How Do I Get to Bocas del Toro from the United States, Panama City & Costa Rica

The easiest and quickest ways to get to Bocas del Toro

Bocas del Toro is a small archipelago situated on the northeast side of Panama. It’s a gorgeous

travel destination for adventures, luxury travel, eco-friendly travel, cultural travel, a large group

travel… In other words, whatever you’re into and whatever your travel needs, you’ll find your

perfect trip awaits, right here.

However, before you can experience our beautiful beaches, crystalline waters, lush rainforests, and rich culture, you have to actually get here. Here’s how to do so.

How to Travel to Bocas del Toro from the United States

If you’re coming to Bocas del Toro from the United States, you can either fly into Panama City,

Panama, or San Jose, Costa Rica, first. Then, you’ll take another flight (or bus) to Bocas del

Toro. There are no direct flights from the United States to Bocas del Toro Isla Colón José E. Hall

International Airport (BOC).

So, what will your travel day look like?

Well, for example, if you live on the East Coast, you might take a flight from Newark Liberty

International Airport outside of New York City, to Panama City. From there, you could take a

flight from Panama City to Bocas del Toro, on Air Panama.

Likewise, if you live in the Southeast United States, you might take a flight from Atlanta,

Georgia, to Houston. Then, you might get on another flight that takes you to Panama City, at

which point you would need to, again, get on a flight to Bocas del Toro (with a similar multi-

layover process on your return).

That said, many flights to Bocas del Toro only require one layover, usually in Panama City. (On

the West Coast, as another example, you could fly from LAX, straight to Panama City and then

straight to Bocas del Toro.)

Do note, though, that most flights from the United States to Panama, arrive at Tocumen

International Airport (PTY) in Panama City. However, flights to Bocas del Toro only operate out

of Albrook International Airport (PAC), so plan to transfer between the two Panama City airports

upon your arrival.

How to Travel to Bocas del Toro from Panama City

What if you already have your travel to Panama City sorted and you just need to determine how

you’ll get to Bocas del Toro from there?

To get to Bocas del Toro from Panama City, you can fly on Air Panama out of Albrook

International Airport (PAC). You can usually find a handful of these flights every day.

Sometimes, they’re delayed or canceled due to weather, but once you do get on your flight, you

can expect it to take under an hour.

If you don’t want to fly on Air Panama, you can also charter a flight with FlyTrip.

Prefer to take the bus? A bus service operates out of Albrook Bus Terminal in Panama City,

offering travelers trips to Bocas del Toro. These trips are conducted overnight and usually take

around 11 hours.

How to Travel to Bocas del Toro from Costa Rica

As mentioned, you can also fly to Costa Rica, and then come to Bocas del Toro, as Bocas del Toro is

very near the Costa Rican border.

If you want to fly from Costa Rica to Bocas del Toro, fly into San Jose, Costa Rica, then switch

airports and go from Juan Santamaría International Airport to Tobías Bolaños Airport. There,

you can fly with Skyway CR to Bocas del Toro.

If you’d prefer to take the bus, the process requires multiple steps and takes about 10 hours.

You’ll need to take the bus from San Jose to the Panama border. Multiple buses serve this route

each day, leaving from the Caribe Terminal in San Jose. At the border, you have to walk across

and go through immigration. Then, you can take a shuttle, bus, or taxi from the border to

Almirante, where you’ll then take a water taxi to Bocas del Toro.

Need to Get to Bocas del Toro Fast?

We don’t blame you. The easiest and quickest way to do so is by flying into Panama City and

then flying to Bocas del Toro. Once you’re here, the seemingly long journey will all be worth it.

Learn more about what you can expect during a trip to Bocas del Toro, on our Bocas del Toro

travel blog, and what you can expect during a stay at Casa Botanica.