New ferry between Panama and Colombia (possibly)
Will Fulford-Jones
This may prove to be another false dawn, but a few of the papers here in Panama are reporting that a ferry service between Colón and Cartagena will begin on 24 October. There's a fair amount of detail in this article - http://www.thevisitorpanama.com/2014/08/ferry-will-join-panama-with-colombia/ - but the key points are as follows:
- Colón to Cartagena every Monday & Wednesday
- Cartagena to Colón every Tuesday & Thursday
$99 per person, 18 hours
- Colón to Isla Colón (Bocas del Toro) every Friday (overnight, arrives Saturday morning)
- Isla Colón (Bocas del Toro) to Colón every Sunday (overnight, arrives Monday morning)
$75 per person, 12 hours, and would theoretically allow cyclists entering or leaving Panama at the Sixaola-Guabito border to bypass much of the country
It's probably safe to assume that there'll be an extra charge for bicycles.
This isn't the first time such a service has been announced, and it may fizzle out sooner rather than later. Still, worth monitoring.
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Will Fulford-Jones
www.contoursofacountry.com
Dominic Luther
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paul g
anna k
Pat Callahan
Will Fulford-Jones
The service now has a website - http://www.ferryxpress.com. The 'Información General' link currently leads to a PDF that contains an updated schedule and details of additional costs and conditions. Bicycles will cost US$99.
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Will Fulford-Jones
www.contoursofacountry.com
Elif Uzer
it is a good price instead of searching for a cargo boat i guess
Mike Vermeulen
Pat Callahan
On Saturday, October 10, 2015 at 4:31:03 PM UTC-6, Mike Vermeulen wrote:
I notice that the http://www.ferryxpress.com link now no longer seems active. Anyone know if the ferry is still running?Mike Vermeulen
Pat Callahan
Aart Huijg
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Lydia Caudill
Aart, where did you take the ferry from? Any suggestions on how to do that, names of people or boats? I’m looking at heading north in February…. Thanks!
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Pat Callahan
After wasting way too much time in Central America, I finally reached Panama City last week. Looking into ways to get across the Darien Gap, I was down to the two obvious options: sailboats or airplane.
I don't have a whole lot of time to complete this trip, so getting to Colombia quickly was a concern. So I decided to go with the less romantic, yet cheaper and faster method of the airplane. It was surprisingly easy and cheap.
There are three airports in Panama City: Tucumen (the big one), Albrook and Panama Pacifico. AirPanama flies out of Albrook and Viva Colombia flies out of Panama Pacifico. I chose to fly with Viva Colombia, for no particular reason.
Bikes have to be boxed. On my day in Panama City I checked a few bike shops and found one that had boxes available. A shop called Get One Bike had boxes, however they wouldn't sell them. You have to pay to get the bike professionally packed. I hated to pay for something I could do, but for $25 I got to explore Casco Viejo while they boxed the bike.
Panama Pacifico is a new airport on the west side of the canal. It is on the old US Air Force base. It's a very nice little airport, but give yourself enough time to get there.
On week days, flights leave at 8 AM. On weekends, they leave at 3 PM.
Total cost of the flight to Medellin was $168. That included $25 late fee for booking the day before the flight and $32 for the bike. Yes, only $32.
They weren't concerned with the weight of the bike box, so I put everything in the box. It probably weighed in the 60 pound range.
The only issue was the agent at check-in. The girl had a permanent scowl and made things tough. She wouldn't allow me to load the plane without an exit plan from Colombia. I explained that I would be riding my bike to Ecuador; she said that was impossible, it was too far. She offered to sell me a return ticket. I got the manager involved who said I would have to get some sort of ticket. I explained that all the other countries had the same rule, but understand about bicyclists passing through. They wouldn't budge. So I made a reservation with a bus company, took a screenshot of the reservation, but didn't pay for the reservation. I showed her the screenshot as if it was the actual reservation and she was not intelligent enough to know the difference. So they let me on the plane. She was the only bad person I've encountered over the past two months.
When I got to Colombia, the customs agent never asked about an exit plan, just wished me luck on my journey.
Note that the Viva Colombia flight goes to the big airport outside of Medellin, not the little airport in the city. You'll need to take a bus or taxi if you plan to go directly into the city.
So all in all, an easy, fast and cheap way to cross the gap. I'll leave it up to each individual if they want to spend more time on the water, visiting the beautiful San Blas islands and enjoying Cartagena , or taking the less romantic, less adventurous, but cheaper and faster flight.
Finally, here's my blog if anyone's interested. www.bikesomewheresouth.wordpress.com.
Pat