A Trip to Panama
WHY PANAMA?
Sometimes, if you’ve been staying around our beautiful South Pacific coast of Costa Rica for a while, you may get itchy feet for a bit of a weekend gateway. A Panama trip may be the answer, especially if you need to pick up some groceries, alcohol, household items, or clothing – being a short hop away, Panama makes a perfect destination for your mini holiday.
Getting to Panama (via bus) and, especially, crossing the border is easy – but it is not simple. There are a lot of moving parts and things you need to know about departing, returning and crossing the frontier, especially since your bus driver will be of little help and signage/instructions are non-existent (and of course no one speaks English)…However, after reading this blog entry, you will be ready for both an ‘easy’ and ‘simple’ weekend trip to a town of David, Panama, located just an hour away from the Costa Rican border.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR ENTRY INTO PANAMA
This list is indicative only and you should enquire with proper authorities about what you need to cross the border, especially since things are changing quickly. At the time of writing, all Covid related documentation has been dropped and is no longer required for entry into Panama. In general, be ready with the following:
- Valid Passport (valid to at least 3 months after the date of entry).
- Visa – Check with proper authorities, but most visitors will not need a visa – you will be issued with a stamp indicating how long you can stay in Panama, anywhere between 30 to 180 days, depending on the origin of your passport.
- Return ticket out of Panama (your bus ticket).
- Proof of accommodation in Panama.
- $500 USD cash or proof that you have money, eg. bank statement.
UVITA BUS STATION
My journey started in Uvita – the bus station is located smack in the middle of the town, right along the coastal highway. Your first stop is the ticket office – located on the left side of the bus station, inside a little convenience shop. The ticket TO David can only be purchased from the bus driver when you are boarding (cost 12,000 Colones), however you need to buy your RETURN ticket from the ticket office. Have your passport handy and make sure you keep BOTH printed tickets – they look the same but the bus driver will need to see two. Cost for the return ticket is 12,000 Colones, so it is a 24,000 Colones round trip – and you need to pay this using cash. Note that the trip, as shown on the ticket, starts and ends in San Jose – not Uvita. Don’t ask me why… The bus company is called TRACOPA (Transportes Costarricenses Panameños). Their multi-colored buses are hard to miss!
Now the fun part – fewer than half the buses have functioning destination displays, and the station lacks departure/arrival screens and a PA system. So you are on your own! You need to ask one of the bus drivers for the NUMBER of the bus to David. The numbers are painted on the sides and rear ends of the buses and this is what you need to look out for. Sometimes the number is unknown so you will be told to wait for, as an example, a ‘green bus’. My bus was over an hour late and, while I waited, no one seemed to know when it will show up. When it finally did pull in, the passengers were let off and stood in a very long line terminating in the little cafeteria inside the bus station. By the time they were finished eating, nearly 45 minutes must have passed.
ON THE WAY TO PASO CANOAS BORDER CROSSING
The bus pulled out at 13.00, a bit later than the 11.00 or 11.30 (depends on whom you ask) that was advertised. The Tracopa buses are modern and comfortable but there are no toilets on board, and forget about wifi! My bus to David was hot as the AC was either absent or not working, while the return bus had a fully functioning AC. The windows do open so at least the breeze was refreshing… A Tip: sit near the front of the bus so that you are among the first to get off at the border, this will allow you to pass through immigration before the crowd and offer you free time to shop, use the toilet, grab a coffee etc. while everyone else is being processed.
The drive between Uvita and Paso Canoas border crossing took just over two hours. The road is scenic and meanders between the ocean and the coastal mountains. Passing lanes are sparse and on a few occasions the bus got stuck behind cyclists, pick-up truck carrying multiple crammed horses and large transport trucks, barely crawling along. There are no stops along the way so take care of everything in Uvita before boarding the bus.
PASO CANOAS – CROSSING INTO PANAMA
This is where things get fun, hectic, and downright confusing! The bus randomly stopped on the shoulder of the coastal highway alongside a building, the driver mentioning us to get off and get in line. This is the COSTA RICAN side of the border, where your passport is checked for not overstaying your visa, exit stamped, and where you pay the Costa Rican ‘exit tax’. I exited the bus and joined the queue, my passport and documents in hand. A short wait later I was speaking with the Customs officer who quickly checked and stamped my passport. Now what? The security guard was pointing at the opposite side of the road. I approached him and was told I need to cross the road to pay the ‘exit tax’.
The ‘exit tax’ booth is located directly across the highway. There are no pedestrian crossings so you need to carefully negotiate your way through the heavy traffic. The office (or more like booth) is tiny and attached to a restaurant. $9 USD is the required payment, and it appeared to me that Costa Rican nationals were not required to pay this. I was also told that you need to pay the tax first, before seeing the Costa Rican customs officer as you may be asked for a receipt. Well, I didn’t know any better but had no issues (though you should probably do things in the correct order). You can now pay this exit tax online prior to your trip, and this will save you $1 and a bit of time at the border:
I jogged back across the street and once again spoke to the security guard. He mentioned I need to walk down the highway to the Panamanian border crossing. It was a short 5 minute walk but quite confusing – the border building is not marked as a customs office, and neither are its entrances and exits. You will not find a fence or wall here either, or in fact any sign that you are on the border or any way of knowing where the border is actually located – this is a ‘shared’ area between Panama and Costa Rica, at least in practice. The area is full of shops, vendors, taxis, pedestrians and heavy traffic, total chaos. I just happened to see a few of my fellow bus passengers lined up in the central building (big structure pained white, blue and red with a PANAMA sign – might have been a clue…) shortly joining them and sweating profusely as we were waiting inside what amounted to a non-air-conditioned greenhouse. The customs process was quick, I was not asked to show any of the documents other than my passport but I did see someone dig in her purse to find the $500 USD requested by the customs officer (on a second trip a few weeks later I was asked for all the documents except the bank statement and everything was checked carefully – so the experience here is very varied). A photo and fingerprints of both hands were taken via a digital scanner and I was soon on my way to the bus. Our bus was already waiting for us at the side of the building and it did not seem the driver made sure that everyone was onboard before pulling out – so make sure you don’t wonder out too far!
As we pulled out, the bus went through a bio-security carwash and, a few minutes out of Paso Canoas, a Panamanian border checkpoint – an armed officer entered the bus, had a quick look around and waved us through. We are now on our way to David.
ON THE WAY TO DAVID
After about an hour at the border, we were on our way to David. The scenery changed quickly – jungle, ocean and mountain views morphed into a flat terrain permeated by houses, businesses and strip malls. A welcome addition was a 4-lane highway which made for a fast ride to David – we were there in about an hour, hitting the end of the evening rush hour traffic as we approached the city. The bus pulled into the main bus station, minutes from town center. I spent the next three days and two nights in David – although there was not much time for exploring, since the first day has just about ended and the third day starts with an 8:30 am bus departure back to Costa Rica.
DAVID
David is not a tourist town, in fact I can count on one hand the number of foreign tourists I saw during my stay. I spent my time walking around the city – the main square and Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Park (teeming with giant Iguanas) and the old colonial neighborhood called Barrio Bolivar, where you will find the historic Catedral de San Jose de David. There are a few small casinos in the center of the city and a beach is a short drive away. The local Panamanian currency is the Balboa, however the USD is used and accepted everywhere. I have not seen any Balboa notes, only been given small amounts of Balboa coins as change after paying with USD. Prices are low compared to what you would expect to pay in Costa Rica – a beer in an elevated patio bar, with a view of the main square, cost $1.00. Local food is very cheap as well. The center of the city is surrounded by markets and countless clothing and electronics shops. Panama has one of the most advanced public water systems in central America and it is generally considered safe to drink the tap water here – though I did not want to risk it and bought a big jug of spring water at the local supermarket. Safety-wise, things felt secure in the immediate center of the city but can get sketch away from the immediate center – I would not recommend venturing out into the historic Barrio Bolivar neighborhood after dark and would be cautious even during the day – as there are not many people around and it did not look like the safest area to explore. Be cautious around the bus station as well – take the same common sense precautions you would take anywhere else. The central city around Miguel Park, however, had a very vibrant and safe vibe.
DEPARTING DAVID
The bus was scheduled to depart at 08:30 from the main bus station in David. I set off early, grabbing a hot coffee on the way. The bus station is a very chaotic place with people, taxis, shops, food carts, vendors, travellers and locals crating a buzzing atmosphere. Most of the buses are mid-sized and white so a big green Tracopa bus was not hard to find. It parked off-side near a grassy knoll making it easy to load the bags and creating a little oasis away from the nearby chaos.
I waited until everyone boarded to make my way on the bus – so that I could pick the unoccupied seat closest to the door, again to help me be one of the first passengers to get through customs (I had seat number 52 printed on the ticket…). I sat down in the 3rd row and, although the tickets showed a printed seat number this did not seem to be enforced until, at the last minute, a family boarded the bus and a young man had to go back from his 2nd row seat to make room for them, after his real seat number was confirmed by the bus driver. We set off right on schedule, this time in the comfort of air conditioning, and made our way to the border.
PASO CANOAS – BORDER CROSSING INTO COSTA RICA
There is not much to say here except the process is the same as before, except reversed. Now, your first stop is the colourful Panamanian customs building – you just go to the other side. Exact same procedure – show your passport, take a picture, scan fingerprints. And this time, there is no exit tax to pay. Then its on to the Costa Rican customs building, where I showed my passport and the ticket out of Costa Rica, and I’m done!
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR ENTRY INTO COSTA RICA
This list is indicative only and you should enquire with proper authorities about what you need to cross the border, especially since things are changing quickly. At the time of writing, all Covid related documentation has been dropped and is no longer required for entry. In general, be ready with the following:
- Valid Passport (valid for at least 6 months after date of arrival)
- Visa – Check with proper authorities, but most visitors will not need a visa – you will be issued with a stamp indicating how long you can stay in Costa Rica, usually 180 days.
- Return ticket out of Costa Rica – should be a bus or airline ticket
- Proof of accommodation in Costa Rica.
- Bank statement showing you have the funds to stay in Costa Rica.
- You need to stay in Panama for at least 72 hours before you are granted a new Costa Rica visa – although I stayed for two nights (around 45 hours), and some people claim one night is still being accepted. Gather your own information about this, but it is always better to be safe vs sorry.
A WORD OF ADVICE
- Double check bus schedules and departure times – often these are conflicting. To be safe show up, with time to spare, for the earliest bus departure time especially since buses have been known to leave early.
- Always read TripAdvisor reviews to be aware of all potential issues – for example pull up the Tracopa review page and read, especially, the 1 or 2 star reviews.
- Always carry around spare change for the toilets – this is not as much an issue in Costa Rica, but is more common in Panama.
- Conflicting information is everywhere – such as entry requirements into both Panama and Costa Rica, bus departure times, minimum length of stay in Panama – check with multiple sources and when it doubt be prepared for the most stringent option.
- Make sure to be careful and aware of your safety and belongings at all times.
A GREAT WEEKEND
I thoroughly enjoyed my trip, it was nice to see another country and get a bit of a break from the jungle. I will definitely be going back in a few months for another round of shopping and cheap beer!
A weekend trip is nice but we are always happy and excited to make our way back to the South Pacific corner of Costa Rica – those who live here can tell you that they have travelled all over the world but nowhere could they find a spot that had a better mix of wilderness, spectacular scenery, beaches, amenities, lifestyle and vibe – nothing comes even close! They know it and you know it too – start your life-changing journey with an email or phone call to RE/MAX We Sell Paradise – visit them here. In the meantime, feel free to browse our local property listings.
