Has anyone taken a bus to Salta?

[Napoleon]

I didn't realize that you had a car. DEFINITELY take the car.

I went to a wedding in La Pampa and we drove. It gives you freedom to stop when you want, to go when you want, and to take the road less traveled (you can impulsively drive 30 kms off course to see a town that you heard something about 20 years ago.

Driving from LA to Texas, I impulsively pulled off an exit to see Tombstone, AZ. Little did I know that it wasn't just off the highway, but rather 45 miles (~65kms) down a road I was going to have to come right back up to get to the same spot on the highway. But I'll always remember my time in Tombstone and it was definitely worth it. Argentina is a lot like the US (although nearly all of the towns here are laid out the exact same way) and over half the fun of going some place is the little stops that you make along the way.

 

[almagestos]

I took the bus Merco Bus-Plus Ultra from my city (situated in the province of Santa Fe) to Córdoba and then I took another Merco Bus-Plus Ultra from Córdoba to Salta.... I previoulsly bought both tickets in my city

So I took 4 buses (round-trip) and all buses were very new and confortable...

 

[sergio]

We agree on this one - flying gets you there, but going by land lets you see the countryside

I am Argentinian, and used to go to Salta by train - that is, to Tucuman. The train is running again, but I've heard it is slow and unreliable.

I've never traveled in a coche cama - my daughter says they are very comfortable. Is there any one company which you would recommend?
.

The train is slow but it is pretty reliable. Ferrocentral has the best passenger trains in the country. You can sleep in a private room on a comfortable bed with fresh sheets. You have your own wash basin. There is a restaurant on the train and you can walk around. You will get a real chance to see Argentina.

 

[SaraSara]

Thanks, Sergio. I will definitely check out that train. I took it once and, as you say, it was clean and comfortable. Back then the train carried cars, too - if it still does, that would be the ideal solution.

Just remembered something about that trip.

When the porter came to get our tickets, he looked at them, looked at my husband and me, and congratulated us. We certainly did NOT look like newlyweds, so we asked him why the congratulations.

He said that out of the whole car, we were the only ones who had actually paid for our tickets...! The rest of the passengers - in about 14 compartments - traveled for free with railroad passes, political passes, etc.. He was very bitter about it - said people blamed railroaders for the rails system's decay, while starving it to death with all those freeloaders.

Something similar happened to my brother on an Aerolineas Argentinas flight to the US. Shortly after takeoff the pilot came on the intercom, and asked Dr. So and So, Mr. So and So, and a couple of other people to identify themselves. When they did, he thanked them for being the only four people on the plane to actually pay for their tickets. The rest of the passengers flew for free, again on "special" passes.

Poor Argentina....!