Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Flights from Central and South America
Various countries in
Latin America
have direct connections with Panama City, generally
either through Avianca or, more usually, through Copa, which connects with over forty des-
tinations across Latin America and the Caribbean. In Costa Rica, award-winning Nature Air
operates daily flights from San José to Bocas del Toro (US$241 one way, including carbon
offsetting), while Panama's domestic carrier Air Panama makes three trips a week from San
José (US$423) to Panama City via David. Flights from Colombia are around US$450-600
return.
By bus from Central America
It is possible to travel overland to Panama City (with drop-offs at David and Santiago en
route) along the
Pan-American Highway
all the way from Tapachula, Mexico, with Tic-
abus (
ticabus.com
;
US$200 one way). Ticabus operates a series of comfortable long-dis-
tance air-conditioned buses with the obligatory diet of Hollywood movies that pick up (and
drop off) passengers at the major cities in Central America en route, though you will have to
spend a couple of nights in hotels on the way, which increases the cost. Transportes Galgos (
transgalgosinter.com.gt
) will also get you to Guatemala City from Tapachula (US$30 one
way), from where you can transfer to Ticabus. Agencia Tracopa (
tracopacr.com
; US$21
one way) operates a daily service from San José to David.
By boat from Colombia
The only break in the 50,000-odd km of the Pan-American Highway is an 87km stretch of
swamp and mountainous jungle between Carepa on the Colombian border and
Yaviza
in
Panama in what is known as the
Darién Gap
. Up until the early 1990s, thrashing your way
through here
overland
was a famous challenge for adventurers. However, it is now forbidden
as it is extremely dangerous due to the presence of drug-traffickers, Colombian paramilitaries
and smugglers, with the threat of death or kidnapping adding to the usual jungle hazards. A
(somewhat) safer alternative for those wanting to save money on air fares is to travel by
boat
along the Caribbean coast, though if you are out of luck with the weather, timings and book-
ings, the overall saving is likely to be negligible. Still, an adventure of sorts is guaranteed.
This route requires a reasonable command of Spanish or travelling with someone who has
one. A multi-day
sailing trip
from Cartagena or Sapzurro in Colombia, to the western end of
Guna Yala province is another possibility.
To make the coastal journey from Colombia, it is first necessary to get to
Turbo
, a small
city in the Antioquia Department on the Pan-American Highway (accessible by regular buses
from Medellín, which are safe during the day), and take the regular morning launch (8-9am)
across to Capurganá (2hr 30min; US$29), a burgeoning low-key Caribbean resort unreach-
able by road but within striking distance by sea of Puerto Obaldía (1hr; around US$15), a
