Panama by boat · Panama by boat
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Panama by boat
Panama by boat
Many cruise lines have the Panama Canal on their itineraries. You can make tours on Panama City or Colon City and take part in many packages. Recommendation is to take the Panama Canal Railway from Panama to Colon or vice versa. This train goes back since 1855 and it was the first interoceanic train in the American Continent. It has been rebuilt recently and it has very nice carts.
It is possible to arrange for passage on banana boats traveling from Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela, but such passage is recommended only for the truly adventurous, as the boats are often structurally unsound, terribly over-burdened, and are very likely to be smuggling drugs as well.
Private sail boats also provide service between Panama and Cartagena in Colombia. Fare can vary from US$400-500, and the trip takes usually four nights/five days including a 2 days stopover in San Blas Islands (Carti Islands). The best way to find a boat is to ask around in hostels in Panama City or Portobelo popular with backpackers.
The cheapest way to reach Panama by boat from Colombia is by ferry from Turbo to Capurganá (COP$ 49000, daily around 8AM) and by small boat from Capurganá to Puerto Obaldia (COP$ 20000). From there by plane to Panama City (USD 85) or by boat to Colon and Carti Islands (USD neg).
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Panama
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Panama Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.