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How to get from Bolivia to Argentina? A Step-By-Step Guide

ByCharlotte

Looking for the best ways on how to get from Bolivia to Argentina? Then this is the post for you. If you’re backpacking South America, travelling from Uyuni (Bolivia) to La Quiaca (Argentina) is the route you’ll need to take if you want to cross the border via land.

Luckily, the distance between Bolivia and Argentina isn’t long by Latin American standards. It’s around 290 km from Uyuni to La Quiaca and thankfully it was one of the easiest border crossings I’ve ever done.

This post details how to get to the Bolivian/Argentinian border and how to travel to your next destination in Argentina, including bus times, journey length and tips to make the trip as smooth as possible.

So, let’s find out the best ways to travel from Bolivia to Argentina.

Other Argentina Posts:

Is the North of Argentina worth visiting? 7 places not to miss

Is Humahuaca worth visiting? A Solo Female Guide

How much does it cost to travel Argentina? A budget guide

How to get from Bolivia to Argentina: A Summary

The distance between Uyuni (Bolivia’s border town) and La Quiaca (Argentina’s border town) is around 289.1 km. It’s relatively close and the crossing itself is one of the easiest I’ve done. But you do need to consider the time you travel, weekends and holidays can get much busier at the border. This can make the waiting time much longer and more stressful. Factor this in when planning your travel from Bolivia to Argentina.

So, let’s look at all the possible ways to travel from Bolivia to Argentina (and vice versa).

To sum it up, you can travel from Bolivia to Argentina in 2 ways:

  • Bus – cheaper and the most popular option
  • Plane – more expensive and unreliable flights

Bolivia to Argentina: By Plane

If you’re in Uyuni I wouldn’t attempt to travel from Bolivia to Argentina by plane. The flights are a nightmare, often with multiple layovers and ridiculously priced.

If you want to fly from Bolivia to Argentina, you’re best off flying from La Paz to Buenos Aires and then using either buses or a domestic flight to get around.

Take a look at Skyscanner for the best deals for your dates. Also, try booking in advance for the best prices.

Bolivia to Argentina: By Bus

To begin the journey from Bolivia to Argentina, you need to travel to Uyuni in Bolivia. If you’re travelling through Bolivia, chances are you’ll already be planning on visiting this town to see the Salt Flats.

Uyuni Salt Flats

Bus From Uyuni – Villazon

First, book your bus ticket from Uyuni to Bolivia’s border town, Villazon. You can book these online or at the bus station in Uyuni. Transport within Bolivia is generally pretty decent, I used ticketsbolivia to book all buses throughout the country. Uyuni – Villazon is a daily route and the tickets cost around $9.

You’ll receive your ticket to your email. It is pretty normal practice for them to ask for physical proof on the buses, so try to get to the station early enough to get a copy of your ticket. Show them your confirmation email and they will print out a ticket for you.

Or you can buy your ticket at the station in Uyuni beforehand.

Let me just say, the bus times are not the best. You have the option of 6 am, 8 pm or 8:30 pm.

The evening buses would get you to the border in the early hours of the morning, which for obvious reasons, isn’t the most convenient. I chose to catch the 6 am bus as I wanted to reach Humahuaca whilst it was still light and I’d advise to do the same.

The border crossing between La Quiaca and Villazon is open 24 hours. However the offices handling the migration paperwork are only open between 7:00am and 12:00am.

It’s a smooth journey, and goes relatively quickly, if you’ve got a pillow and blanket just snooze the whole way.

It’s advised that the journey will take 8 hours, but I arrived at Villazon at around 11:30 am which was much earlier than I expected.

There’s one quick stop on the way to Uyuni so if you need to stretch or get any snacks you’ll stop off at Tupiza. Alternatively, you could do this route from Tupiza if you wanted to take a look around the town before heading to Argentina.

Taxi/Walk To The border

You’ll arrive to Villazon, which, in all honesty, isn’t worth hanging around for. I’d recommend getting up and out of there as soon as possible.

To reach the border, it’s about a 20 minute walk from the bus station. If you fancy stretching your legs, use Google Maps or Maps.me and follow it to the border.

If, like me, you don’t fancy dragging your tired self all the way there with your bags. You can grab a taxi from outside the station. Make sure you confirm the price before you get in. I paid 20 Bolivianos ($3).

When you get in, tell the driver you want to go to the ‘frontera‘.

Crossing The Border Bolivia – Argentina

After some long grueling land border crossings back in Central America I wasn’t particularly looking forward to another land crossing. But honestly, it was one of the easiest border crossings I’ve done.

The border itself is just a bridge running across from Villazon to La Quiaca.

If you have Bolivianos left over to exchange, you can exchange them here. There were a few shops lined up just before the bridge. It’s recommended to change your money in Bolivia rather than Argentina. Argentina’s ATM fees can be high and the exchange rate less favourable.

You’ll need to go into what looks like a metal container on the Bolivian side where they’ll give you your departure receipt, make sure you keep hold of this.

Walk across the bridge a little further to the migration office on the left and get your passport checked. To note – you won’t get an entry stamp into Argentina.

Cross over to the building opposite to have your bags scanned and then that’s all. You can walk across the remainder of the bride and welcome to Argentina.

Walk From The Border To The Bus Station

The walk to the bus station isn’t well sign-posted and the signal isn’t great in this area either. I had a nightmare trying to find the bus station. Thankfully two Argentinian angels took pity on me and showed me the way.

So, to save you the trouble, here’s how to find the bus station in La Quiaca:

To get from the border to the bus station you need to walk straight forward to the end of the street until you see the petrol station on your left.

Take a right on this road and continue on until the end.

Take a left and follow the street until you see the park.

Opposite the park, across the road, there should be a white building next to a hilled street.

Follow this up all the way until the top.

Here you’ll find the bus station where you can buy your bus tickets. Note – they accept both cash and cards.

Where to go in Argentina?

If you’re crossing by land into Argentina you’re going to arrive in La Quica, it isn’t one of the nicer towns and there doesn’t seem to be much to do here, so I’d recommend heading straight to the bus station to your next destination. Luckily the north of Argentina is home to some incredible places:

  • Humahuaca – 2 – 2.5 hours
  • Tilcara – 3 – 3.5 hours
  • Salta – 7.5 – 8 hours
  • San Salvador de Jujuy – 5 – 5.5 hours

Take a look at where to go in the North of Argentina in this post to plan your journey.

If you want to travel directly to Buenos Aires, you’re going to need to take a bus to Jujuy. From there you can catch a flight directly to Buenos Aires. Take a look at Skyscanner for the best deals for your dates.

How to get from Argentina to Bolivia?

If you’re looking to travel in the opposite direction from Argentina to Bolivia, you’d still need to do the same route just the opposite way round. From the city you’re in in Argentina you would need to: bus to La Quiaca – cross the border – taxi/walk from the border to the bus station in Villazon – bus to Uyuni.

How long to spend in Argentina?

Argentina is huge and there are so many incredible places to visit, you could spend a lifetime travelling around the country. To make it worth your while I’d suggest a minimum of 2 weeks. With this amount of time you can choose two areas of the country to explore without feeling too rushed. With 4 weeks you’d have much more freedom to move at a slower pace and see all the main sights in Argentina.

FAQS

Do you have to pay to cross from Bolivia to Argentina by land?

Argentina doesn’t charge a fee for entry for citizens of the US, EU, Canada, Australia, and the UK.

Do I need a visa for Argentina?

For the US, EU, Canada, Australia and the UK, no visa is required for entry. Eligible citizens will usually be granted entry for up to 90 days.

Bolivia to Argentina: A Summary

Both Argentina and Bolivia are amazing countries with some of the most beautiful landscapes I’ve seen. Hopefully with this guide you can organise and plan your journey from Bolivia to Argentina stress free.

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