San Jose >> Cahuita

Autotransportes Mepe runs five buses daily from San Jose to Puerto Viejo, all of which pass through Cahuita. They leave from Terminal del Caribe on Calle Central between Avenidas 11 and 13.The trip to Cahuita generally takes just under four hours and costs $3.900CRC ($7.80USD).

**This bus does NOT pass through Bri-Bri but is the ONLY one that goes to Manzanillo.

If you are heading to San Jose, it’s a good idea to buy your ticket in advance as the buses fill quickly.

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca >> Cahuita

Buses towards Limon leave Puerto Viejo roughly every hour between 5:30am and 7:30pm with a break in the middle of the day for lunch. The tickets cost $725CRC ($1.45USD) and it takes about a half hour. Check the photo to the right for exact departure times.

 Cahuita, Costa Rica >> Bocas del Toro, Panama (via Sixaola/Guabito)

To get from Cahuita on the southeastern coast of Costa Rica to Bocas del Toro in the northeastern corner of Panama, you must cross the border at Guabito/Sixaola. Autotransportes Mepe provides bus service from Cahuita to Sixaola regularly from 5:30am to 6:30pm. It takes around two and a half hours and costs $1.975 CRC ($3.95USD). Check the photo to the left for a full schedule of departures from Limon (about a half hour to the north).

NOTE: The Guabito/Sixaola border closes every day at 5pm (Costa Rica)/6pm (Panama). They also close for around an hour for lunch at noon. As it takes at least two hours to get from Cahuita to Sixaola, you must get on the bus no later than 3:00pm (PA) — and even then you’re pushing it.

It costs $3USD to enter Panama at Guabito. From the Panamanian side of the nerve-wracking bridge, look down and to your right for the chicken bus to Changuinola. It leaves about every half hour while the border is open, takes a half hour to get to Changuinola and costs $0.95USD. There are two bus stations in Changuinola, a five-minute walk from each other. The bus from Guabito drops you off at the SINCOTAVECOP terminal, where you can catch another chicken bus to Almirante for $1.75USD. Ask to be dropped off near the ferry terminal.

You can also grab a taxi all the way to Almirante for $20USD, $5USD per person for four people.

From the bus stop in Almirante, walk to the water taxi office. The water taxis to Bocas del Toro generally leave between 6am and 6pm once there are at least 5 passengers. It costs $4USD to get to Isla Colon (Bocas Town), and once you are in Bocas Town you can take another small boat to Isla Carenero ($1USD to near side, $2USD to the far side where the beach is) or Isla Bastimentos for $3USD. These boats leave from up and down the main road between the ferry and the park. If you use the same company to get back to Almirante, ask for a return fare and you can get a $1USD discount.

GETTING // GOING          •          SLEEPING          •           DOING         •          MAP

Take me back to COSTA RICA // Take me HOME