Border Crossing Costa Rica and Panama

Border Crossing Costa Rica and Panama

Crossing the border between Panama and Costa Rica is generally straight forward, although there are a few minor hitches that I would like to write the aspiring vagabond about.

Border Crossing Costa Rica to Panama:

The border between Costa Rica and Panama on the Pacific side of the countries is on the PanAmerican highway and is between the towns of Sixaola (Costa Rica) and Guabito (Panama).

This border can be crossed in two ways.

1. You can ride a direct bus- Tica Bus or Panaline- from San Jose, Costa Rica to Panama City or David, Panama.

2. You can go to one of the border towns and walk across. Then you can pick up transport on the other side.

Either way, the mode of crossing is similar.

Going to Panama:

You must first get stamped out of Costa Rica. Do this by going to one of the two Salida windows and getting your passport stamped. From here you walk down the road passed a long row of trucks and shops selling sunglasses until you get to a large circular shaped building which is a little to the right at the end of this road. This no-man’s land between Costa Rica and Panama has a real sleazy feel to it, and it seems as if other activities besides the selling of sunglasses are taking place at frequent intervals. But I do not have the impression that it is a dangerous crossing in the least.

Once you find the big building you have to go to the far side of it, stand in the “Entre Panama” line, get a little ticket, go to the other side of the building, stand in another line at the “Panama Tourism” window, pay a five dollar fee if you are from the USA, prove that you have $150 if you are from Costa Rica, $500 if from another Central America country, and $1,000 if you are from the Dominican Republic. You will then get a tourist card, and then have to go back and stand in the same line at the “Entre Panama” widow that you were first in. This seems to be a ridiculous process, as you have to stand in the same line twice, but this is what must be done to enter Panama. After you are stamped into Panama you then give your customs form to an inspector who is in the circular room on the opposite the immigration window and get your bags checked, if this is requested. They are not too strict about customs going into Panama. As a fellow traveler tole me at the border, “They are more worried about stuff going the other way.” He was proved right.

After this is over, you are now in Panama. You can either get back on your posh Tica Bus or catch a local from the border to David, Bocas, or wherever in Panama you want to go.

Border Crossing Panama to Costa Rica:

Crossing the border from Panama to Costa Rica presents slightly more of a hassle to the traveler. The basic steps that are outlined above generally hold true for going into Costa Rica save for the fact that there are far more intense customs inspections, as well as the fact that Panama opens their border and hour and a half before Costa Rica. So if you want to avoid the lines and cross first thing in the morning, you will just have to wait on the Costa Rican side for them to open. I cannot figure this out. It would seem as if one border was closed then there would be little for the other to do. You would think that they would work together in tandem to pass people easily from one country to the next. But they don’t. So if you are on the 10 PM Tica Bus or Panaline international services, you will have to wait for a really long time for the Costa Ricans to open their side of the border. Panama opens at 5:30 AM and Costa Rica at 7 (6:00 Costa Rican time) Oh well.

In all, the border crossing between Costa Rica and Panama is a pretty straight forward travel maneuver. Just follow the signs, do what your told, and ask questions if you get confused.

You will be alright.

Wade from Vagabond Journey.com
Barva, Costa Rica
February 27, 2008

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Bartering in Costa Rica

Bartering in Costa Rica

People tend to not haggle in Costa Rica. Prices are as stated. When it comes to vagabonding in this country this is a slight obstacle. I was told that bartering is not part of the cultural construction of Costa Ricans when I first arrived, but I did not believe it until I began getting stray looks for trying to get hotel rooms cheaper than the stated price.

“Well, maybe, but I will have to ask the owner,” the hotel managers would say. It seemed as if nobody ever offered a lower price for a room before. I soon began to realize that people in Costa Rica really do not barter.

It is true, to suggest a lower price for an object is an odd thing to do here. I have not experienced this before in Latin America, as I have usually- with a little crafty talk- been able to get everything from hotel rooms to meals for less than the stated price. This is the habit that I have gotten into while traveling, as I know that cheap can always be cheaper. In Costa Rica I have been rattled a little.

Costa Ricans do not barter.

Wade from Vagabond Journey.com
Barva, Costa Rica
February 28, 2008

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How to get to Uvita Costa Rica

How to get to Uvita, Costa Rica and Sleep on the Beach for Free

The Costa Rican beach of Uvita is a good place to go for a hike by the Pacific Ocean and to relax a day away. Uvita is approximately three hours by bus south of Manuel Antonio and an hour and a half west of San Isidro. You can get there easily from both of these locations.

From Manuel Antonio you need to first return to Quepos by flagging down a bus going north from the only main road that runs parallel to the coast. If you are in Manuel Antonio you would have first went through Quepos first, so don’t bewilder yourself about finding this town, it is the next town to the north. The fare for this bus is marginal. It is around a 15 minute ride to the bus terminal in Quepos. Here you can get on a bus to Uvita. There are a few buses that run in the morning before 10 AM and another in the evening at 5 PM. It is a three hour ride through the Costa Rican fincas on dirt roads to travel the 50 or so kilometers to Uvita. This bus goes slow.

But it soon meets up with the PanAmerican highway and you ride into Uvita in style. Don’t blink at this point, as Uvita is only a couple of shops on the highway. The driver will probably tell you to get off the bus here. Or you can just look for the white people on the side of the highway with bewildered looks on there faces because they do not know where the town is. The beach is to the west and there is a really nice waterfall around 3 km to the east of the highway. If you want to go to the beach you just walk west along one of the two roads that go west. It is probably a 2 to 3 mile walk to the beach, so be prepared to tramp a little. Get water and all of your supplies at one of the two general stores on either side of the highway. You can now just walk down the road to the little town at the beach. If you take the road that is to the south of town, it is a little easier to get to the beach, as you will not have to ford any streams. Just walk past the general store and information booth on the west side of the highway, go over a bridge, and then take a right. This road goes straight to the coast.

The other way to get to Uvita is by San Isidro. I do not know the bus schedule but I assume that there are a few a day. This bus takes the PanAmerican and is a short ride.

Once at the beach there are multiple cabana options. They are all expensive! Twenty dollars a night for two people was the cheapest I found. But you can camp on the beach with the locals for free.

How to get to the Uvita beach for free:

You walk into town on the main road and you come up to an intersection and there is a road that goes to the south, which would be a turn to the left. Walk down it and then take a right to go to the beach. This is how the locals get into the beach without paying. Otherwise MINAE will try to get $6 a person out of you. Too much to pay, I say. If you can not find your way past the MINAE barrier, ask the kid at the jewelry shop to show you how to get to the beach for free. He speaks English and says that he lives in the USA. You will talk to this kid during your stay. He is friendly and will call to you as you pass his jewelry shop and offer you free coconuts, breakfast, and conversation. Take it all, as I did not find any strings attached.

Have fun at the beach and slip past the MINAE racket whenever you can. The Costa Ricans do.

Have fun,

Wade from Vagabond Journey.com
Heredia, Costa Rica
February 15, 2008

Song of the Open Road Travel Blog * Traveler Photographs.com * Vagabond Fieldnotes

Manuel Antonio Costa Rica- Stay Away

Stay Away from Manuel Antonio

Manuel Antonio is a tourist trap- Stay Away!

Plenty of nice, local, and cheap beaches in Costa Rica. There is nothing special about Manuel Antonio other than the seas of white women in bikinis. Tourist everywhere and people trying to sell you things that I do not want.

Not Vagabond Friendly!

Read To the Beach in Costa Rica and Tourism Can be Watched on the TV Screen for more information.

Wade from Vagabond Journey.com
Heredia, Costa Rica
February 9, 2008

How to get to Guayabo Archaeology Site

How to get to Guayabo Archaeology Site

To get to the Guayabo Archaeology national monument (Monumento National de Guayabo), which is the largest discover archaeological site in Costa Rica, you can first go to the town of Turrialba and then take a bus to the park. You can catch a bus from the main bus terminal in Turrialba and go to the ticket counter that is farthest to the right that says "Guayabo" on the window. The ticket should cost around 250 Colones (50 cents). You can then get on the bus at the farthest side of the station away from the ticket window. There are buses at 8 AM, 11 AM, 3PM, and 5 PM. The last bus to return to Turrialba that goes by the park is at 4 PM. If you walk 5 KM down from the park to the main road there are more buses that go by. If you want to get on a bus that is going down the road just flag it down, the driver will stop. I am told that there is camping at the park of $2, but I did not notice any signs of this.

Photograph of the Guayabo Archaeology site

Wade from Song of the Open Road
Heredia, Costa Rica
February 5, 2008

For more photographs go to Guaybo Archaeological site photos

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