Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Traffic for the Azuero Peninsula peels off onto the
Carretera Nacional
at Divisa, 34km
east of Santiago, and branches off north across the Cordillera Central at Chiriquí for the sinu-
ous journey across the continental divide down to the islands of Bocas del Toro on western
Panama's only transisthmian route. Though an excellent paved road, it is sometimes blocked
by landslides during the wettest months of the rainy season.
The only other routes across the isthmus lie east of the canal. The frequently log-jammed
Transístmica
links the capital with the country's second city of Colón; the faster
Autopista
Panamá-Colón
, a toll road aimed at improving commercial traffic runs parallel. An hour
east of Panama City, beyond Chepo, a roller coaster of a potholed road heads north from the
Interamericana 30km over the mountains to Cartí, providing the only road link with Guna
Yala, accessible most of the year; though it's paved, 4WD is advised. The final stretch of the
Interamericana, from Panama City to
Yaviza
, is almost completely paved - only a short sec-
tion of dirt just after Metetí, which becomes a quagmire in heavy rains, remains. Expect an
increasing number of police checkpoints as you near the Costa Rican border, where you'll
generally be waved on fairly nonchalantly, or along the road to Yaviza, where the bureaucrat-
ic rigmarole can take some time.
Despite Panama's decent road network,
driving at night
is best avoided because there's
little illumination outside the urban centres, and drink driving, one of the main causes of ac-
cidents nationally, is common. Though there is a legal limit of 86 milligrams, it is rarely ad-
hered to or enforced.
If you are involved in a car accident, Panamanian law requires that you should not move
the vehicles but should wait near them until the traffic police (Transito) arrive; a statement
from them is required to file any insurance claim. The
speed limits
are 40kph in urban areas,
60kph on secondary roads and 100kph on primary roads unless otherwise indicated but the
speed limits are neither widely advertised nor followed. Two of the most dangerous roads
are the Inter-americana, which copious buses and heavy trucks thunder along, and the route
across the Cordillera Central to Bocas del Toro, when bad weather can make the hairpin
bends even more scary. Outside the hair-raising free-for-all of Panama City (see
By car
), urb-
an driving is not too threatening.
Hitching
is possible, though with all the obvious attendant risks on the main thoroughfares,
where it is unlikely anyone will stop. In the rural areas, where there is no or at best infrequent
bus service, it is quite usual to thumb a lift on the back of a private pick-up, though you
should offer to pay at least the equivalent of a bus fare.
Car rental
Renting a car
enables you to cover more terrain in a shorter time, affords greater flexibility
and makes it easier to explore some of the out-of-the-way spots though if you're staying in
Panama City and the canal area it's much more convenient to use buses and taxis. Rental
