Have a look at the comments below for helpful traveller advice. Add your comments and send us some photos to help improve this page!
Bocas del Toro to Santa Catalina
From Samuel, Feb 2019: “Since I’ve heard there is many who struggled to get information about how to get from Bocas del Toro to Santa Catalina in one day, I would like to share my experience. There is shuttles to Santiago for $33 per person, local buses to David, or the bus to Panama City. We decided to go with the Almirante-Panama City bus to Santiago. It leaves at 8am in the morning but arrived around 7.30am to pack the bus. Many locals take this bus, so I guess it’s cheap. It is usually full, so book a ticket in advance at the Taxi 25 deck in Bocas Town. There’s a green booth called Transbocia or something like that. The price from Almirante to Santiago is $19.5. Boat taxis to Almirante from Bocas Town start at 6am and leaves every 30 minutes. If you leave 6.30am or 7am, you will still manage to catch the bus. Takes about 30 minutes. When you but the ticket to get to Bocas, buy the return ticket for $10 instead of $6 one-way. Valid for one month. Same at every boat taxi company. As you reach Almirante, take a taxi to the bus station outside of town. $1 per person. There is another booth where you can get your ticket if you haven’t booked in advance. After a long but scenic bus ride we reached Santiago at 2.30pm, and the next bus to Sona leaves at 2.45pm. There’s a lot of traffic and the taxi charge $2 in total, so it’s convenient to get a taxi. They pass the bus station frequently, although you might need to wave one in from the main road. Don’t waste time as you might miss the bus to Sona, otherwise you will miss the last bus to Santa Catalina. The bus to Sona takes about an hour and cost $2 per person. At 4.30pm the mini van/colectivo left Sona, not 4.45pm as the schedule shows. We travelled on a Monday. That’s why it’s important to catch the bus in Santiago.
We arrived in Santa Catalina about 5.45pm and the price is $4.95 per person. If you miss the bus there’s taxis that charge $40 per taxi. You don’t want to do that.
Summary:
Bocas Town to Almirante: 6.30am/7am – $5
Taxi to bus station: $1
Almirante-Santiago: 8am to 2.30pm – $19.5
Taxi to bus station: $2 per taxi
Santiago-Sona: 2.45pm to 3.45pm -$2
Sona-Santa Catalina: 4.30pm to 5.45pm – $4.95
Total: $34,45
Expensive, yes. Although, I haven’t found a faster option expect the shuttle. I guess this is the cheapest option to get to Santa Catalina in one day”
Isla Colon (Bocas Town) to Puerto Viejo
One traveller named Melanie shares some really helpful info (March 2018). She wrote:
As we didn’t see a lot of information on traveling from Puerto Viejo to Bocas del Toro and vice versa, and we met a lot of travellers who are doing this route, we wanted to share our trip with you. We went from Isla Colon (Bocas Town) to Puerto Viejo and it went as follows:
– 10am water taxi to Almirante. If you use the Valencia company, their dock is very close to the bus station in Almirante. Arrive 10.35am ($5).
– walk 1 min to bus station.
– take 10.45am bus to Changuinola. Arrive 11.40am ($1.45).
– Walk through market where you are dropped off to the real bus station (2min walk)
– Take bus to Guabito (just yell frontera and people help you) at 11.55am. Arrive 12.40pm ($0.95).
– Get exit stamp Panama and entry stamp Costa Rica. We didn’t had to show any onward travel when entering CR, not sure if that is the case for everyone.. We were done here at 1pm Panama time; 12pm Costa Rica time (remember to put your watch back 1h when entering CR)
– 12.30pm Costa Rica time bus to Puerto Viejo (buy ticket at counter). Arrive 1.50pm (Colones 1690 ($2.85)).
– done!!
A shuttle cost at minimum $25 and as busses in Panama on this route go quite frequently (every 15min and every 30min), in Sixoala every hour, you are also almost as fast as a shuttle. So, be adventurous and take public transport!
Ps: in Panama (on this route) you just pay in the bus. Just take a seat and a guy will come up to you to pay.
Ps2: you can obviously do the same route the other way around too. Just note that as already mentioned by someone else in the Sixaola topic, you need to pay $7 or $8 to get out of CR. In and out of Panama is free.
Bocas del Toro to Panama-City by night bus
Thanks to traveller, Julian Van T Hof for this info:
“Apparently if you want to travel from Bocas del Toro (Isla Colón), you buy a ticket which not includes the powerboat ($6) from the island to Almirante for the trip with the nightbus to the city of Panama. The tickets ($27.80) are sold by Taxi 25 (see picture) left of the big police station in Bocas town. The green ticket office is located in the back close to the water and opens at 6:30 – 12:00 and 1:00 – 5:00. The bus stop for the bus to Panama-City is located just outside Almirante near the highway and you can take a taxi for $2 from the harbor to there. The bus leaves at 7:30 pm. If you want the ticket on the same day of your travel it’s highly recommended to go to the office at the time they open up”.
Puerto Viejo to Bocas del Toro
Here is a route from a couple of travel bloggers you may find helpful: Border crossing from Puerto Viejo to Bocas del Toro.
Help your fellow traveller
If you have taken any of the buses on this page, please drop us a comment below about how the trip went, what time you left, how long it took and what it cost. And, definitely let us know if we have anything wrong.
Lets help each other in our travels!
We went from Bocas del Toro to Santa Catalina in 2 days.
8am: Bocas- Almirante ~$5 (1hr)
9.30am: Almirante – David $8.50 (4-4.5hrs)
2pm: David – Santiago $9 (3hrs)
Stayed overnight in Hostal Travellers Santiago, 15 mins walk from Bus terminal.
Next day:
9.20am: Santiago – Sona (same Bus terminal) $2. 1hour
11.15am: Sona – Santa Catalina (2 hours).
Update may 2023 for Puerto Viejo – Bocas route.
In short – not much changed 😀
Buses from Puerto Viejo to Sixaola are operated by MEPE, they have bus stop at the end of the street front from BCR cash machine. Bus is 2350 colones.
Crossing border takes 10 min, pay the CR exit tax online, it is 8 usd.
Bus from Panama side to Changuinola leaves from the other side of bridge, there’s a crossing under the bridge from immigration office to bus stop.
There will be lots of taxis and shuttles, cheapest we were offered by taxi was 5USD per person to Almirante.
Bus to Changuinola is 1USD.
In Changuinola take off at last stop, it will be kind of bus station, from here you’ll take bus to Almirante for 1,45USD.
In Almirante bus will stop almost next to pier of company Valencia that offer lanchas to Bocas, one way is 6USD and return ticket is 10USD (valid a month).
Hi,
Little update on the prices (december ’18):
– Ferry is $6
– Bus from Sixaola to Puerto Viejo is $3,50
There are also mini vans when you arrive at Almirante by ferry, they take you straight to the border for $5 (negotiating necessary!). Saves you the hassle of looking for the right buses.
Thanks, Amber!
Bocas Del Toro to Playa Venao
First note: this trip takes 2 days
– Boat from Isla Colon to Almirante ($6, 3mins)
– Walk 1km to the bus station at the gas station (free, 15mins)
– Bus Almirante to David they come to the terminal every 30 minutes (3.5 hours, $7)
– Bus David to Santiago, direct bus is located across the road from the main entrance to bus station, locals will know it, not sure of regularity of this bus seemed frequent (3 hours, $9)
– Bus Santiago to Chitre, amazing station at Santiago so just look for the bus that says Chitre (1.5 hours, $3)
– Bus Chitre to Las Tablas, they leave every 15 minutes, last bus 7pm (1 hour, $1.50)
– Las tables bus to Playa Venao leaves at 1.30pm, leaves from a stop near the church however stops at the main Praga stop directly after it leaves the initial stop. Please note, this bus says Cañas on the window as this is the final stop, you will have to ask the driver to stop when passing Playa Venoa.
– ALTERNATIVELY to last step, catch a regular bus to Pedasi that leave every half an hour from Praga supermarket and there are buses to Cañas (playa venao) I believe at 8am,12pm or 2.30pm though these times read differently on different blogs hence why we caught the 1.30pm one from las tablas as it was confirmed from a local driver.
This trip definitely takes two days due to the awkward times of the last buses to Cañas. Enjoy.
Theo! thank you for this. Awesome post and very helpful. I will add it to the routes section 🙂
Bocas del Toro to Panama-City
The green ticket office is located in the back close to the water (docks) and opens at 6:30 – 12:00 and 1:00 – 5:00.
Apparently if you want to travel from Bocas del Toro (Isla Colón), you buy a ticket which not includes the powerboat ($6) from the island to Almirante for the trip with the nightbus to the city of Panama. The tickets ($27.80) are sold by Taxi 25 (see picture) left of the big police station in Bocas town. The green ticket office is located in the back close to the water and opens at 6:30 – 12:00 and 1:00 – 5:00. The bus stop for the bus to Panama-City is located just outside Almirante near the highway and you can take a taxi for $2 from the harbor to there. The bus leaves at 7:30 pm. If you want the ticket on the same day of your travel it’s highly recommended to go to the office at the time they open up.
Pro-tip: dress up for the arctic because these buses are freezing cold.
As we didn’t see a lot of information on traveling from Puerto Viejo to Bocas del Toro and vice versa, and we met a lot of travellers who are doing this route, we wanted to share our trip with you. We went from Isla Colon (Bocas Town) to Puerto Viejo and it went as follows:
– 10am water taxi to Almirante. If you use the Valencia company, their dock is very close to the bus station in Almirante. Arrive 10.35am ($5).
– walk 1 min to bus station.
– take 10.45am bus to Changuinola. Arrive 11.40am ($1.45).
– Walk through market where you are dropped off to the real bus station (2min walk)
– Take bus to Guabito (just yell frontera and people help you) at 11.55am. Arrive 12.40pm ($0.95).
– Get exit stamp Panama and entry stamp Costa Rica. We didn’t had to show any onward travel when entering CR, not sure if that is the case for everyone.. We were done here at 1pm Panama time; 12pm Costa Rica time (remember to put your watch back 1h when entering CR)
– 12.30pm Costa Rica time bus to Puerto Viejo (buy ticket at counter). Arrive 1.50pm (Colones 1690 ($2.85)).
– done!!
A shuttle cost at minimum $25 and as busses in Panama on this route go quite frequently (every 15min and every 30min), in Sixoala every hour, you are also almost as fast as a shuttle. So, be adventurous and take public transport!
Ps: in Panama (on this route) you just pay in the bus. Just take a seat and a guy will come up to you to pay.
Ps2: you can obviously do the same route the other way around too. Just note that as already mentioned by someone else in the Sixaola topic, you need to pay $7 or $8 to get out of CR. In and out of Panama is free.
Bocas del Toro to David
Take the public boat from Isla Colon this takes ~30mins and costs $5-6. From the dock take a taxi (~$2) or walk to the Almirante bus station. Here you can catch a bus to David for ~$6. This is a long day at least 6hrs so I’d recommend getting to Almirante by 10am at the latest.
If you are staying at The Lost and Found Hostel just tell the driver in Almirante and he will let you off there the bus should cost $2.25 and the whole trip should take about 4hrs.
You need to get to Almirante where the water taxis leave to Bocas. Make sure you check the schedule so you don’t miss the last boat over. You can also go form San Jose to Sixaola and catch a shared taxi waiting on the other side.