It has been branded ‘brutal’ and ‘absolute hell’
The journey is the longest in the world(Image: Mario Gutiérrez/Getty)
The world’s longest bus journey spans 4,000 miles and has racked up a negative reputation. It takes over 100 hours to travel the route, which is roughly six days.
The journey connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans as it goes from Lima in Peru to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. It is made possible thanks to the Trans-Oceanic Highway.
The legendary Transoceánica holds the title of being the longest regularly scheduled, direct commercial bus route in the world.
It runs weekly by the Brazilian bus company and passes through coastal cities, savannas, wetlands, rainforests and the Andes Mountains.
The bus departs on Thursdays at 1pm and promises to be a ride passengers won’t forget. There are 44 regular seats and 12 sleeping berths on board. There’s also a toilet, small sink, water dispenser and Wi-Fi.
However, there are no showers on board. To be able to wash, passengers use facilities during the three scheduled stops per day at roadside stations.
The bus is driven by two alternating drivers, with one resting in a sleeping cabin while the other drives. According to Check My Bus, the ticket price is approximately R$1,300, which is around £186.
From the bus, passengers are able to see world-famous sites including the Amazon Basin, Andes Mountains, Christ the Redeemer and Machu Picchu.
Starting in Rio de Janeiro, the bus makes its way through São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Rondônia and Acre, until it reaches the border with Peru.
It then goes through the Peruvian Amazon, crosses the Andes and takes the Transoceanic Highway to Lima, the capital of Peru.
Despite the stunning scenery, some passengers have found the journey very tricky.
YouTuber Noel Phillips travelled the route and branded it “gruelling” and “absolute hell”. He said that on the bus, personal space was a non-existent concept.
In a video documenting the trip, Noel said: “Nobody has [headphones]; everyone just plays everything on full blast. And when they can’t hear it above everybody else’s, they just turn theirs up so in the end you just have 15 phones playing different things at 55,000 decibels.”
Noel admitted that by the time he reached Brazil, the journey felt repetitive. He faced a number of delays on his journey as well as a lack of heating on the bus.