Drive Times From Panama City to David

[DAVID STONE]

Is it practical to drive from Panama City to David? If so, how long a drive (# hours) would estimate? If not practical what method is recommended?

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

Hello David, you can drive or fly, both are easy to do.

Getting to David is easy. Drive about six hours from Panama City on the perfectly paved Pan-American highway or take a $13 air-conditioned bus (choose the slightly slower overnight bus if you want to save on the night’s lodging and sleep your way to Chiriqui). If you prefer to fly, Panama’s domestic airlines, Air Panama (website: http://www.flyairpanama.com,) offer flights daily (about an hour each way).

More information here:https://internationalliving.com/country_clubs/panama/where-to-live/chiriqui-boquete-beyond/

Hope this helps!

Best,

Jessica

Jessica Ramesch
Panama Editor
International Living

[JEFFREY JANSEN]

My wife and I had our first Panama adventure this past week. We intend to retire there someday soon. Based on what we had read in Panama Insider, we decided to drive from Panama City to David. I’m curious which Perfectly paved Pan-American highway Jessica is referring to. Because the Pan-American Highway that we drove on was well paved for about 65% of the distance. The other 35% was a two lane highway that was in fair to poor condition and under massive construction/reconstruction. It most certainly took more than six hours to travel the distance. I would recommend that you fly to David because the busses were pretty much holding up other already slow traffic as they traversed the narrow, winding road that meandered along the mountainous route. When the Pan-American Highway that WE drove on is finished, which likely years from now, it will be a nice drive from Panama City to David.

Jeff Jansen

By the way, we will be in Panama again in April and November to continue our quest to retire there some day.

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

We appreciate your input, thanks Jeff. Apologies if the wording felt misleading to you.

I’ve driven to David from Panama City at least a couple times (often more) every year for the past ten years…each time in a small car, nothing fancy. The final stretch between Santiago and David has never struck me as bad, though of course I understand these things are subjective.

Yes, that one segment of the Pan-American (which runs the length of Panama, with the exception of the Darien Gap) is undergoing an expansion right now, and with big bulldozers and the like going to and fro there are likely some issues (like potholes caused by heavy machinery), but we have a correspondent in David, Linda Card, and she hasn’t reported any major difficulties (she just drove from David to Santiago to check out the region for IL Publications).

Also, I’m not sure what you’re basing your above comment on (the bit indicating it will take many years)…the expansion is moving along at a reasonable pace; there’s no indicator that it’s taking any longer than it would in a similarly rural part of the U.S. We appreciate your suggestion to fly, but note that those expenses can add up when you live here and drive to and from David often. Most of the expats living in David drive or take buses a lot of the time.

We appreciate you taking the time to share your comments and we hope you’ll post again.

Regards,

Jessica

[Author]

Posts