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Travel Related
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GETTING AROUND |
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Travel within Panamá varies as sharply as everything else in the
country. While the canal corridor and the western Pacific region are
covered by a comprehensive road network served by regular public
transport, both eastern Panamá and Bocas del Toro are linked to the rest
of the country by just a single road. Getting around these areas means
relying on light aircraft and (generally unscheduled) boats.
Buses
Where there are roads, buses are the cheapest, easiest and most popular
way to travel around Panamá. Panamá City is the hub of the network, with
regular buses to Colón, Yaviza in Darién, Almirante (for Bocas del Toro)
and all the cities and...
Where there are roads, buses are the cheapest, easiest and most popular
way to travel around Panamá. Panamá City is the hub of the network, with
regular buses to Colón, Yaviza in Darién, Almirante (for Bocas del Toro)
and all the cities and towns of western Panamá.
Buses vary in comfort and size, from modern, air-conditioned Pullmans to
smaller minibuses and cramped, brightly painted old US school buses.
Smaller towns and villages in rural areas are served by less frequent
minibuses, pick-up trucks and flat-bed trucks known as chivas or
chivitas , converted to carry passengers. Most buses are individually
owned, and even when services are frequent, schedules change all the
time. The cities and larger towns have bus terminals, otherwise buses
leave from the main street or square. You can usually flag down through
buses from the roadside, though they may not stop if they are full or
going a long way.
Both Colón and David are also served by express buses , which are more
expensive, more comfortable and faster than the normal service. The
express bus to David and international buses to Costa Rica are the only
ones worth booking in advance - in general, you can just turn up shortly
before departure and you should get a seat. Fares , as elsewhere in
Central America, are good value: the most you'll have to pay is US$11
for the seven-hour ride from David to Panamá City.
Driving and hitching
Driving in Panamá is pretty straightforward: roads (where they exist)
are pretty good and distances relatively short. 4WD is a good idea,
particularly during the rainy season and if you want to drive to more
remote rural areas,...
Driving in Panamá is pretty straightforward: roads (where they exist)
are pretty good and distances relatively short. 4WD is a good idea,
particularly during the rainy season and if you want to drive to more
remote rural areas, particularly Darién. Note that even the paved major
roads in the canal corridor and the west can be badly maintained, and in
Panamá City 4WD can be useful for negotiating potholes.
At around US$40 a day or US$200 a week (more for 4WD), car rental is
reasonably cheap. It is also a good way of seeing the country,
especially in the canal corridor and areas close to Panamá City. Most
rental companies are based in Panamá City but some also have offices at
the airport and in David. Always read the small print, make sure you are
insured and check the car for damage before you accept it. Filling
stations are easy to find on major roads and in most towns - many are
open 24 hours - but there are fewer in rural areas, and in Darién you
should carry an extra gas can in the car.
Traffic in Panamá City is fairly chaotic, and both there and in Colón
parking and security are a problem. Car hijacking is growing, so keep
your doors locked and (if you have air conditioning) your windows closed.
Most hotels have their own parking lots, but otherwise when parking in
the street someone is likely to offer to watch over your car for you in
return for small change - though not exactly a demand for protection
money, this is worth doing.
Hitching is possible, but private cars are unlikely to stop for you on
main roads served by buses. In more remote areas, it is often the only
motor transport available, and there is little distinction between
private vehicles and public transport - drivers will pick you up, but
you should expect to pay the same kind of fares as for the bus.
Cycling
Riding a bike in Panamá City is virtually unheard of, but in the west of
the country, where roads are generally paved and traffic (away from the
Carretera Interamericana) scarce, cycling is a popular way to get around,
and most towns have somewhere...
Riding a bike in Panamá City is virtually unheard of, but in the west of
the country, where roads are generally paved and traffic (away from the
Carretera Interamericana) scarce, cycling is a popular way to get around,
and most towns have somewhere offering parts and simple repairs. The
stretch of road from the continental divide to Chiriquí Grande on the
road from David to Bocas del Toro, in particular, is a cyclist's dream -
some 40km downhill on a well-surfaced, little-driven road, through
rainforest-covered mountains that march down to the Caribbean.
Boats and ferries
Scheduled ferries run from Panamá City to Isla Taboga and between
Almirante and Bocas del Toro in the province of Bocas del Toro. Smaller
boats - launches or dugout canoes with outboard motors - are an
important means of transport...
Scheduled ferries run from Panamá City to Isla Taboga and between
Almirante and Bocas del Toro in the province of Bocas del Toro. Smaller
boats - launches or dugout canoes with outboard motors - are an
important means of transport in Bocas del Toro, Darién and Kuna Yala,
and often the only way to reach islands or other remote areas. The only
scheduled small boat services are the water-taxis in Bocas del Toro and
between Puerto Quimba and La Palma in Darién. Otherwise you have to
either wait for somebody who is going your way, or rent a boat and a
boatman yourself. The latter is expensive, largely because outboard
motors consume huge amounts of gas, but it becomes increasingly
economical the more people there are to share the boat, and it can be
the most exciting way to get around. Renting a canoe with an outboard
motor and a boatman opens up unlimited possibilities for wilderness
adventure - up jungle rivers to isolated villages or to uninhabited
coastal islands.
Occasional boats and ships that take passengers run along the Pacific
coast of Darién from Panamá City, sometimes continuing on to Colombia,
though they have no fixed schedule. Similarly, tramp steamers run the
length of Kuna Yala from Colón, and often continue to Colombia along the
Caribbean coast, but both Kuna- and Colombian-owned ships are generally
loath to take foreigners as passengers.
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