By Land

There are three border crossings between Panama [1] and Costa Rica [2]: at Paso Canoa [3] on the Pacific side of the isthmus, at Río Sereno [4] in the highlands, and at Guabito-Sixaola [5] on the Caribbean coast.

Paso Canoa, which is on the Interamericana, is by far the most traveled. The Guabito-Sixaola crossing is used mainly by those traveling to and from Bocas del Toro [6]. The Río Sereno crossing is rarely used and is not always open to foreign visitors.

For more information on what to expect when crossing the Panama border, please visit our Panama Border Crossings page [7].

The Interamericana comes to an end at the town of Yaviza [8] in eastern Panama, where the famous Darién Gap begins.

There are no roads linking Panama with Colombia and the rest of South America, and no car-ferry services. Travelers generally must fly from Panama to Colombia and continue their journey from there.