When planning to travel to Bocas del Toro via Panama City, there are 2 main travel options.
- By Air: When flying into Panama city you will arrive at Tocumen International Airport (PTY). The flights that go to Bocas depart from a different regional airport called Albrook which is 30 minutes across town (plan for the time you will need to get to this airport once you land in Panama). Many people spend a night in Panama City before flying up to Bocas the next morning. Aeroperlas and Air Panama, the Panamanian domestic airlines, both service Bocas Town. The flight lasts about 1 hour. The air strip on Isla Colon is only a few blocks from Bocas Town. From there you can grab a water taxi to Isla Bastimentos. (The flight is Around $80; Cab ride to the water $1, Water Taxi to Bastimentos $3-$5).
- By Bus or Car: When driving from Panama City to Changuinola or Almirante, you will take the InterAmerican Highway to the entrance of Gualaca. Turn up the road to Chiriqui Grande, and then at Punta Pena, the road to Almirante. Buses leave Panama City from Gran Terminal Nacional de Trasporte near the Albrook Airport in the evening hours and arrive in Almirante or Changuinola in the early hours. (Around $20 and takes about 8.5 hours)
Boats to Isla Colon and Bocas Town can be caught at landing docks in both Changuinola and Almirante, although Changuinola is cheaper. The boat ride lasts about 30 minutes from Almirante, and 1 hour from Changuinola.
