Published: 28th of November, 2022 by Patrick Carpen
Last updated: November 30, 2022 at 1:37 amIn November, 2022, I took the bus from the State of Mato Grosso – which is in the center of Brazil, to the state of Roraima – which is the northernmost state of Brazil which borders with Guyana. To be exact, I left from the beautiful city of Campo Verde, Mato Grosso for the destination city of Boa Vista, Roraima. Boa Vista is the capital city of Roraima, and one of the hottest cities in Brazil – but not the hottest, but we’ll talk more about this later.

People often ask, can I travel from Roraima to Sao Paulo by bus? Or, Can I travel from Santa Caterina to Roraima by bus? The truth is, it is possible to travel to any city from one end of Brazil to the other by bus – because the infrastructure of Brazil is so greatly developed. There are bridges across most rivers, and in cases where there are not bridges across rivers, ferry services make it possible for the bus to cross over.

Bear in mind however, that while most of Brazil is connected, there are some states which are not connected to others, and you may sometimes have to take a prescribed route. For example, the state of Para is not connected to Roraima even though they are side by side. That is, the bus will not run that route from Para to Roraima. If you are in Para, you may have to travel back by bus to Porto Velho, then travel to Manaus by bus (24 hours more), and then twelve hours more to Boa Vista, Roraima. So while it is indeed possible to go everywhere by bus across Brazil, it is not always possible to go from everywhere to everywhere.

I’ve heard there is a boat that takes several days to cross the river from the state of Para to arrive at the state of Roraima, and buses can’t use the boat.

So, in short, I traveled from Campo Verde, Mato Grosso to Porto Velho, Rondonia – a 24 hour trip. I rested in a hotel for one night before traveling from Porto Velho to Manaus – another 24 hours. And from Manaus to Boa Vista, Roraima is another twelve hours by bus.

The fare from Campo Verde to Porto Velho was about 450 Brazilian reais when I traveled in November, 2022. From Porto Velho to Manaus, the fare was also about 450 Brazilian reais. And from Manaus to Boa Vista, Roraima, the fare was about 325 Brazilian reais when I made the trip in November, 2022.

The buses are pretty comfortable and laid back in my opinion, and relatively safe. There are hardly any reported accidents. Traveling from Campo Verde, Mato Grosso to Porto Velho was much more luxurious than traveling from Porto Velho, Rondonia to Manaus, Amazonas. First of all, the bus that took us from Campo Verde, Mato Grosso to Porto Velho, Rondonia was much bigger, newer, and more comfortable than the one which took us from Porto Velho, Rondonia to Manaus, Amazonas.

The trip from Porto Velho, Rondonia to Manaus, Amazonas was also more dangerous than the trip from Campo Verde, Mato Grosso to Porto Velho. First of all, all the roads from Mato Grosso to Rondonia were well built, we didn’t have to be ferried across any rivers, and the ride was so smooth, I was writing a novel on my smartphone as I traveled.

However, when I boarded the bus in Porto Velho, Rondonia to destination Manaus, Amazonas, the bus was smaller, the ride was rougher which made the phone vibrate in hands – making it difficult to write, and we had to brave several precarious trails.

I figure that they had to use one of these older buses because of the many rough trails from Porto Velho to Manaus. From Porto Velho to Manaus, we had to drive close to many canals and rivers in rough, muddy trails that often made the bus lean at an angle, stick in the mud, or slide slightly. I had to say a few prayers during the ride from Porto Velho to Manaus. It is a journey that I would avoid by bus if possible. During the journey from Porto Velho to Manaus, we crossed several major rivers by bridge, and had to be ferried across at least two rivers. We certainly were ferried across the Amazon and Black rivers where they run side by side at a place called “the meeting of the waters” in the Amazonas.

Overall, long trips by bus across Brazilian states are relatively comfortable and safe. The buses will have several stops during the day for meals and washroom. There is also a washroom in the bus. However, you would want to keep your bowels and bladders clean during such long journeys by bus to avoid having to use the bus washroom too often. Eat and drink only what is enough to survive – until you reach your destination.












































