Boquete to Bocas Del Toro Panama
Posted by Lee on December 19, 2009
In November 2008 storms cut the road to Bocas del Toro from Chiriqui Panama. The government did some hasty repairs and I believed that one more good storm might destroy the road permanently. I have a photo of the road last year, compare it to the one at the end of the post.
With that in mind I decided to fly from David to Bocas del Toro, I was surprised to learn all such flights have been terminated so they can work on the airport on Isla Colon. You can now only fly into the tourist haven of Bocas del Toro from either Panama City or San Jose Costa Rica. The hotels in Bocas are hurting and there are deals to be found.
We choose to drive rather than miss the chance to relax after a hectic week. The caribbean side of Panama is so removed from reality that it makes Boquete seem hectic. I have a friend in Panama City who said that if the world ended tomorrow it would take a week for anyone in Boquete to notice. If that is so it would take another week for anyone in Bocas del Toro to care.
My favorite place to stay in Bocas del Toro is the Garden of Eden, a small private island with three rental cabins and great food. Even more removed from what ever hustle is happening on Isla Colon.
The island is 10 minutes from Bocas Town on Isla Colon and it is easy to go back and forth if you wish, I don’t. We choose to stay in one place enjoy the great company of our hosts Bob and Helena and their great staff Callie and Magali.
The road trip to Almirante required some time to relax. Driving to Almirante was a chore, bad roads and thick fog for a significant part of the trip through the mountains. More minor delays caused by construction; lot’s of road construction. It was only when we returned with clear skies that we could see that massive, real improvements are being made to the road. A real effort to increase the probability that the only road from the Pacific to the Caribbean this side of Panama City will remain open.
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4 Responses to “Boquete to Bocas Del Toro Panama”Leave a comment, and if you'd like your own picture to show up next to your comments, go get a gravatar!
Never do this drive at night, it is very dangerous because of the fog and there are a lot of truck drivers speeding.
I did the drive last week from Boquete on the new Caldera road, which is amazing because it saves having to go all the way down to David to go back to Bocas. While the drive is beautiful, you are passing by a lush rain forest and very quaint little towns, I recommend if you do not know the road to drive slow and take a 4×4. Transportation can always be accommodated.
There are no flights from David to Bocas del Toro as of the moment. From what the airline told me was that the planes didn’t get up high enough for it to be completely safe to cross the mountain range between Chiriqui and Bocas.
So the government really needs to step up and fix it to push tourism. You see a lot of repairs on the roads, but the mountains need to be cut off in parts since they slide off in the rainy season.
I need to know how long in hours and kilometers are from Almirante to Boquete.
I need to go from Almirante Boquee round trip to pick up somebody.
The ride can be from 4-5 hours depending upon the weather and construction delays.
My wife and I are trying to finish up details on our trip in Panama. We are trying to figure out the best means of getting from Boquete to Bocas del Toro. We thought we could take a bus back to David and fly, but there are no flights the day we need to leave (unless we fly back to Panama City, then up to Bocas…which we will do if we have to). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers!