58
edits
Changes
no edit summary
An alternative way of crossing in this direction is to head to the port city of [[Turbo]], where a 50 US$ (in 2011) boat can take you to [[Capurgana]], like with all the other payboats if the boat owner like you enough and you can talk your way in good, you might get a lift. After that, the same applies for travelling from [[Capurgana]] to [[Puerto Obaldia]], a small village that works as a border between Colombia and Panama. Once you're in Obaldia, you might either pay about 90 US$ (in 2011) to fly to Panama in a small plane, or find one last boat into Panama, for example by catching a boat to the island of Caledonia, and then another to Carti, from where there are roads connecting with Panama. From Puerto Obaldia you can also catch a boat a little way down the coast to where a trail links to the road. The trail is said to last about 2 or 3 days walk, and it is not advisable to do it without a guide. The Kuna do walk it often though, that is what it's there for. The whole think is a feasible and enjoyable adventure whichever combination of methods you chose, especially if you do pass through the Kuna Yala (aka San Blas) islands which are simply breathtaking.
For anyone attempting to hitchhike a ride on a boat, the second method is probably the easiest. Cartagena is not a great place to hitchhike free boat rides: it's big, full of tourists (who will probably pay for their trip, unlike you), and it's not easy to meet some of the captains in order to ask them for the free ride. Not to mention that most of the boats departing Cartagena are either cruise boats or medium sail boats offering expensive tours through the San Blas Islands. These tours usually cost something between 250 to 500 USD, and not many captains are willing to forfeit such amounts of money.
The Turbo->Capurgana->Puerto Obaldia->Colon route, on the other hand, consists of a series of short rides where you can most certainly take your time to talk to payboat driver. The rides cost 20 to 50 USD, and that's a much more reasonable price for attempting to talk the driver into letting you in for free. It has been done and proved possible by several hitchhikers, so you should get a better chance of success taking this route.
== From Panama to Colombia ==