This guide teaches you how to get to Bocas del Toro from Panama City, Panama or San Jose, Costa Rica, by plane, bus, and shuttle. We have lived in Bocas del Toro since 2015 and have taken almost every possible route to get here over the years. Here is what we know based on our first-hand experience!

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Learn about the best time to visit Bocas del Toro

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Airport and Bus Terminal Information:

The Bocas del Toro Airport is called Aeropuerto Internacional de Bocas del Toro, Isla Colón (Bocas del Toro International Airport, Colon Island). All flight arrivals to Bocas del Toro will arrive in Bocas Town Isla Colón. From there you will take a land taxi to your accommodation or a land taxi and then a water taxi if your accommodation is not reachable by car.

Airport Codes:

• The Bocas del Toro Airport Code is BOC (International Airport of Bocas del Toro, Isla Colon)
• The San Jose, Costa Rica Airport Code is SJO (Juan Sanatamariá International Airport)
• The Panama City International Airport Code is PTY (Tocumen International Airport)
• The Panama City Domestic Airport Code is PAC (Albrook “Marcos A. Gelabert” International Airport)
• Air Panama or Fly Trip (Flights from Panama City to Bocas del Toro)

Shuttles and Bus Terminals

• MEPE Bus Caribe Station for the Bus from San Jose to the Sixaloa Border crossing into Bocas del Toro
• Albrook Bus Station (Located near Albrook Mall & Airport) for Panama City to Bocas del Toro
• Caribe Shuttle (Shuttles from San Jose to Bocas del Toro)
• Hello Travel Panama (Shuttles from Boquete to Bocas del Toro)

Learn about the best things to do in Bocas del Toro

Where is Bocas del Toro?

Bocas del Toro is located on the North-West Caribbean coast of Panama, just a one hour drive from Costa Rica. Panama is located on the isthmus that connects South and Central America. Panama borders Columbia to the South and Costa Rica to the North. The Bocas del Toro Province comprises an archipelago of 9 main islands set amongst turquoise waters, as well as a large mountainous and rainforest-covered region on the mainland.

Learn about the 17 best places to stay in Bocas del Toro

How To Get to Bocas del Toro (Overview)

To get to Bocas del Toro you will first fly into Panama City, Panama, or San Jose, Costa Rica. You can take a bus or shuttle from either city to get to Bocas del Toro, or you can fly from Panama City to Bocas del Toro. Flying from Costa Rica is currently not available unless you charter a private plane.

The best and easiest way to get to Bocas del Toro is to fly from Panama City, Panama, with Air Panama. Check out flights to Panama City below:

Panama City to Bocas del Toro

There are 6 ways to get from Panama City to Bocas del Toro:

By Plane:

• Fly to Bocas del Toro with Air Panama. There are 2-4 flights per day and they are around 50 minutes. (starting at $75 with 1 checked bag)
• FlyTrip offers flights from Thursday to Sunday + Tuesdays with 9-12 person planes which is another option. (starting around $120)

By Bus and Shuttle:

• Take a 10-hour bus ride from Panama City to Almirante and a 30-minute water taxi from Almirante to Bocas Town. ($40)
• Fly to David with Air Panama, and then take a 4-hour shuttle ride and a 30-minute water taxi to Bocas Town.
• Take the bus from David to Chiriqui Grande and then a 45-minute boat ride to Bocas Town with PanaBocasExpress.

By Car Rental

• You can rent a car in Panama City and drive to Almirante, the nearest town on the mainland of the Bocas del Toro Province. Once you arrive in Almirante, you can leave your car at Leiza’s Secure Parking ($3-$4 per night) and take the water shuttle ($6 per person) over to Bocas Town on Isla Colón.
• You can also bring your car over to Isla Colón on the Ferry that leaves twice per day. Check out FerryBocas.com for more information and schedules.

Learn about surfing or scuba diving in Bocas del Toro

How to get to Bocas del Toro from San Jose, Costa Rica:

• Fly from SJO to BOC with Sansa
• ($70) Take the 10-12 hour bus/ shuttle from San Jose and a 30-minute water taxi from Almirante to Isla Colon. You will be crossing the border form Costa Rica to Panama and there are some additional fees to pay at the border.

Panama City To Bocas del Toro by Plane, Bus, and Shuttle (Detail)

The two best ways to get from Panama City to Bocas del Toro are flying with Air Panama or FlyTrip, or taking the 10-12 Hour Bus from the Albrook Bus Station. Air Panama has 2-4 daily flights and FlyTrip is a private airline that flies Thursday through Sunday with smaller 9-12 person planes, they also offer private charters. You can also fly or bus to David or Boquete (two popular towns to visit) and then take a shuttle up to Bocas.

Panama City to Bocas del Toro by Plane

To fly from Panama City to Bocas del Toro with Air Panama you will need to book flights online at AirPanama.com. Do not use a third-party website to buy the Air Panama tickets as you want to have direct communication with Air Panama.

You can also look at FlyTrip and see if their flight schedule works for you.

Air Panama operates between 2 and 4 flights per day between Panama City and Bocas del Toro. The flight takes about 50 minutes but be prepared for short delays due to weather.

Helpful Tips:

It is important that you select the PAC airport code when booking your flights to Bocas, and not the PTY airport code, as Air Panama flies out of Albrook International Airport (PAC) and not Tocumen International Airport (PTY) to get to Bocas del Toro (BOC).

Air Panama officially recommends that you leave 1 day in between your domestic and international flights in case they delay or cancel your domestic flight for any reason. We also believe this is a good idea, as delays are common.

International flight arrivals come into Panama City at Tocumen International Airport (PTY). To fly to Bocas del Toro (BOC) you will need to clear customs and then transfer by Taxi or UBER to Albrook International Airport (PAC) which is where Air Panama flies out of. Please plan 2.5-3 hours in between your international and domestic flights.

Panama City Layover: Read – 5 Best Hotels and Things To Do in Panama City

Panama City to Bocas del Toro by Bus

You can take the 10-12 hour night bus from Panama City to Almirante that leaves from the Albrook Bus Terminal at 6, 6:30, and 7 PM. (If you arrive later then these times then you can catch the bus to David and then a different bus from David to Almirante.)

The bus will arrive into Almirante between 5-7AM. The first water taxis to Isla Colon will depart at 6AM. 

Tickets run around $35 for the bus and then $6 for the water taxi to Isla Colon.

How to get to Bocas del Toro from BoQuete or David

Private Shuttles and public buses are readily available to take you from David or Boquete to Almirante, the main port city of the Bocas del Toro mainland, from where you will get the water shuttle over to Bocas Town on Isla Colón.

Hello Travel Panama is the best company to use for shuttles from Boquete to Bocas del Toro. These can be booked online or through your accommodation in Boquete.

(NEW ROUTE) PanaBocas operates a boat from Chiriqui Grande to Bocas Town on Isla Colon which takes 45 minutes, they leave at 7:15AM, 10AM, 1PM, 3:30PM and 5:45PM. Locals are excited about this new addition that lets you skip a long and bumpy stretch of the car ride to Almirante and shortens the trip on the whole. The boat ride is also a beautiful way to see the islands in a big and surprisingly luxurious enclosed speed boat.

Layover in Panama City

It’s common that the times for your international and domestic flights will not permit you to make it to Bocas del Toro in one day from your home country. In this case, you will need to spend the night in Panama City. Here are some answers to common questions about Panama City:

• It is not necessary to stay in a hotel close to either airport. Traffic in the city is usually minimal or can be avoided by taking a different route. We recommend just choosing a hotel that you like, somewhere in the city or in Casco Viejo.
• Panama City is safe, but you should still practice basic traveler safety/ common sense – read more about safety in Panama here.
• Use UBER to get around in Panama City, it is very cheap compared to the taxis. However, we often use the airport taxis if we are in a rush as they are readily available at both airports.
• Panama City is a good place to splurge on a fancy hotel – prices are cheap due to extremely high competition and the value for money is good.

Check out hotels in Panama City below!

Read our post: 5 Best Hotels and Things to Do in Panama City

How to get to Bocas del Toro from San Jose, Costa Rica

There are 2 ways to get from San Jose to Bocas del Toro:

• Taking a short 50-minute Flight with Sansa
• A 10-12 Hour Shuttle/ Bus with Caribe Shuttle or the Public Bus
• A private plane with Costa Rica Green Airways

Check out flights to San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO) below:

How to Get to Bocas del Toro from San Jose by Plane

• Book your flights on Sansa.com
• Current Flight Schedule is Tuesday and Saturday
• These flights can be more than double the cost of the Air Panama flights, but often times flights to Costa Rica from the USA are overall cheaper than flights to Panama from USA, which can balance out the cost of the Sansa flights.

How to get to Bocas del Toro From San Jose By Bus

• There are a couple of local Bus options that are cheap but take about 12 hours, check this page for the bus schedule info!
• There is a shuttle from Caribe Shuttle that picks you up in San Jose between 6-7AM and arrives in Bocas before 6PM.

Search Hotels in San Jose, Costa Rica:

Want to Know More About Bocas del Toro?

Check out our Travel Guides below! There are tons of travel guides about Bocas out there, but most are written by people who only visited the islands for a few days. Our guides are written from years of experience living full-time in Bocas del Toro!

Browse More Travel guides below or visit our blog homepage here.