Our three-month stay in Brazil had come to an end. With our visa set to expire the next day, it was time to head to Uruguay. We were in Porto Alegre, the capital of Brazil’s southernmost state. But we still had 380 km to go before reaching the border—and a staggering 806 km to Montevideo. One long haul ahead.
We booked a night bus with the EGA company on this website for about €80 and left our cozy hostel in downtown Porto Alegre with plenty of time to spare before our 9 pm departure. In the evening rush hour, the taxi ride to the bus terminal (located here) ended up taking longer than it would have taken to walk.
I wasn’t exactly looking forward to waking up in the middle of the night, dragging out my backpack, and queuing up for border control. To our pleasant surprise, we were spared that whole slog. Just before boarding, we were led up a stairway into a small office for check-in. We filled out the forms, handed over our passports to have them returned upon arrival in the morning, and were free to sleep through the entire night ride. Brilliant. If only all border crossings were that smooth.
The trip was exceptionally comfortable. In yet another pleasant surprise, we didn’t even have to get off the bus for food. They served proper meals on board, airplane-style. Big kudos to EGA. After a solid night’s sleep, we woke to the sight of the wet, flat expanse of the Uruguayan hinterland rolling past our windows. Just over twelve hours after departure, we were dropped off at Montevideo’s bus terminal and set off walking toward our room in the old town—a comfy, budget-friendly base to start exploring this new city.
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Accommodation & Activities in Montevideo
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