Getting to Bocas del Toro, Panama
How do I get to Bocas del Toro from Puerto Viejo or Cahuita via land?
Bocas Shuttle
The Bocas Shuttle offers you an easy solution for getting to Bocas del Toro, Panama from Puerto Viejo or vice versa!
The price of $28pp includes both shuttle service and water taxi service, and it will pick you up or drop you off at your hotel in Puerto Viejo! (including anywhere from Puerto Viejo down to Manzanillo!)
The immigration process at the border in Sixaola is expedited in that the immigration office is notified ahead of time of the passenger list and pertinent information. At the border, passengers simply walk across the bridge to the immigration office and are picked up again by the shuttle - your luggage remains secure. The shuttle then takes you to Almirante, when you are taken by water taxi for a scenic ride to Bocas del Toro. Your seat with the water taxi service is reserved and guaranteed.
Total duration of the trip is approximately 3hrs, 15mins.
This service the easiest and most comfortable way of getting to Bocas del Toro!
<b>Schedule:</b>
2:00pm - Puerto Viejo Departure
9:00am - Bocas del Toro Departure
(price does not include visa fees)
To make reservation CLICK HERE.
If you are looking for transportation from other parts of Panama to Puerto Viejo please contact us for a quote and more information.
Public bus:
Sixaola bridge, Costa Rica, Panama border
A public bus leaves from Puerto Viejo and Cahuita to Sixaola daily (bus schedule), be sure to take a morning bus this will give you plenty of time to cross the border and arrive in the islands, otherwise you risk spending the night at the border. From the Sixaola bus stop take a short walk to the bridge.
After you have passed immigration, take a taxi to Finca 60, Changuinola. The taxis charge $20. We recommend grouping up with other tourists in order to keep the price down. They will generally take up to 5 people and charge $5 per person. Some taxi drivers will tell you that you have to leave from Almirante as it is nicer, safer, closer or cheaper. This often is not the case, it just means that they get a better taxi fare.
The boat leaves Finca 60 with Bocas Marine Tours seven times a day and costs $7 per person. The boat ride lasts just under an hour and you will have some great photo opportunities along the way.
Boat Taxi from Finca 60, Changuinola to Isla Colon
Bocas Marine Tour Departure Times:
8:30am, 9:30am, 11:00am, 12:30pm, 2:00pm, 3:30pm, 5:30pm.
Remember, Panama is one hour ahead of Costa Rica, and they only accept US dollars. Make sure you have US dollars before you get to Sixaola, as you will not be able to exchange currency at the border. It also important to have a copy of your flight details in case you are traveling back into Costa Rica from Panama. Costarican immigration needs to see proof that you are leaving the country within the 90 day visa time period. If you do not have a copy of your flight details you will be forced to purchase a bus ticket from the pharmacy in Sixaola for $6. (Strange but true).
Immigration
As you approach the Sixaola bridge from Costa Rica you will find the Costa Rican immigration station on the right hand side. Here you must present your passport in order to receive your exit stamp.
After you have been stamped out of Costa Rica, you then make your way across the old United Fruit railroad bridge, which connects Costa Rica with Panama. After you have crossed the bridge, you will find the Panamanian immigration station to your left. Again, you have to present your passport in order to receive your entry stamp. Some nationalities may have to pay for a $6 tourist visa fee.
You will find many locals trying to help you through the immigration process from the moment you step off the bus on either side of the border. They are just trying to make a couple of dollars and can be very helpful, but of course common sense should be used!
Interactive Google Map:
Tags: Panama, Bocas del Toro, bus, taxi, shuttle, bocas shuttle, transportation, border crossing, crossing the border, frontera, transport, water taxi, ferry, Sixaola, Bastimentos, Almirante, Changuinola, Chiriqui Grande, Carenero, Solarte, Popa, Cristobal, Cayo Agua, Coral Cay, Boca del Drago, teribe, guaymi, ngobe, bugle, Caribbean, sea, surf, rainforest, coral reefs, properties, hotels, lodges, restaurants, tours, travel, scuba diving, snorkeling
13 Responses to “Getting to Bocas del Toro, Panama”
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I need to purchase a bus ticket from Puerto Viejo to Bocas del Toro, Panama for September 9th. Can you send me detail on how to purchase.
Thank you.
Hi Millie,
There is no public bus to take you directly to Bocas from Puerto Viejo.
We do offer a shuttle service, which you can book and pay for through our online PayPal interface at: http://www.tropicalreservations-cr.com. You need to add a 4% charge for this service to the shuttle fee price of $34. We will need your passport info for border clearance, your full legal name and occupation as well as the hotel you are coming from and going to.
Please send this info to reservations@tropicalreservations-cr.com
Thanks!
Hello,
We would like to go from Bocas del Toro to Arenal. Could you tell us how we could do this, how long it might take, and where we could purchase tickets?
Thanks!
Hi Michele,
There is no simple way to do this.
We suggest that you come to Puerto Viejo from Bocas on the shuttle. You will get here after the semi private transport shuttle to Arenal has left, so you may need to spend the night in Puerto Viejo and leave the next day to Mt. Arenal. It is almost a 6 hr. drive from Puerto Viejo, so to do both in one day would be somewhat strenuous.
You can book your transport and accommodations through Tropical Reservations at no extra cost.
This is the most informative article I have come across about the border crossing at Sixola. You just got a new customer!
Pura Vida from Ciudad Colon, Costa Rica
How long is the trip with your shuttle from Viejo to Bocas?
The total trip is approximately 3 to 3-1/2 hrs, depending on how much activity there at immigration on the border.
Hi
Do you operate the other direction. We want to get from Bocas del Toro to Puerto Viejo. If so can you let me know times of departure etc?
Thanks
Emer
Hi Emer:
Yes, it operates from both destinations:
Departure from Bocas to Puerto Viejo is at 9:00 am.
Departure from Puerto Viejo to Bocas is at 2:00 pm.
-Hatch
Will we be able to get from Bocas to Puerta Viejo and back a week later using your shuttle service in mid December? Is water travel dependable that time of year, or could we end up being delayed due to the weather? I would like to take my small dog along with me at that time? Do either Costa Rica or Panama require quarantine of the dog in either direction? Do you allow dogs on your shuttle service?
Hi Lainy: Yes, you’ll be able to use the service both ways, doesn’t matter the time period in between.
Regarding pets, it’s standard policy not to allow pets on board the shuttle. The reasons are: 1) pets can be quarantined at will upon entrance to either Panama or Costa Rica, something you definitely don’t want to risk if you love your pet. 2) It’s extra paperwork and delay. Many people bring pets into the airport in San Jose, and to do so requires that the pet has proper paperwork from the vet (shots, health certificate, etc.). Even so, a pet can be quarantined, and the situation at the Sixaola border is such that bringing a pet creates too much delay and hassle for the smooth transit of passengers across. Of course some people try to bribe the good men at the border to accomplish a quick transit, but that would be illegal and more expensive and of course we would never condone it.
Regarding weather, waters, etc.: the waters around Bocas are usually calmer than around PV since it’s an archipelago. No guarantees on weather in mid December - it’s rainy season. There can be flooding in Nov or Dec and on rare occasions marine services do stop running in Bocas.
Hope this info helps! -Hatch
hello,
so once we get to purto veijo, can we book the shuttle? and where? we dont no the exact date we want to go to bocas.
thank you
Hi Kirsten,
Yes. You can book the shuttle when you get here at our office. It. is next to the Mepe bus stop, across from where the taxi service is.
On the road by the sea