Landing in Panama: Your First 24 Hours, From Tocumen to the Pacific

The first 24 hours set the tone for the whole trip. You land tired, with bags, in a country you do not know yet — and the beach you came for is most of a day’s drive away. Here is how we would spend that first day, hour by hour, in two versions: an evening in Panama City and the coast the next morning, or straight from the plane to the Pacific.

Before you fly: five minutes that save hours

• Send us your flight number. If your arrival time changes, message us on WhatsApp and we move the pickup to the new time.
• Check your terminal. Tocumen has two terminals, T1 and T2, depending on the airline. Tell us yours and we confirm exactly where your driver will meet you.
• Get WhatsApp working before you land. An eSIM set up at home means you are online the moment the wheels touch down — and in Panama, pickups, drivers and bookings all run on WhatsApp.
• Bring some cash. Panama runs on the US dollar, so there is nothing to exchange. Carry some cash anyway: you pay the balance of your shuttle to the driver in cash, and the ATMs in Santa Catalina are unreliable.
• Keep the first evening simple. After a long flight, a short plan beats an ambitious one. You will see why below.

Plan A: an evening in the city, the coast tomorrow

Best if you land in the afternoon or evening. The times below are an example for a mid-afternoon arrival.

1. 3:00 PM
   Wheels down at Tocumen.Immigration, bags, and out through arrivals. Your driver is waiting where we told you on WhatsApp — no taxi queue, no haggling over the fare.
2. 4:00 PM
   Into the city along the bay.The airport is about 24 km east of downtown. Around 30 minutes is typical, though rush hour can stretch it past an hour. The Corredor Sur toll road is usually the fastest way in, with the skyline rising ahead as you reach the bay.
3. 5:00 PM
   Check in, then walk Casco Viejo.Drop your bags and go: Plaza de la Independencia and its cathedral, then the old sea wall of the Paseo Esteban Huertas, with the modern skyline across the water. Our history guide explains what you are looking at.
4. 6:30 PM
   Ceviche and an early night.The fish market at the edge of Casco Viejo is the classic place for ceviche. Then sleep: tomorrow you cross the country.
5. Next morning
6. 9:30 AM
   Your shuttle leaves Casco Antiguo.One van, no bus terminals: we collect you in Casco Antiguo and take you to your hotel in Santa Catalina. $70 per person.
7. Late morning
   Across the Canal, then west.You cross the Panama Canal and follow the Pan-American Highway west through the interior, with a rest stop on the way, then leave it at Santiago for Soná and the coast.
8. 3:30 PM
   Santa Catalina, at your hotel door.Shoes off, flip-flops on.
9. Around 6 PM
   Your first Pacific sunset.Playa Estero, the long beach beside the village, is where Santa Catalina watches the sun go down. Coiba can wait until tomorrow.

Arriving later in the day? The afternoon shuttle leaves Casco Antiguo at 2:00 PM and reaches Santa Catalina around 8:30 PM — handy, though we prefer the morning one so you see the countryside in daylight.

Plan B: straight from the plane to the Pacific

Best if you land in the morning, travel as a family or a group, or carry surfboards and dive gear.

1. 9:00 AM
   Land, and keep going.Your private vehicle waits at Tocumen. Departures run between 7:00 AM and 5:00 PM, timed around your flight.
2. All day
   Door to door, at your pace.It is a full day on the road, so a morning landing makes it easy. The vehicle is yours alone: stop when you want, and bring the boards.
3. Afternoon
   Santa Catalina, no stops on the way you did not choose.Check in and head to the beach while there is still light.

Groups of four to six pay $395 and seven to ten pay $470, for the whole vehicle. Night or early-morning trips add $25.

Plan A or Plan B?

What we would skip on day one

• Changing money. There is no currency to change: Panama uses the US dollar.
• The bus straight from the airport. The useful buses to the coast leave in the morning, so after an afternoon landing you would spend the night in the city anyway — just with more connections and your luggage in tow. Our bus vs shuttle guide compares both.
• A rental car straight off a long flight. City traffic, toll roads and unfamiliar signs are a lot on no sleep. Read how to get around Panama without a car.

Book your first 24 hours in one message

Copy this, fill in the blanks and send it. We reply with availability and the total, usually within a few hours.

Once we confirm your trip, a $15 deposit per person secures your seats (some services require at least 50%), and the rest is paid in cash to your driver. Please wait for our confirmation before you pay, and have a look at our booking & cancellation policy — it is short, and it explains when the deposit is refunded.