Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
There is no charge for entering Costa Rica. Entry to Panama costs US$1.
Northbound buses usually stop running at 6pm. Travelers without a private vehicle
should arrive during the day.
Those with a private vehicle are likely to encounter long lines.
Tica Bus travels from Panama City to San José (US$42 to US$58, 15 hours) daily and
crosses this border post. In David, Tracopa has one bus daily from the main terminal to
San José (nine hours). In David you'll also find frequent buses to the border at Paso
Canoas (US$2.50, 1½ hours) that leave every 10 minutes from 4am to 8pm.
Situated on the Caribbean coast,
Guabito-Sixaola
(
Click here
)
is a fairly tranquil and
hassle-free border crossing.
If you are coming from Bocas del Toro, it's faster and cheaper to take the ferry to
Changuinola (US$7, 45 minutes), from where you can take a quick taxi to the border or
to the bus station (US$5). One daily bus travels between Changuinola and San José at
10am (US$15, eight hours). Otherwise, you can walk over the border and catch one of
the hourly buses that go up the coast from Sixaola.
Río Sereno-San Vito
is a rarely used crossing in the Cordillera de Talamanca. The border
is open 8am to 4pm on the Costa Rican side and 9am to 5pm on the Panamanian side.
The small village of Río Sereno on the Panamanian side has a hotel and a place to eat;
there are no facilities on the Costa Rican side.
Regular buses depart Concepción and David in Panama for Río Sereno. Local buses
(four daily) and taxis go from the border to San Vito.
For travelers departing Costa Rica, there is a US$7 exit tax, payable at the Coopealianza
in Sabalito, or, if you have a digitally readable passport, at a
kiosk
(
2784-0130;
8am-4pm)
at the border crossing.
Bus
If crossing a border by bus, note that international buses may cost slightly more than tak-
ing a local bus to the border, then another onward from the border, but they're worth it.
These companies are familiar with border procedures and will tell you what's needed to
cross efficiently.
There will be no problems crossing borders provided your papers are in order. If you are
on an international bus, you'll have to exit the bus and proceed through both border sta-
tions. Bus drivers will wait for everyone to be processed before heading on.
If you choose to take local buses, it's advisable to get to border stations early in the day
to allow time for waiting in line and processing. Note that onward buses tend to wind
down by the afternoon.
