Costa Rica to Panama | Crossing Borders..

Our time in Costa Rica was up, we expected this to be a quick visit in comparison to other countries in this trip due to the hike in prices, but was still very sad to leave! We will definitely be back to explore (and spend) more!

It was now time for another budget breaker, Panama! Like most, if you are crossing the border from Puerto Viejo, you really haven't got far to go.. There are a couple of options here in terms of how much you are willing to spend and where you would like to go, but lets be honest, you would be silly not to head straight to Bocas del Toro!

The cheaper option is to get a local bus to Sixaola (the border town), which takes around 90 mins, cross the border and go through the legalities for leaving Costa Rica and entering Panama, then get a bus from Guabito to Changuinola (30 mins) and then from there you can jump on connections to wherever your next stop would be.. If it is Bocas, this will be another 30 mins bus ride to Almirante and then a short boat ride to Bocas Town.

If this sounds a little long winded to you with the multiple connections to catch to make this journey and from experience, these connections never run smoothly, especially when crossing a border in between. There is an alternative, also known as the convenient more expensive option of paying for a direct service to Bocas del Toro..

So, how did we get to Panama?

Yep, it sounded long winded to us as well, we chose the latter! Although coming at a steep cost of $33 USD, we thought that this would be worth it for a shuttle from Puerto Viejo direct to Bocas, including the boat transfer and help across the border crossing including a few queue jumps, we basically had our hands held over the border, which was very unlike us, but it was actually quite nice to be lazy for once!

After a relatively short shuttle ride to the border, you will stop at a local office to pay an exit fee of $7 plus a $1 admin fee and will be given a payment receipt, take good care of this as you will need to show it to an official later. You will then be taken to a small immigration office, where more than likely there will be a pretty big queue with only one or two border guards who will not be in any rush.. In the queue you may be given a departure form to fill out, definitely take this as it can buy you a bit of time. Once you make it to the guard, hand over your form, payment receipt and passport to be stamped before it is time to then take a long walk through no mans land to enter Panama. Stepping into Panama, there will be a small hut where you are needed to pay a $3 unofficial 'entrance fee', which is pretty annoying, but not worth the argument with the border guards and everyone who takes a cut of this con.. After begrudgingly paying this, you will soon come to the official office where you will be asked to show proof of onward travel from Panama and then have your passport stamped before then getting back onto the shuttle to continue the journey to Bocas del Toro!

Wait, what if you don't have any onward travel booked to leave Panama?

This is an issue that all travellers, especially long term traveller with not much of a plan will encounter at some point on their trip. As a annoying as it is, there are some options to choose from if you genuinely do not have an onward plan, albeit some are more expensive/riskier than others..

1. Buy a cheap bus/flight ticket that you don't plan to use (Potential waste of money).

2. Buy a flight/bus ticket that you want to use and set this as your time-frame to leave the country (Restricts your time and flexibility).

3. Use a dodgy website to get a false onward travel ticket. (Risky, wouldn't recommend!)

4. Edit an old flight/bus ticket to look like a future ticket. (Risky, but could work..)

5. Buy a flight from an airline that offers a full refund if you cancel within a set period of time. (Expensive, if anything goes wrong)

Luckily we had the option to buy a cheap return bus ticket back to Costa Rica with the same company that we crossed the border with, this came at a cost of $10. Although it is frustrating throwing $10 away, we thought of this as another 'exit fee' and to be honest it was the easiest option with the least risk to take. Just remember, whatever option you take, research it well and just think of the consequences if anything was to go wrong. Which ever option you decide on, try to have both a print out and a mobile version in case you anything happens to either your phone or the hard copy.

This border was a little different than others throughout Central America, when you are looking to change up your unused currency. Luckily, we didn't have any Costa Rican Colon to change up, as there isn't really a presence of touts at this border. If you do have some to change up, try doing this before your journey or when you get to Panama, however there is also the option to do this at the office when you pay your exit fee from Costa Rica. Just make sure that they don't rip you off, we use the XE currency app to work out roughly how much money we should be getting in return.

Journey Time: 4-5 hours from Puerto Viejo to Bocas del Toro (Can differ dependent on border queues).

Bus Company: Caribe Shuttle.

Price: $33 USD (Including boat transfer).

Exit & Entry Fee: The exit fee is $7 plus an extra $1 admin fee, $3 unofficial 'entry fee'.

Visa: A visa is not required for most nationalities for stays of up to 90 days. However, some nationalities may need to provide a tourist card. Please check government entry requirements for your particular nationality.

Border Efficiency: This border may very well be easy enough to cross on your own, albeit with lots of different bus connections to catch. Doing this with a direct service made this border crossing an absolute doddle! Some situations such as being asked to pay the fake 'entry fee' to Panama can be daunting for some. However, toying up between paying a mere $3 dollars or arguing your way into something that could result in a serious issue, really isn't worth the hassle.