Accessing Paradise isn’t hard just follow our instructions and we will get you here with the least amount of friction, and most amount of ease.
BY AIR
The fastest and by far the easiest way to get to Bocas del Toro is by Air. It is a quick 45 minute flight from Panama city and around 1 hour from San Jose, Costa Rica. There are daily flights from Panama City, however the number of daily flights vary depending on times of the year, but between 2 – 4 a day, all domestic flights are operated by Air Panama www.airpanama.com.
New very exciting news, Bocas del Toro Airport can now stamp your passport, as of August flights commenced between San Jose and Bocas del Toro on Green Air https://costaricagreenair.com/ flights depart 3 days a week Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
BY LAND (& SEA)
We understand that for some people flying may not be an option as domestic flights are not in your budget, so for these people we have options by roads and boats that will get you to paradise.
From Panama City: We suggest the Overnight night bus, which takes around 10 hours departing 7p.m., 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m everyday, and takes you from Albrook Bus Terminal to Almirante. From here taxis will be waiting to take you directly to the boat dock for a low fare of around $1, boats depart every 30 mins from 6am – 6pm everyday and will take you Isla Colon, Bocas del Toro, no stops (don’t not collect $200).
The Overnight bus is a great option, Buses are well Air conditioned (maybe a little too well, so make sure you rug up, less is not more on this bus trip), the seats recline and are pretty comfortable, so getting a decent night’s sleep is very possible.
From Boquette: Boquette is another popular destination to explore in Panama, and because of this both are very accessible to one another via shuttle services. This trip usually takes around 4 hours, the shuttles have AC and the great thing is these shuttle services usually include boat transport as well. These tickets are around $30 per person. We recommend https://hellotravelpanama.com/ they have set departure times, and they run frequently and consistently.
From San Jose/Puerto Viejo: Another extremely popular connection is the route from Puerto Viejo to Bocas del Toro. This is a very easy trip and takes around 4 hours in an air conditioned shuttle, but make sure you have your passport ready because you are crossing a border and will need to get it stamped. Please note getting through immigration can take anywhere between 20 minutes to 1 hour. Using a Shuttle company is by far the easiest, we suggest https://www.caribeshuttle.com/ They will pick you up from your hotel/hostel in Puerto Viejo, help you cross the border and take you directly to the boat to bocas. The trip is approx $34 and includes the boat and you will be dropped off Taxi Valencia dock (Next to Bocas Town Hotel).
From San Jose: Easiest option, using Caribe shuttle they can pick you up at your hotel downtown San José or at the Denny’s near the airport and drop you off at your hotel in Puerto Viejo 5:30 AM & 2:00 PM, then From Puerto Viejo you will make your way to Bocas (as outlined above in the From Puerto Viejo).
The other Option is going by bus. Transportes Mepe (www.mepecr.com) terminal is downtown San Jose and they have buses leaving direct to Sixaola border at 6:00 am, 8:00 am, 10:00 am, 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm. The Trip takes around 5- 6 hours and is approx $10, they will take you to Sixaola Border.
Again the border process can take you anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour. Once you cross to the Panama side there will be Taxis waiting, grab one of these and they will take you to the port of Almirante (around 40km and around 1 hour) It should cost more then $30 for a private Taxi or $10 for a shared taxi bus. Once at the Almirante dock you will need to grab a water taxi to the island which takes around 30 minutes and $5 USD, they leave every 30 minutes. The Boat will drop you off at Taxi 25 in the middle of Bocas Town.
We hope this helps, see you soon in paradise!
