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I have to leave CR for the 72 hours in March. Has anyone had any experience in driving to Bocas del Toro. By the way, we live in the Quepos area.Interested in hotels etc.
We love Bocas and have been there 5 or 6 times in the last year and a half. It is not real practical though to drive to. There really is no need to have a car in Bocas as it is a very small town and it’s only about .50 cents for a cab from one end of town to the other. Bocas is on the island of Colon, so getting your own car there is a hassle. You have to take the slow moving ferry from Almarante. The other option is leaving your car in Almarante or somewhere near the border town of Sixiola. I would not suggest leaving your car in any of these towns. We always take the bus and it is a relaxing trip. It’s best to go to San Jose the day before so you can catch the 6:00 am bus to Sixiola. You catch that bus at the Caribbean bus terminal, not the Coca Cola terminal. We always stay in Bocas at Dos Palmes a great little hotel with a back deck built out over the water. The owner Lavinia has a big pot of coffee every morning waiting for guest out on the deck. It’s a great place to sit and watch the town come to life in the morning over a warm cup of coffee.
Dos Palmas does not have a website. Their e-mail though is dospalmas@bocasmail.com Their phone number is 507-757-9906
Have they fixed the bridge that links CR to Panama yet or does it still have gaping holes? Last time I passed thru we had to help a guy that was loosing his motorcycle thru one of those holes. That is really the most stressful part of that trip and I wouldn’t suggest driving thru it yourself, that’s best left to those that have grown accustomed to this most peculiar bridge. You can always get a taxi on the other side of the bridge that will take you to catch a boat to Bocas del Toro or to one of the other islands.
I have not been to Bocas since Feb. of last year so I’m not sure about the bridge there. We have never driven across the bridge at Sixiola if that is the one you are talking about. I don’t know if that one is ever not crossable by foot.
Yes, that’s the one I’m referring to and I don’t think it’s fit for vehicles either as I’ve seen them move planks along for a car to drive on thru, but nonetheless, they use it. Pedestrians also have a separate side area of the bridge that is not so bad until about 2/3 of the way into the bridge when you have no choice but to walk on that bridge full of gaps. There is definitely foot traffic on that bridge…I’ve been in swamps up to my neck in water and with Cayman nearby and didn’t feel as scared as when I had to walk on that bridge and will forever be grateful for a wonderful local man that saw my distress and walked over from the Panama border to hold my hand and make me laugh to make my bridge adventure a success…Whenever they do fix that bridge (which I understand never gets fixed because CR and Panama are always arguing about who should fix it), that trip will be a beautiful one that can take you thru the town of Bribri and you can always visit the Bribri Indigenous Reservation in CR on your journey to Bocas. As for me, I prefer a boat ride from Manzanillo to Bocas any day just to avoid that most peculiar structure they still call a bridge… 🙂
You must have never been there when traffic is on the bridge. That bridge is the main route for overland cargo coming up from Panama on the east coast. Tractor trailer rigs come across that bridge daily. Yes it looks a little scary, but it’s been that way for years and does hold traffic. In fact, that last time we were there trucks were backed up all the way across the bridge.
Then they must have fixed it a bit since I was last there during Easter week of 2003 because during that trip they let pedestrians walk first (including people walking their bikes and motorcycles across) and then it was 1 car or truck at a time…As for me, until the word ‘scary’ stops being used to describe that bridge, I will take a lovely boat ride from Manzanillo and feel great watching nearby dolphins instead of stressing about where I’m to put my next step :). Thanks for the info.
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