GETTING TO
THE BUCCANEER BEACH HOTEL
BY AIR
Direct flights from many United States locations and other countries arrive in Panama City every day. Check American Airlines, Copa Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines and Spirit Airlines for details on flights. You will arrive in Panama at Tocumen International Airport and taxi a taxi to Albrook Airport to catch your flight to Bocas. (Approximately 30 minutes from airport to airport.) If you arrive late in the afternoon you will have to spend a night in Panama City. The last flights to Bocas del Toro depart around 3-4 pm.
There are two airlines that offer daily service to Bocas del Toro from Panama City, Air Panama and Aeroperlas. Both of these national airlines have two flights a day to Bocas. The flights are less than one hour and land at Bocas del Toro Airport here on Isla Colon in downtown Bocas.
Nature Air also offers direct flights from San Jose, Costa Rica to Bocas del Toro three days a week.
BY BUS
There are two buses that leave Panama City for Almirante (where you catch a water taxi to Bocas) at 7:00 am and 7:00 pm daily. The trip takes approximately 9 hours. These buses depart from the Gran Terminal Nacional de Transporte near the Albrook Airport. There are also buses that depart from David daily, every hour for Almirante.
You may also reach Bocas by bus from San Jose and several other towns in Costa Rica. There is a bus that leaves San Jose, opposite Terminal Alfaro at 10:00 am every morning that takes you all the way over the border to Changuinola in Panama. From there, you will have to take another local bus or taxi to Almirante, where you have to take a water taxi to Bocas. If you take a bus from any other town, you will be taken only to the border. After you cross over into Panama, you can either take a local bus to Changuinola, then another local bus to Almirante (cheapest way but takes a bit longer) or a taxi straight to Almirante. It takes about an hour to get to Almirante from the border.
BY WATER TAXI
If you are traveling to Bocas from the mainland, you must take a water taxi from the city of Almirante. There are two water taxi companies, Bocas Marine Tours and Taxi 25 that have boats leaving for Bocas every 30 minutes, from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm. The ride takes approximately 25 minutes.
The Buccaneer Hotel is a short, two-minute boat ride from Bocas Town. We highly recommend catching a local water taxi with Cooserturco Cooperativa, as we have first-hand knowledge that these drivers will charge you an honest price and are safe and reliable. The Cooperativa dock is located next to Cable & Wireless on the waterfront in Bocas Town. During your stay, whenever you are heading back to the resort from Bocas Town, you may easily catch a water taxi from the Cooperativa dock throughout the day and into the evening. For your safety, never ride in a water taxi at night that does not have proper lights installed on the boat.
Border Crossing and Other Helpful Info
***KEEP IN MIND IF YOU ARE CROSSING THE BORDER FROM COSTA RICA THERE IS A ONE-HOUR TIME DIFFERENCE. IT IS ONE HOUR LATER IN PANAMA. SO IF YOU CROSS THE BORDER AT 1:00 PM, IT IS 2:00 PM IN PANAMA. IT IS BEST TO CROSS THE BORDER BY 5:00 PM AT THE LATEST IN ORDER TO ENSURE THE IMMIGRATION OFFICE WILL STILL BE OPEN.
WHEN ENTERING PANAMA FROM COSTA RICA, IF YOU DO NOT HAVE PROOF OF A DEPARTURE TICKET FROM THE COUNTRY, YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO BUY A BUS TICKET AT THE BORDER. IT IS THE SAME WHEN YOU ENTER COSTA RICA FROM PANAMA.
FYI: THE BANKS IN PANAMA WILL NOT EXCHANGE ANY CURRENCY (EUROS, COLONES, ETC.) FOR U.S. CURRENCY (WHAT WE USE HERE IN PANAMA). THERE IS ONE ATM IN BOCAS TOWN, LOCATED AT BANCO NACIONAL ON 4TH STREET.
MOST BUSINESSES DO NOT ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS IN BOCAS.
Buccaneer Hotel
Isla Carenero, Bocas del Toro, Panama
Office: 507-757-9042
Office Cell: 507-6741-9750
www.bocasbuccaneerresort.com
stay@bocasbuccaneerresort.com