Getting There

Depart from Tres Cruces Bus Terminal, Montevideo.

• Companies: Núñez, Agencia Central, El Norteño
• Distance: about 500 km
• Duration: about 5¾–6½ hours
• Multiple daily departures, including overnight services
• Comfortable seats, Wi-Fi on some services
• Check timetables & book at urubus.com.uy

Ruta 1 west from Montevideo, then Ruta 3 north, open country most of the way.

• Distance: about 498 km
• Duration: about 4.5–5 hours
• Good road conditions throughout
• Consider a stop in Trinidad, Flores
• Electric car? Never more than about 120 km between fast chargers on Ruta 3, and one at the Daymán hot springs: see Salto by electric car
• Tolls: you pass 3 toll plazas, La Barra (Ruta 1), Paso del Puerto and Queguay (Ruta 3), about US$4 to 5.50 each, so around US$15 each way
• No cash is accepted at tolls: Uruguay's toll system is 100% electronic. Rental cars are billed automatically by plate reading (confirm the charge method with your rental company). With a foreign-plated car, the thing to do is register for the free Pase Turista at telepeaje.com.uy (drive now, pay on arrival) or get the 15-day unlimited Abono Extranjero (~US$28)
• Hiring a car one way: Thrifty has a branch in Salto (Blandengues 520), and you can pick up there and return the car at its Montevideo offices; the other way round, Montevideo to Salto, is to be confirmed with them. As an example, in October 2026 the one-way drop-off fee was about US$160, and a mid-size car for a week, collected in Salto and returned in Montevideo, was quoted at about US$670 including the drop-off. Driver aged 21 to 75, a licence held for at least 2 years, a passport, and a credit card with about US$1,000 available for the deposit. A card issued abroad takes the VAT off the hire in season: see the FAQ

Paranair operates flights between Carrasco International Airport (MVD), Montevideo and Nueva Hespérides Airport (STY), Salto.

• Airline: Paranair
• Frequency: three times a week (Tue / Thu / Sun)
• Duration: about 1 hour
• Book at paranair.com
• I can arrange a transfer from Nueva Hespérides Airport to your accommodation, contact me

There are currently no direct flights from Buenos Aires to Salto. The air route is via Carrasco International Airport (MVD), Montevideo.

• Aerolíneas Argentinas flies Aeroparque (AEP) → Montevideo non-stop, about 50 minutes, several flights daily, book at aerolineas.com.ar
• Then Paranair Montevideo → Salto / Nueva Hespérides (STY), about 1 hour, three times a week (Tue / Thu / Sun) (suspended at the time of writing, October 2026)
• Book the Salto leg at paranair.com

Humming Airways flies Aeroparque (AEP) → Concordia, just across the river from Salto.

• Twice a week: Tuesday 10.15am & Thursday 5pm from Aeroparque
• Duration: about 45 minutes, 19-seat aircraft, from US$135
• Departs from the General Aviation Terminal (TAG) at Aeroparque, 50 minutes before departure
• Timetables and tickets at hummingairways.com once the route is back
• From Concordia airport, taxi across the Salto Grande bridge; I can arrange a transfer to your accommodation, contact me

Direct international buses from Retiro Bus Terminal, Buenos Aires, with no changes.

• Overnight service: departs daily at 11pm in both directions (Buenos Aires → Salto and Salto → Buenos Aires), except Saturdays, when there is no service
• Departs from and arrives at Retiro Bus Terminal, with a stop at Aeroparque (AEP), very convenient if you are connecting to or from a flight
• Operated by Coit and Flecha Bus (Flecha Bus on Thursdays & Sundays continues to Termas del Arapey)
• Border crossing at Colón – Paysandú: you get off the bus briefly for immigration, then continue on the same bus
• Duration: about 6–7 hours
• Book online in advance, especially on weekends

With many daily departures from Retiro to Concordia (Argentina), just across the river from Salto, this is usually the quickest way to arrive: you rarely have to wait for a departure.

• Companies: Nuevo Expreso, Flecha Bus, Rápido Tata
• Book online at centraldepasajes.com.ar
• Retiro → Concordia: about 5–6 hours, many daily departures
• From Concordia, the local bus to Salto (Chadre or Flecha Bus, see the next card) or a taxi to Salto or to the Salto Grande bridge
• The traditional way across the river is the lancha (passenger boat) Concordia ↔ Salto, runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday, departing Salto 9am and 4pm and Concordia 9.30am and 4.30pm (at the port 30 minutes before). Passengers only, bicycles welcome. I can book it for you. Read about the lancha crossing →
• I can arrange a transfer from the Salto Grande dam bridge to your accommodation in Salto, contact me

Once you are in Concordia, two companies cross to Terminal Salto Shopping over the Salto Grande dam: about 1 hour including the border stop, about US$6–7.

• Chadre: Concordia → Salto 11.15am, Salto → Concordia 7.15am, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday
• Flecha Bus: Concordia → Salto 6.15pm, Salto → Concordia 7.30pm, Monday, Friday and Saturday
• No bus on Wednesday or Sunday. Wednesday has the lancha (9.30am and 4.30pm from Concordia); Sunday it is a taxi over the bridge
• The ticket is bought at the terminal, with a passport (Mercosur citizens: national ID). Times from the terminal boards, checked 7 September 2026, confirm the day before
• Planning a day on the other side? Concordia, across the river: a day trip from Salto has the week's timetable and what to do there

Buses run every day from Rosario to Concordia, just across the river from Salto, with more than one departure a day.

• Daily, more than one departure a day; the trip takes about 7 hours
• Companies: Rápido Tata, Río Uruguay, Flecha Bus, Crucero del Norte
• Book online at centraldepasajes.com.ar
• From Concordia, the local bus to Salto (Chadre or Flecha Bus, see the Concordia ↔ Salto card above) or a taxi to Salto or to the Salto Grande bridge; I can arrange a transfer from there to your accommodation, contact me

Direct buses run from Córdoba to Concordia, just across the river from Salto.

• Companies: Crucero del Norte, Zenit
• Duration: about 10 hours, overnight services available
• Book online at centraldepasajes.com.ar
• From Concordia, a taxi to the Salto Grande bridge; I can arrange a transfer from there to your accommodation, contact me
• Taxis in Salto run on an official meter fare: see the fare, typical prices and a calculator

Drive via Ruta 14 to Concordia, then cross the Salto Grande International Bridge.

• Distance: about 480 km
• Duration: about 5–6 hours
• Bring passport & vehicle documents for border crossing
• Electric car? The Argentine side is thin on chargers; the first Uruguayan point is minutes after the bridge: see Salto by electric car
• Continuing by car within Uruguay? Uruguayan tolls are 100% electronic (no cash), a foreign-plated car needs the free Pase Turista at telepeaje.com.uy

Buquebus ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia, then bus to Salto.

• Ferry Buenos Aires → Colonia: about 1–2 hours
• Bus Colonia → Salto: about 8 hours, few services per day and it stops in many towns along the way
• Scenic, but the slowest combination; the bus times are worth checking before booking the ferry

Fly from São Paulo to Montevideo (MVD), then bus or Paranair flight to Salto.

• LATAM & Gol fly non-stop from Guarulhos (GRU)
• Azul flies non-stop from Campinas – Viracopos (VCP)
• From Porto Alegre: Azul flies non-stop to MVD (Mon & Fri, from December 2026)
• More non-stops to MVD from Brazil: Rio de Janeiro (GOL / JetSMART / SKY), Belo Horizonte (Azul), Recife (Azul), Salvador (SKY), Natal (GOL), Fortaleza (GOL), full list
• Flight São Paulo → MVD: about 2.5 hours
• Bus Montevideo → Salto: 5–6 hours
• Or Paranair MVD → Salto (about 1 hour, three times a week) (suspended at the time of writing, October 2026)

Fly São Paulo → Buenos Aires (EZE), then direct bus to Salto.

• Flight: about 2 hours
• More frequency & often better fares
• Direct bus (Flecha Bus / Coit) to Salto: 6–7 hours

Via Porto Alegre → Montevideo → Salto. There is no direct bus from Porto Alegre to Salto; you change buses in Montevideo.

• São Paulo → Porto Alegre: about 18 hours
• Porto Alegre → Montevideo: about 12 hours, TTL, EGA
• Then Montevideo → Salto: about 6 hours (Núñez, Agencia Central, El Norteño)

Direct flights from São Paulo to Punta del Este (PDP) run all year round; in the South American summer (December – February) more Brazilian cities join.

• All year from São Paulo with Azul and GOL; frequencies rise in summer
• Seasonal (Dec – Feb) from Belo Horizonte and Porto Alegre
• Then Turismar bus Punta del Este → Salto, daily overnight service (about 8 hours), runs year-round
• Check timetables at urubus.com.uy

Paranair flies Asunción (ASU) → Salto (STY) with a stop in Montevideo, same plane all the way (suspended at the time of writing, October 2026).

• Airline: Paranair (Paraguayan regional carrier)
• Frequency: three times a week (Tue / Thu / Sun)
• Total journey: about 3.5–4 hours including the Montevideo stop
• The aircraft seats only 50, so booking ahead matters
• Schedule at paranair.com

EGA (Empresa General Artigas) runs a direct international service Asunción → Salto: it is the Asunción–Montevideo route, and Salto is a scheduled stop.

• Duration Asunción → Salto: about 17 hours
• No changes, same bus all the way
• Book at ega.com.uy or via Plataforma10 / Busbud
• Budget option, long but comfortable overnight journey

The way in is Montevideo (MVD), Uruguay's main international gateway.

• Direct from Madrid (MAD) with Iberia & Air Europa
• From London, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, via Madrid, or via São Paulo (LATAM & Gol fly non-stop São Paulo → Montevideo)
• Total flight: about 12–14 hours
• All non-stop routes: Carrasco Airport: non-stop destinations

Many European cities connect well to Buenos Aires (EZE).

• Airlines: Iberia, Air Europa, Lufthansa, British Airways, Air France, KLM
• Then Flecha Bus or Coit direct to Salto (6–7 hours)
• Often more options & competitive fares

Once in Montevideo or Buenos Aires:

• From MVD: Paranair flight (about 1 hour, three times a week; suspended, October 2026)
• From MVD: Bus Tres Cruces → Salto (about 6 hours, Núñez, Agencia Central, El Norteño)
• From EZE: Flecha Bus / Coit direct → Salto (6–7 hours)

Fly to Montevideo (MVD) from the US.

• Miami (MIA): the only US non-stop, American Airlines, about 9 hours, seasonal December – March (daily)
• Rest of the year, and from New York, Houston, LA and other cities: one stop via Miami, Panama City (Copa), Bogotá (Avianca) or Lima (LATAM)
• Typical total journey: about 13–16 hours with connection
• All non-stop routes: Carrasco Airport: non-stop destinations

Strong connections to Buenos Aires (EZE) from the US.

• Airlines: American, United, LATAM, Delta, Aerolíneas Argentinas
• Non-stop from Miami, New York, Houston, Atlanta & Dallas
• Then Flecha Bus or Coit direct to Salto

Once you land:

• From MVD: Paranair flight → Salto (about 1 hour, three times a week; suspended, October 2026)
• From MVD: Núñez / Agencia Central / El Norteño bus → Salto (about 6 hours)
• From EZE: Flecha Bus / Coit direct → Salto (6–7 hours)
• Car hire available at both airports

More cities with direct flights to Montevideo (MVD):

• Santiago de Chile: LATAM & SKY
• Lima, Peru: LATAM
• Panama City: Copa Airlines (connections across North & Central America and the Caribbean)
• Bogotá, Colombia: Avianca
• Full list: Carrasco Airport: non-stop destinations

Arajet will connect Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) and Montevideo non-stop.

• Starts 3 March 2027
• Frequency: three times a week (Mon / Thu / Sat)
• First direct air link between Uruguay and the Dominican Republic

Once you land in Montevideo:

• Paranair flight MVD → Salto (about 1 hour, three times a week, Tue / Thu / Sun; suspended at the time of writing, October 2026)
• Bus from Tres Cruces: Núñez, Agencia Central, El Norteño (about 6 hours)
• Car hire at Carrasco Airport (returning the car in Salto is to be confirmed, see By Car above)

Yes. Salto has its own airport, Nueva Hespérides (STY), and Paranair flies there from Montevideo (MVD) in about 1 hour, three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday), and from Asunción with a stop in Montevideo.

At the time of writing, October 2026, Paranair has suspended the route, on hold since September. Until it flies again, the practical way in is a flight to Montevideo and the bus, about 6 hours. paranair.com has the current schedule.

Carrasco International Airport (MVD) in Montevideo, about 500 km away: from there the bus from Tres Cruces takes about 6 hours and a hire car about 5.

From Argentina, Aeroparque (AEP) in Buenos Aires is the other gateway: Humming Airways used to fly to Concordia, across the river from Salto, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but the route has been suspended since the end of July 2026, and Aerolíneas Argentinas flies to Montevideo in about 50 minutes. Salto's own airport, Nueva Hespérides (STY), only has the Paranair flights, suspended in October 2026.

By bus or by car. Núñez, Agencia Central and El Norteño run daily buses from Tres Cruces terminal, including overnight services: about 6 hours, around US$40 to 46 each way, booked at urubus.com.uy.

Car hire is available at Carrasco: Ruta 1 west and then Ruta 3 north, about 500 km and 4.5 to 5 hours, with 3 electronic tolls of about US$4 to 5.50 each. If you would rather not work out the last leg, I can arrange a private transfer at this end; a car with a driver all the way from Montevideo is possible, but for most people the bus is the better trip.

Not directly, and at the time of writing there is no air route all the way. Humming Airways used to fly from Aeroparque (AEP) to Concordia, on the Argentine bank opposite Salto, in 45 minutes, about 2 hours in all with a taxi across the Salto Grande bridge; the route has been suspended since the end of July 2026, the airline said in September it hoped to restart in mid-October, and there is no date. The other air route, Aerolíneas Argentinas to Montevideo in about 50 minutes and then Paranair to Salto, depends on Paranair flying again.

For now the practical answer is the overnight Coit or Flecha Bus from Retiro: it leaves at 11pm every day except Saturday, stops at Aeroparque and arrives in Salto 6 to 7 hours later.

If you would rather not work out the last leg yourself, I can arrange a private transfer with a local driver, door to door:

• From Nueva Hespérides airport in Salto to your accommodation
• From the Salto Grande bridge, or from Concordia (airport or bus terminal), across the river to Salto, Daymán or Arapey
• Send me your dates and your flight or bus times; I confirm the price before you commit, and you pay the driver on the day, nothing to me

A car with a driver from Montevideo (Carrasco airport or the city) or from Buenos Aires all the way to Salto is a long day on the road: about 5 hours from Montevideo, 6 to 7 from Buenos Aires with the border crossing.

• If that is what you want, write to me first: I tell you honestly whether it is worth it against the bus and the flight, and what it would cost
• For most people the overnight bus or the flight plus a transfer at this end is the better trip

Taxis are how you move around once you are here, and they run on an official meter fare: from the centre to Daymán is about US$15, to Salto Grande about US$24, and the city bus goes to Salto Grande too.

• Fare, typical prices and a calculator: saltouruguay.com/live/taxis
• Any hotel calls one for you, and the hot springs at Daymán have taxis at the gate