Location
How to Get to Bocas del Toro and Hummingbird Lighthouse?
🇵🇦 From Panama City and David
There is only one airline traveling between Costa Rica (San Jose) and Bocas del Toro: NATURE AIR. Check the website for flight schedules and prices.
There is a bus from/to San Jose and Limon (every 2 hours) that terminates at the Panama border (Sixaola). Walk across the bridge over the Sixaola River, and on the Panamanian side (Guabito), to reach Almirante, you can take a direct taxi ($20) or a bus ($1) or taxi ($5) to the Changuinola bus terminal. From there, take a bus to Almirante ($1.40 – 45 minutes). It concludes at the domestic bus terminal in Almirante, the place from where you can take the water taxi to the islands.
Traveling from Panama City, take the Pan-American Highway to the Gualaca entrance (404 km). Turn right and take the road to Chiriquí Grande. Upon reaching Rambala (90 km), at a crossroads with a gas station and restaurants, turn left, following the road to Almirante (68 km). The roads are paved and in good condition. Enjoy beautiful mountain views.
In Almirante, you can leave your car in a private parking lot next to the water taxis ($4 per day) or take it on the FERRY to Bocas del Toro (Isla Colón). The transportation cost for the car depends on its size, starting from $25 per trip.
Traveling from David, take the Pan-American Highway to the Gualaca entrance (10 km). Turn left and take the road to Chiriquí Grande. Then, follow the instructions above starting from Rambala.
🇨🇷 Desde Costa Rica
There is only one airline traveling between Costa Rica (San Jose) and Bocas del Toro: NATURE AIR. Check the website for flight schedules and prices.
There is a bus from/to San Jose and Limon (every 2 hours) that terminates at the Panama border (Sixaola). Crossing the bridge over the Sixaola River on foot and on the Panamanian side (Guabito), to reach Almirante, you can take a direct taxi ($20), or a bus ($1) or taxi ($5) to the Changuinola bus terminal. From there, take a bus to Almirante ($1.40 – 45 minutes). It ends at the domestic bus terminal in Almirante, from where you can take the water taxi to the islands.
The fastest way is to cross the border at Sixaola/Guabito, crossing the bridge over the river. Then, drive to Changuinola (10 km) and further to Almirante (35 km), where you can park your car in a private parking lot ($4 per day) next to the water taxis, from where you embark for the island ($6).
All roads are paved and in good condition.
Connection to Almirante / Archipelago (Bocas City)
To go to Bocas (Isla Colón) in the archipelago, in Almirante, take a water taxi ($6 – 30 minutes), which departs every half hour from 6 am to 6 pm.
To reach Hummingbird Lighthouse, take a boat at the Carenero dock, on Calle Primera (Bocas del Toro), and ask the boatman to take you to the hotel ($1 – 5 minutes).