Getting around South America by box
 

Hi,
I'd like to find out if there are any bus companies that operate throughout South America.
Or if there are any major operators in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay & Columbia.
Also what is the most effective way to book overnight travel between cities. T
Can I pre-book my travel?
Thanks
Mani

*by bus

Most of my experience with bus travel is in Argentina and I would highly recommend Andesmar and Via Bariloche both provide excellent service. http://www.omnilineas.com/ is another good site. We tended just to book tickets on the day or visit the bus station a couple of days beforehand when we wanted Ejecutivo seats for the longer journeys. Never had any problems getting seats at all. Both these companies are bookable online.

I can't recall the operators in Chile and Uruguay but Chilean buses were good but Uruguayan buses were a bit basic but ok. Cruz del sur in Peru were very good too.

There's very little international bus service in South America. Most of it is entirely in-country. If you're looking for a single bus that's going to take you from, say, Bogota to Lima, no.

Distances on the continent are HUGE. You don't say how long you'll be there. I hope you're not trying to cover too much territory.

There certainly are international buses, I crossed the Andes between Argentina and Chile three times, but a different company each time.

Likewise here in Ecuador, a number of companies ply the routes into Columbia and Peru. We also took a Brazilian bus from Puerto Iguazu into Uruguay.

Okay. Maybe better stated this way: Sure. There are buses that cross international borders, but you're generally not going to find routes that go long distance, capital to capital. Bogota to Lima, for example. That would need to be combination of a couple of routes. The OP's first sentence made me think that was the type of question being asked.

In Brazil, certain routes/areas are served by certain bus lines, there isn't really a national company.
Most bus companies sites (and some airlines' too) are not set up to accept online booking from people who do not have a Brazilian ID# (CPF) and Brazilian issued credit card.

I can only think of Ormeño, a Peruvian company, which does multi-country trips. However, there are much better quality buses to be found and it is generally better to use multiple bus lines. There are a couple of companies which claim to be able to book you on buses in multiple countries, but it is important to read the small print as you often pay more than just booking each section yourself.