Boca Chica, Chiriqui National Marine Park
In this guide, we will let you know how to get to Boca Chica from David. Boca Chica is one of the new tourist destinations located in the Chiriqui National Marine Park right next to the border of Costa Rica. People are keeping away from the commercial mainstream destinations, making Boca Chica an interesting place with its mountains and beautiful beaches located on the surrounding tropical islands nearby.
If you’d like to lie down on the cashmere white sands underneath exotic palms while observing the natural marine life through the pristine surface of the ocean, then you’ve found the perfect place. Boca Chica is a well-known destination for fishing, snorkeling, and free diving and has a variety of lodging alternative such as a Fishing Lodge or an Eco Boutique Hotel.
From David’s Enrique Malek International Airport:
Boca Chica is located around fifty minutes away from David’s Enrique Malek International Airport. As the tourist interest has spiked in recent years, there’s plenty of direct flight options from Canada and the United States to David. There’s also the option of flying to David’s from Panama City.
There are different options on how to get to Boca Chica:
How to get to Boca Chica by Boat:
You could take a cab to the port of Pedregal, which is only a five-minute drive away from David’s Airport. The boat takes around one hour to get to Boca Chica or your hotel destination.
This ride provides you with the most beautiful scenery, which you would otherwise miss when taking a car. In case that you prefer to take the boat, you’d need to contact us at least 72 hours in advance to make a reservation.
By Car:
You can rent a car at the Airport and drive the approximately 45-60 minutes from David, or a private car can pick you up at the airport or the hotel. Just contact us and we will organize it for you.
While driving on the Pan American Highway, make sure to not miss the turn off to Horconcitos, as it is quite easy to do so. The turnoff is on the exact opposite side of the Isabel’s Minimarket. Once you take the turnoff, you’ll face a three way split on the road, take the middle one and a few hundred meters away you’ll notice the left turn to Boca Chica.
When you arrive to Boca Chica, there is a “Y” road, take to the right and at the end you will see the public dock, next to the Sport Fishing Lodge. You can leave your car in the parking just after the Mini Market, turning right, next to the Church.
By Bus:
The cheapest option of them all. It only costs around 2$ (US) per person to take a bus from the David Bus Terminal to Horconcitos. In case that you’ve somehow managed to miss that particular bus, you could get one to San Lorenzo, San Felix, Panama City or Las Lajas. All of them pass by Horconcitos, so you could kindly ask the bus driver to stop at the turnoff.
Once you arrive in Horconcitos, you could take a cab which will cost you around 15$ or a bus, which will cost you 3$, both of which will take you directly to the dock.
The Boca Chica dock is the main public meeting point, where you would be picked up in case you have a reservation in Boca Brava, or if you’ve signed up for a tour to explore the islands.