Cartagena Colombia Hotel Casa Viena

Home About us Guia de la ciudad precio de la habitacion Links send us a mail Villa de Leyva
  Sailing between /Panamá - Cartagena/Colombia - Panamá -
Cargo ships between - Cartagena/Central America/Europe

The easiest way to travel from Panama to Colombia, is by boat or by flight. The option to travel by a Cargo-ship might be a good one for those traveling with their own motor bike ,but as well for those looking for a lift more further on ,without need to take a plane.- one of these companies we know takes you eaven up to Europe or viceversa......

Sailboats are regulary transporting tourists from Cartagena to Panamá and back.(have a look on the Map) The more demand that exists the more often they go. The boats leave, as soon as they have enough passengers, from one of cartagena`s yate clubs.It takes them about two days to arrive at the San Blas Islands where you spend arround 3 days on the boat until you reach the island "Porvenir", the main island of San Blas, from where you can take a flight to Panama City for arround 39US$, or speedboats for arround 8US$ to "Miramar",from here for another 5US$ by bus to Panama City. By sailboat, it takes 1 more day to reach Panama / Portobelo ,where you get by bus within 2 hours to Panama City. Boats normaly never go to Colon verry rare that they go up to "Miramar"(mainland).On their way back, the boats take passengers to Cartagena/Colombia

The boats that we recommend are, as far as we know, in safe condition, their captains are profesional sailers - Because of the bad experience many tourists reported after traveling on cargo-boats this is a safer and more beautiful way to go by sea from Colombia to Panamá or vice versa. The price for a one-way passage is arround USD 320 ,-- per person including food .The yachts have a kitchen , where you cook together lunch and dinner, tee & coffee.

If you are (verry)lucky, you can eaven find a free lift to San Blas - Colombia or to some other destination -

To get information about the departure time of boats just have a look on this page or get in contact with us. Captains let us know normaly a week before their depurter.

At "Zulys Place" a hostal in Panama City you might find as well information about these trips. It is dificult to say some about the acactly departure time of boats. Something you definitly will need, is time and patience! Boats are not leaving every monday at 8 a.m.......sometimes it takes weeks to get one- sometimes you get it within one day.....Once boats are leaving from Cartagena we will know, when about the boats will be ready to pick up people for their way back to Colombia - The schedule might vary some days, depending on winds etc.

Please do not forget: You are traveling to the most difficult part of this continent: If anything does not work out perfectly with boats we recomend, please don´t put the blame on us.We just inform about this option- Its not our buissnes - Casa Viena doesnt make money out of these tours. Our only interest is to inform everybody who gets in contact with us-

We just want to do our best to find you a beautiful, safe and reliable way to travel to Colombia/Panama -

If you prefer, just go on you own, looking for boats and if you like, let us know about the option you could find - we might be able to tell you if its a recomandable boat or not ..

for example : sometimes captains change their behavemant on sea , its realy not fun traveling under somebody who doesnt know how to treat people, with somebody who overloads his boat or "simply" is alcoholic or consumes drugs

Please dont think, thats a easy way for smuggeling drugs - DONT DO IT! - US or colombian coast guard do search sailingboats. You put in risk yourselfe & everybody else on the boat . 10-20 years Jail are waiting for drugsmuglers..

next boat leaving arround ~ 9 de Julio ~ 12 de Julio ~ 22 de Julio( last update 5.7.2008) any moment there can come in some other boat

Boats from Panama to Colombia:
Please get in contact with Hostel Wunderbar in Puerto Lindo/Panama (verry specialPlace)
Once the group is together boats are leaving to Cartagena/Colombia
 Colombian immigration  
 
Most travelers do not need a visa for Colombia. Ask at the Colombian consulate in Panama City. If you have stayed more than 30 days in Panamá you need a permit to leave the country! It takes about two days to get it at the immigration office in Panama City. If you have stayed less than 30 days in Panamá you will get your exit stamp from the immigration officer in Colon, Porvenir or Miramar. The skipper should help you with this, as well as he should help you at the Colombian immigration once you arrive to Cartagena.Very important:once you are in Colombia you have to have an colombian entry stamp in your passport - without that stamp you are ILEGAL in the country - you must get it at the same day when you arrive to Colombia - if the captain of your boat doesn't help you to get it ( like he should do) - we will show you the office where you can get it.Dont forget it! otherwise you will have to pay a high fine - to be "allowed" to leave Colombia again
Peters Guid to Colombia
Colombian Hostels