Costa Rica to Panama Border Crossing – Paso Canoas
10/12/09
Luckily we realized on our previous day’s drive to Rio Sierpe that the southern beach road was paved and would save us an hour on the way to the Panama border. It was pouring rain (have we mentioned it’s the rainy season?!
when we reached Paso Canoas but thankfully there was a bit of shelter to park under. The Costa Rican side of the border was an easy 10 minute stop at the migration and custom windows to stamp out and cancel our vehicle permit. While we were sad to be leaving the realm of Radio Dos, our sing-along soundtrack for the past few weeks, we were excited to get to Panama.
The Panama side of the border started simply with the purchase of a $5 tourist card at a window between the customs agents, then an additional purchase of a $1 sticker and a stamp at the migration window on the opposite side of the building. However, with the recent requirement of car insurance (as of June 2009) we were required to find an insurance broker. There are a few available in the area, mostly at the photocopy shops. It seems they just signed us up online, so I think this step could be skipped by buying insurance online and printing out a couple copies. We needed to go upstairs in the area between migration and customs to get the insurance paperwork stamped. Then back down to the customs office to produce originals and photocopies of the title, passports, driver’s license and the stamped insurance paperwork. Since the system was down at both customs and migration, we did have 20 minute waits at each window which seemed par for the course. After all our paperwork was processed, an inspection of the vehicle and final sign-off by the DFA official was required. Lastly, we needed (opted?) for a fumigation which cost $3. It seemed like everyone else just drove around the station and skipped this step but we wanted to follow the rules and also hopefully eliminate some little ants recently infiltrating the van. We were stopped a few miles down the road by an additional DFA official who checked our paperwork and passports. I have to admit I am still a bit edgy since the Honduras experience, but the border and inspections were fairly straightforward, quick and thankfully corruption-free!
As we arrived in Panama, we took a moment to congratulate ourselves on having made it to our proposed destination and for making the trip from Alaska to Panama a huge fantastic success. We headed up to the lovely mountain town of Boquete where we plan to base ourselves for an exploration of this fascinating country. After only two days, we have already fallen in love with Panama and are looking forward to many adventures here!
View of Boquete from our veranda
Luckily we realized on our previous day’s drive to Rio Sierpe that the southern beach road was paved and would save us an hour on the way to the Panama border. It was pouring rain (have we mentioned it’s the rainy season?!
when we reached Paso Canoas but thankfully there was a bit of shelter to park under. The Costa Rican side of the border was an easy 10 minute stop at the migration and custom windows to stamp out and cancel our vehicle permit. While we were sad to be leaving the realm of Radio Dos, our sing-along soundtrack for the past few weeks, we were excited to get to Panama.The Panama side of the border started simply with the purchase of a $5 tourist card at a window between the customs agents, then an additional purchase of a $1 sticker and a stamp at the migration window on the opposite side of the building. However, with the recent requirement of car insurance (as of June 2009) we were required to find an insurance broker. There are a few available in the area, mostly at the photocopy shops. It seems they just signed us up online, so I think this step could be skipped by buying insurance online and printing out a couple copies. We needed to go upstairs in the area between migration and customs to get the insurance paperwork stamped. Then back down to the customs office to produce originals and photocopies of the title, passports, driver’s license and the stamped insurance paperwork. Since the system was down at both customs and migration, we did have 20 minute waits at each window which seemed par for the course. After all our paperwork was processed, an inspection of the vehicle and final sign-off by the DFA official was required. Lastly, we needed (opted?) for a fumigation which cost $3. It seemed like everyone else just drove around the station and skipped this step but we wanted to follow the rules and also hopefully eliminate some little ants recently infiltrating the van. We were stopped a few miles down the road by an additional DFA official who checked our paperwork and passports. I have to admit I am still a bit edgy since the Honduras experience, but the border and inspections were fairly straightforward, quick and thankfully corruption-free!
As we arrived in Panama, we took a moment to congratulate ourselves on having made it to our proposed destination and for making the trip from Alaska to Panama a huge fantastic success. We headed up to the lovely mountain town of Boquete where we plan to base ourselves for an exploration of this fascinating country. After only two days, we have already fallen in love with Panama and are looking forward to many adventures here!
View of Boquete from our veranda
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