (Guatemala and Honduras). Add a couple more hours and a 6th bus if you’re going from San Salvador to Copan Ruinas.

There was some wait time between buses and a line at the Honduras border, but these wait times probably vary daily.

Where to Stay in Copan Ruinas

🛏️ My pick for the best hostel in Copan Ruinas is Iguana Azul. It’s in a great location, and the next-door garden cafe has amazing views! 👈

🛏️ My pick for the best mid-range accommodation in Copan Ruinas is Hotel Brisas de Copan, located right by the main square and within walking distance of the ruins and many restaurants. 👈

🛏️ My pick for the best high-end hotel in Copan Ruinas is Terramaya Boutique Hotel – the perfect place if you want to relax! 👈

San Salvador to Copan Ruinas FAQs

Wrap Up: Getting from El Salvador to Honduras by Bus

Backpackers looking for a cheaper and more adventurous route from San Salvador to Copan Ruinas can take the bus. Multiple buses, to be precise. But it’s not as tricky as it may first seem (I was nervous to do it solo, but it went so smoothly!).

It may take slightly longer than a private shuttle bus, but it uniquely allows travelers to experience Central American culture. You’ll forever be able to brag that you traveled all the way from El Salvador to Honduras by public bus!

So, if you’re ready for an adventure that won’t break the bank, make sure to check out the bus route between El Salvador and Honduras.

And if you’re headed to Utila and Roatan, you’ll want to follow these Roatan safety tips.