Arriving

BY CAR You will find that there are little to no signs to help point you in the right direction leaving the city and naviagting through Santiago. Don't lose hope though, the benefits of having your own car and exploring on your own time far out weigh the disadvantages. You WILL fing your way out of the city! Whether you are arriving from Panamá City or David plan on a five hour drive minimum. With a leisurely lunch and a few stops along the way, seven hours is more realistic. Once you are entering Santiago on the Panamerican Highway, turn onto Avenida Central where the Shell Station is. This dead ends into the church. Take a right along the backside of the church and look for the BIG Santa Catalina Mural at the Mini Super Dalia. Take a left. From here it is a 45 minute windy, sometimes rough road to Sona. There is a surfer sign that points your way to Santa Catalina from here. If you need to go to the bank, or a major grocery store, continue straight into the town of Sona, which you will otherwise miss if you turn towards Catalina. BY BUS You ultimately want to arrive to Soná via Santiago to make your last bus transfer to Santa Catalina. From the Allbrook Mall and bus terminal in Panama City (at least $5 in taxi from most hotels in the center) there are buses leaving for Soná every two hours beginning at 8:30, *10:30, 12:30, etc. *10:30 is the latest you can leave to arrive in Sona before the last bus to Santa Catalina leaves for the day. There are buses leaving more frequently to Santiago, more than one every hour. If you need to transfer buses in Santiago this will require a taxi ride to the local terminal (less than $2) in order to catch a bus to Soná. Buses leave regularly from Santiago to Sona´and also returning from Sona´ to Santiago every 45 minutes or so. Once in Sona´ there are buses leaving to Santa Catalina at 5 a.m., 12 noon and 4 p.m. If you find the bus schedule inconvenient, you can also arrive in taxi from Soná to Catalina for no more than $25.00. If you are planning on staying with us, let the driver or his helper know that you are headed to La Buena Vida, en frente la escuela. Hopefully, hasta luego, we'll see you soon.