Cheaper for Tourist to FLy into Costa Rica to get to Panama

Cheaper for Tourest to Fly into Costa Rica tp get to Panama

Story by editor Boquete Panama Guide

Tonight I will be heading from Boquete Panama to pickup my son and two of his friends in Paso Canoas, the frontier with Costa Rica. These intrepid adventurers setup last night from Tucson, AZ flew into Atlanta, then into San Jose Costa Rica. They then headed for a bus to the frontier.

Why you should ask when the could have flown into Tocumen in Panama City? Money, they each saved $300 flying into San Jose. It is going to take more tourists to lower airfare into Panama. For now San Jose, Costa Rica is a bargain price compared to Panama City.

The options are basically the same for Panama City to David or San Jose to the Frontier, or even David. Fly Air Panama or take a bus. If you time your flights correctly and only do carry one luggage, you can change planes in San Jose for David without leaving the terminal; try that in Panama City.

Their 1 pm bus will arrive sometime around 9 pm Costa Rican time, about 10 pm in Panama and then they tackle customs and immigration, again.

For Heather and I this is a 90 minute ride at night to a border town I have rarely experienced at night. I did in once when I took the bus from San Jose, arrived after the border closed and needed to stay in a motel overnight, not fun in Paso Canoas.

Tomorrow I will know if they made the bus, if the border crossing is open and whether you can buy a beer in Paso Canoas at 10 pm.

Added Saturday morning.

It was pain free and actually fun to be in Paso Canoas on a Friday night. They have a an active restaurant scene near the bus drop off and as always great beer. We found our objectives wandering around following a fringe dweller who had conducted them to Costa Rican immigration and then Panamanian immigration. There were no lines, the immigration and customs are open until 11 pm, good to know.

Everyone was friendly and helpful and the experience interesting enough that I want to try the late night border town experience again. Memories of Nogales, Sonora Mexico from years gone by.