Litegua (Lineas Terrestres Guatemaltecas) runs pullman buses from the capital to eastern Guatemala along the Atlantic Highway. Its own booking system lists 18 destinations plus Ciudad Capital (re-read 4 November 2026), with two service tiers: Primera Plus (Q145) and Primera Clase (Q145-200).
Litegua quick summary: Buses from the capital to Puerto Barrios cost Q145 (Primera Plus) or Q145-200 (Primera Clase) with 12 daily departures between 04:00 and 19:00. Four capital agencies: Km 9.5 Ruta al Atlántico and Centra Norte (Km 8.5), both zona 17, 15 Calle 10-40, zona 1, and 7a Avenida 7-24, zona 9. Booking at sistemas.litegua.com or phone +502 2326-9595. Its stops run along the Atlantic highway through El Progreso, Zacapa, Chiquimula and Izabal.
What is Litegua
Litegua is short for Lineas Terrestres Guatemaltecas, a pullman operator on the Atlantic Highway (CA-9). Its own history page dates the company to 1950, when it served only Izabal; its home page describes a fleet of more than 175 buses. Its stops link Guatemala City with Zacapa, Chiquimula and Izabal, including the Caribbean ports of Puerto Barrios and Santo Tomas de Castilla.
Unlike “camioneta” buses (repainted ex-school buses), Litegua is a pullman service with air-conditioned buses, its own agencies and tickets sold through a booking system.
Litegua Fares 2026 — Verified Table
The first thing to understand about Litegua pricing: the booking system does not publish a per-segment fare. It publishes one price per class of service, and that price is the same on every route — any Primera Plus bus shows Q145 and any Primera Clase bus Q145-200, short hops included. Query an intermediate stop and the system returns every bus that passes it, each still carrying its whole-run price. That is why a ticket to Sanarate shows the same price as one to Puerto Barrios.
| Route | Primera Plus | Primera Clase | Services passing | First | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital - Puerto Barrios (via Morales) | Q145 | Q145-200 | 12 (11 on Sundays) | 04:00 | 19:00 |
| El Rancho - Chiquimula (via Teculutan-Jocotan-El Florido) | Q145 | — | 3 | 08:45 | 15:00 |
| Capital - Rio Dulce | Q145 | none on the dates checked | 6 | 05:30 | 16:00 |
| Capital - Morales | Q145 | none on the dates checked | 9 | 04:00 | 19:00 |
| Capital - Rio Hondo | Q145 | Q145-200 | 21 | 04:00 | 19:00 |
| Capital - Teculutan | Q145 | Q145-200 | 21 | 04:00 | 19:00 |
| Capital - El Rancho | Q145 | Q145-200 | 21 | 04:00 | 19:00 |
| Capital - Sanarate | Q145 | Q145-200 | 21 | 04:00 | 19:00 |
| Capital - Valle Dorado | Q145 | Q145-200 | 18 | 04:00 | 19:00 |
| Capital - Santo Tomas de Castilla | not available | not available | — | — | — |
Checked at sistemas.litegua.com on 4 November 2026 for travel on Tuesday 10 November 2026 (fares and service counts; the Sunday count of 11 is for Sunday 8 November). The bands were Q100-125 and Q125-150 on 1 and 12 September, and Q120-145 and Q145-200 on 24 September. The Capital - Santo Tomas de Castilla route could not be verified: the booking system returns a server error for that origin-destination pair on every date tried, so we publish no fare for it — ask on +502 2326-9595. The previous intermediate-stop fares were our own distance-based estimates and sat below what the operator actually charges; they have been replaced with the published band.
Reference exchange rate: Q7.64082 = $1 USD (Banguat reference rate, 4 November 2026 — see current exchange rate).
Primera Plus vs Primera Clase
| Feature | Primera Plus | Primera Clase |
|---|---|---|
| Fare shown | Q145 | Q145-200 |
| Capital - Puerto Barrios departures | 9 a day | 3 a day (05:00, 10:00, 17:00) |
| Routes checked with no Primera Clase bus | Rio Dulce, Morales, El Rancho - Chiquimula | — |
Primera Plus runs most departures, and at Q145 it costs the same as the bottom of the Primera Clase band, so the choice mostly comes down to the departure time you need.
Litegua’s 19 Stops
Litegua operates exclusively on the eastern axis of Guatemala (Atlantic Highway CA-9). It does not cover Xela, Huehuetenango or the Pacific coast.
Destinations covered:
- Guatemala City (main terminal)
- Sanarate
- Valle Dorado
- El Rancho (key junction to Chiquimula)
- Teculutan
- Rio Hondo (interregional terminal)
- Cadenas
- Gualan
- Mayuelas
- Los Amates
- Morales
- Entre Rios
- Puerto Barrios (main Caribbean destination)
- Santo Tomas de Castilla (port)
- Rio Dulce
- Chiquimula
- Jocotan
- El Florido (the Copan border crossing)
- Retalhuleu Irtra (exception in west — tourist park destination; the 05:00 RUTA TURISMO IRTRA is on Guatemala City to Retalhuleu)
Litegua Terminals
Guatemala City agencies
Litegua’s agencies page (read 5 October 2026) lists four agencies in the capital, and its booking system does not say which departure leaves from which, so confirm the agency when you buy:
| Agency | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Calle (zona 1) | 15 Calle 10-40, zona 1 | 2326-9400 |
| Litegua Llama (zona 17) | Km 9.5 Ruta al Atlántico, zona 17 | 2326-9500 |
| Centra Norte (zona 17) | Km 8.5 Carretera al Atlántico, zona 17 | 4007-0631 |
| Zona 9 | 7a Avenida 7-24, zona 9, inside the IRTRA head offices | 4024-4566 |
The same page also lists a ticket office at 7a Avenida 7-24, zona 9, inside the IRTRA head offices (4024-4566). The contact numbers in the site footer are +502 2326-9595 and +502 5200-1838.
Río Hondo agency
- Address: Km 135 Ruta al Atlántico, at the Río Hondo turn-off next to Súper 24 (phone 3012-5678, per the same agencies page)
How to Book a Litegua Ticket
Option 1: Online (recommended)
- Go to sistemas.litegua.com/ReservaBoletosWEB
- Select origin, destination, date
- Choose time and service tier (Primera Plus or Primera Clase)
- Select seat on the bus map
- Complete payment as the booking system asks
Option 2: Phone
- Call +502 2326-9595 or +502 5200-1838 (the second is Litegua’s WhatsApp link)
- Give origin, destination, date and passenger count, and confirm how to pay
Option 3: In person
- Buy at any Litegua agency (list above)
- Ask which agency your departure leaves from
When to Book in Advance
Litegua publishes no booking lead times. Holy Week, the December-January holidays and long national-holiday weekends are the obvious pressure points: the booking system sells seats for a specific date, so book online as soon as your date is fixed.
Comparison with Other Operators to the East
| Operator | Main route | Fare | Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Litegua | Capital - Puerto Barrios | Q145-200 | Pullman, own agencies |
| Fuente del Norte | Capital - Peten (Santa Elena/Flores) | Q262.50 Clase A / Q315 Clase B | No published fare table; live engine quotes, 12 Sep 2026. No Rio Dulce or Puerto Barrios station |
| Linea Dorada | Capital - various | No published fare (2026) | lineadorada.com.gt now serves an online-casino page; no fare or timetable verifiable |
| Camionetas | Capital - anywhere | No published fare | Chicken bus, no reservation |
For Capital - Puerto Barrios, Litegua is the published option, with 12 daily departures and agencies along the route. If you want maximum savings and do not care about schedule, chicken buses are the cheapest option.
Tips for Traveling with Litegua
- Tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable; if you miss your bus, Litegua’s ticket-revalidation policy applies, within its deadlines and for a charge
- Bring a light jacket — windows stay closed so the air conditioning can circulate
- Luggage: one piece of up to 25 pounds plus a small personal bag inside the bus; extra pieces or overweight are charged on Litegua’s luggage tariff
- Children taller than 1.10 m pay a full ticket, shorter children pay 50%, and every child travels with a responsible adult
- To reach Antigua you first take a shuttle to the capital and then Litegua
For Diaspora from USA
If you are coming from the United States and landing at La Aurora (GUA):
- From the airport, take a taxi or Uber to the Litegua agency your ticket names: 15 Calle 10-40, zona 1, or Km 9.5 Ruta al Atlántico, zona 17 (or Centra Norte, Km 8.5, zona 17)
- Reserve your Litegua in advance online from the US
- Take the bus to Puerto Barrios, Rio Dulce or any eastern destination
- To reach Lake Atitlan you need to go to the capital and take an Antigua to Lake shuttle or Capital-Panajachel shuttle — Litegua does NOT operate to the lake
If you are calculating costs in dollars, check the current exchange rate. For complete trip information see Atitlan from USA.
Safety on Litegua Buses
Litegua’s own travel policy sets these rules:
- Buses may not exceed 80 km per hour
- No alcohol or smoking on board
- Firearms travel only with a current carry licence, unloaded and handed to the driver; knives, explosives and flammables are banned
For more information about transport safety see the Guatemala safety guide.
Official Links
- Official Litegua site
- Booking system
- Central phone: +502 2326-9595
- Alternative phone: +502 5200-1838
Sources
- Litegua booking system, departures and fares for travel on 8 and 10 November 2026 (read 4 November 2026): https://sistemas.litegua.com/ReservaBoletosWEB
- Litegua agencies page (read 4 November 2026): https://sistemas.litegua.com/LiteguaWeb/Home/Agencias
- Litegua Políticas de Viaje (read 4 November 2026): https://sistemas.litegua.com/PoliticasViaje
- Litegua home page (read 4 November 2026): https://sistemas.litegua.com/LiteguaWeb
- Litegua Quiénes Somos (read 4 November 2026): https://sistemas.litegua.com/LiteguaWeb/Home/QuienesSomos
- Banco de Guatemala reference exchange rate, Q7.64082 per US dollar (4 November 2026): https://www.banguat.gob.gt/
Other routes and transport in Guatemala:
- Lake Atitlan lancha routes — Q10-25
- Transmetro Guatemala City — Q1.00
- Uber Guatemala pricing — from Q15
- Pullmantur to San Salvador — cross-border
- Bus to Mexico — Tapachula and CDMX
- Driving in Guatemala — alternative with own vehicle
Fares and schedules re-verified 4 November 2026 from sistemas.litegua.com; travel rules from Litegua’s Políticas de Viaje page, read the same day. Litegua may adjust fares without prior notice — consult operator before traveling.
