After living sometime in Tamarindo its time for us to get back on the road and keep backpacking like we used to be. Unfortunately, whilst enjoying the life of the party town we realised that Costa Rica was very expensive for our current budget and agreed to leave for a future trip. In the future, when our budget will be different we’ll definitely come and visit the big family we’ve left behind but right now… the road is long to Patagonia!
But back to us, if you will ever happen to be in Tamarindo (or San Jose) and are curious to know how to reach Panama City on the cheap instead of using the expensive Tica bus, this is the article for you!
Leg 1: Tamarindo to San Jose
If your journey starts in Tamarindo then expect to be in Panama at least 24hrs after you departed (if you time your bus legs correctly). Every day apart Sunday, there are two morning buses leaving from Tamarindo and heading direct to San Jose: one at 3:30am (passing through Liberia) and the other at 5.30am (passing through “el puente”). Both buses take approx 5½-6 hours and will have as final destination the 7-10 bus terminal in San Jose.
In order to make the most of your next day, it doesn’t matter which bus you take but you have to be sure to arrive in San Jose by 11.20am the latest. This is because you cannot miss the last bus crossing into Panama country.
Leg 2 (or 1): San Jose to David
As mentioned above, once you’ve arrived at the 7-10 bus terminal you’ll have to take a taxi straight to the Tracopa Terminal just a couple of km away. At this terminal, there are only two daily buses that will bring you from San Jose up to David (Panama) a city located around 1h after the border-crossing of Pasos Canoas. The first bus leaves at 7.30am and the second (last) bus leaves at 12:00pm; both are operated by Costanera Sur and take around 8-8½ hours.
Bus to David at one of the few pee-breaks
Independently of what bus you hopped on in Tamarindo, the only option to reach Panama by today is to take the 12:00pm bus which will get you to David by just after dinner time.
On the other hand, if you’re leaving from San Jose and feel like doing this journey all in one go, then make sure to get the 7.30am bus and reach David by early afternoon.
Central bus terminal in David
Leg 3 (or 2): David to Panama City
IMPORTANT: Remember that Panama is 1hr ahead of Costa Rica!
Once in David, the Tracopa bus will drop you off at the same terminal from which you can get the direct bus to Panama City. Thankfully, these buses run frequently throughout the day so you’ll always have the chance of getting the next one in case you miss the bus you were meant to take.
If you left from San Jose this morning, any bus between 3-4pm will get you over to Panama City in a decent amount of time and around midnight.
If you, like us, left San Jose at noon, then you’ll have the chance of taking one of the night express buses leaving from 10pm to 3am. At the time of our visit, there were just 5 night express buses covering the route: 10pm, 10.45pm, 11.30pm, 1.30am and 3am. At the ticket counter of David, we were told that the 10.45pm and 3am are express buses and go direct to Panama City without many stops – consider that an express bus takes 6hrs instead of the normal one taking 7hrs.
Before taking the bus to Panama C. make sure to wear long pants and wear something warm cause the AC on those buses is simply freezing!
PLANNING A TRIP TO LATIN AMERICA? CHECK MORE GUIDES BELOW!
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