FACTS
(GENERAL INFORMATIONS)





CURRENCY:   Balboa (B/)

Equivalent to the american dollar, which is widely used in the country. There are not balboa bills, only coins, that are equal to the american dollar in size and value. The american dollar is also a legal currency.
CLIMATE

Yearly average temperature: 27 Centigrades or 82 grades Farenheit. Rainy seasons from may to august and from november to january. Dry seasons from february to april and september/october.
LANGUAGE

The official language in Panama is spanish but english is widely spoken in Bocas del Toro.
AIRLINES

Bocas del Toro city is served by AEROPERLAS, AIR PANAMA and NATURE AIR, with flights to and from Panama City, David, Changuinola and San José (Costa Rica). Offices in the Airport, phones: 757-9341 (Aeroperlas) and 757-9841 (Air Panama).

FLIGHTS SCHEDULE
while AIR PANAMA flyes from/to Panama City and NATURE AIR flyes from/to San Jose (Costa Rica).
At Panama City it is possible to make connections to any part of the world.

The flight schedules are in local time.
Passengers must be in the airport at least one hour before the departure time.
Due to the heavy traffic, we recommend to make reservations well in advance and to confirm the flights back.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The cost of the tickets is approximate due to the airlines move the prices according with the oil market prices.

PANAMA/BOCAS
$ 100.00 (one way), $ 200.00 (round trip)
AEROPERLAS
Mondays to Saturdays, at 6:30 am & 3:00 pm.
Sundays at 7:00 am and 3:00 pm.

AIR PANAMA
Mondays to Saturdays, at 6:45 am & 3:30 pm.
Sundays at 8:00 pm and 3:30 pm.

BOCAS/PANAMA
$ 100.00 (one way), $ 200.00 (round trip)
AEROPERLAS
Mondays to Saturdays, at 8:55 am & 5:00 pm.
Sundays at 9:30 am and 5:00 pm

AIR PANAMA
Mondays to Saturdays, at 8:00 am & 4:30 pm.
Sundays at 9:00 pm and 4:30 pm.

DAVID/BOCAS
$ 55.00 (one way), $ 110.00 (round trip)
AEROPERLAS
Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays, at 11:20 am

BOCAS/DAVID
$ 55.00 (one way), $ 110.00 (round trip)
AEROPERLAS
Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays at 12:00 md

SAN JOSE (Costa Rica)/BOCAS
$ 160.00 (one way), 320.00 (round trip)
NATURE AIR
Sundays, Wednesdays & Fridays, at 7:10 am (local time)

BOCAS/SAN JOSE
$ 160.00 (one way), $ 320.00 (round trip)
AEROPERLAS
Sundays, Wednesdays & Fridays at 8:30 am
MARINE TAXIS

Connect Bocas del Toro with Almirante (main land). There are two companies: Taxi 25 and Bocas Marine Tours. Taxi 25 leaves, in Bocas del Toro, from the terminal at 1st Street. Bocas Marine Tours leaves from 3rd Street terminal.
Schedule is flexible. Cost of the ticket $ 4.00 (one way) to Almirante.



BANKS

There is only one bank in Bocas del Toro City, a branch of the National Bank of Panama, in the street to the Airport.
Open mondays to fridays from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm, and saturdays from 9:00 am to 12:00 md.
CREDIT CARDS & TRAVELLER CHECKS

Some shops and service stores don't accept credit cards. Travellers checks can be cashed only in the National Bank.
Money from credit cards can be get at the ATM close to Taxi 25 (1st. street) and at Banco Nacional de Panama.
ELECTRICITY

110 VAC/50 cycles. Some places have also 220 VAC/60 cycles.
GOVERNMENT AND COMMERCE HOURS

Many stores open monday to saturday, from 9:00 am to 12:00 md, 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm and 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm. Sundays close. Most of the restaurants serve dinner only up to 10:00 pm.
Government offices open monday to friday from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. Post Office also opens on saturdays from 9:00 am to 12:00 md.
POPULATION

9,883 inhabitants (2000 census) is the population of the Archipelago.
MIGRATION

The Migrations office is in the Government House.
All foreigner visitors must have a valid passport and visa to enter or leave Bocas del Toro. Main office is in Changuinola city.
PUBLIC PHONES

There are many public telephones in Bocas del Toro city that accept coins or phone cards. Phone company is Cable and Wireless at 1st. street.
VISITS TO THE MARINE PARK

To visit the Park, tourists must show up in the Zapatillas Keys refuge.
Fee for nationals and Panama residents is $ 3.00 per visit. Foreigners pay $ 10.00 per visit.
Fees can be paid in the Park (Zapatillas Key refuge).
TOURISM INFORMATIONS (TOURISM BOARD)

The office of APT (Panamanian Tourism Authority) is also the Tourism Visitors Center, at 1st. street, besides the Police station. Phone/fax: 757-9642.
IMPORTANT PHONES

Police: 104; Fire Department: 103; Hospital: 757-9201; Information: 757-9257;
Phone company national operator: 101, international operator: 106, Aeroperales (Airport): 757-9341.
LOCAL EVENTS

New Year: january 1; Carnival: february or march; Eastern: march or april; Sea Fair: last week of September; Independence from Columbia: November 3; National Flag Day: November 4; Bocas del Toro Day: November 16; Independence from Spain: November 28; Mothers day: December 8; Christmas: December 25.




HOW TO GET BOCAS


FROM DAVID:


By Airplane:
Look at our AIRLINES section.

By Car:
Interamerican Highway up to entrance to Gualaca (10 Km).
Turn to the left and go to the end of the road to Chiriqui Grande (98 Km) and then, at Punta Peña, the road to Almirante (68 km), where you can live the car in a parking.
Roads are paved, in good condition. Beautiful views in the mountains.

By Bus:
take the bus to Almirante in the city terminal.

By car or by bus:
in Almirante take a marine taxi ($4 - 30 minutes) or a ferry boat (2 hours) to Bocas.

The ferry boat Almirante/Bocas del Toro only runs mondays to saturdays.


FROM PANAMA CITY:


By Airplane:
Look at our AIRLINES section.

By Car:
Interamerican Highway up to entrance to Gualaca (404 Km).
Turn to the right and go to the end of the road to Chiriqui Grande (98 Km) and then, at Punta Peña, the road to Almirante (68 km), where you can leave the car in a parking lot.
Roads are paved, in good condition. Beautiful views in the mountains.

By Bus:
Take the bus to Almirante in the Panama terminal.

By car or by bus:
in Almirante take a marine taxi to Bocas del Toro ($4 - 30 min).
The ferry boat Almirante/Bocas del Toro only runs from mondays to saturdays.


FROM COSTA RICA:


By Airplane:
Look at our AIRLINES section.

By Car:
Cross the border in Sixaola, then drive to Almirante (35 Km). Road is paved, in good condition. At Almirante you can leave the car in a parking lot and take a marine taxi (Expreso 25 and Bocas Marine Tours) to Bocas del Toro.

By Bus:
There are three alternatives: two end at the border (Sixaola). One of them departs from the Caribbean Terminal, in San José, and the other departs from Limon.

To go to Almirante from Sixaola you can take a taxi or a bus to the Changuinola bus terminal, and there a bus to Almirante ($1.20 - 45 minutes).
At Almirante take a marine taxi ($4 - 30 minutes) to Bocas.

The third alternativa, from San José, crosses the border and ends at Changuinola. This bus (Transporte Bocatoreño, $ 11) departs from the hotel Cocori, in San Jose, at 9:00 am (local time) daily.
Once in Changuinola the directions are the same than in the other two buses.

To return to San Jose by bus, Transporte Bocatoreño departs every day at 10:00 am from the buses terminal in Changuinola.