As I come across new online resources for my Panama trip I will be sure to share them here. My itinerary continues to develop and it occurred to me that maybe flying in to Panama City and immediately catching a plane to Bocas del Toro would save some time if I could pick up a car in BT and then drive south to Chiriquà Province and from there follow the coast back to Panama City.
Is it possible? I don't know yet but I did come across three local airlines that may make that an option. First is Nature Air, which is a Costa Rican airline that seems to only have flights from CR to Bocas del Toro. This won't work for me this time but could be an option for short hops to and from CR on future trips.
The second airline is Air Panama. Air Panama has a varied fleet of 15 aircraft ranging from the 9-passenger Britten Norman Islander twin prop to the 50-seat De Havilland Dash. They serve 22 locations throughout Panama. The only drawback for my particular needs is that they fly in and out of Albrook airport, which is the commuter, general aviation airport of Panama City and I am not sure of how much time it takes to go from one to the other.
The third option is Aeroplas Regional airline and they fly through both Panama City airports. Using my idea above of flying to Bocas del Toro, I would have a several hour layover in the airport before continuing on to Bocas del Toro and arrive around 5:15 pm. Now if I can get a car there that might be worth the $116.00 for the flight. This is definitely worth checking out.
Since most of the major car rental agencies operate in Panama along with some local groups I have never heard of, I would think that renting a car in Bocas del Toro would be an option. Using this strategy could save me a couple of days travel and allow me to spend more time really looking at the areas I am most drawn to.
I'll let you know what I find out. Either way it makes the most sense to spend the last few days in and around Panama City so that part of my initial plan remains in tact.
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