Bocas del Toro eSIM
In Bocas del Toro you connect to Mas Movil or Tigo, whichever is performing better where you are standing. The typical speed across the country is 36 Mbps. Your data starts working the moment you land, before you reach the immigration hall.
- Networks
- Mas Movil and Tigo
- Typical speed in Panama
- 36 Mbps typical, 8 Mbps at busy times
- 5G
- 4G only
- Throttle
- None on metered plans
- Tethering
- Allowed on every plan
Plans that cover Bocas del Toro
| Data | Validity | Price per GB | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | Never expires | $14.89 | $14.89 | |
| 3 GB | Never expires | $10.63 | $31.89 | |
| 5 GBMost travellers | Never expires | $9.58 | $47.89 | |
| 10 GB | Never expires | $8.09 | $80.89 |
How Panama compares across North America
- Regional typical speed
- 33 Mbps
- Upstream networks
- 2, Mas Movil, Tigo
- 5G
- 4G only
- Next fastest nearby
- Mexico, 44 Mbps
- Next slowest nearby
- El Salvador, 34 Mbps
- Cities with their own page
- 2: Panama City, Bocas del Toro
Landing at Bocas del Toro "Isla Colón" International Airport (BOC)
- Airport
- BOC / MPBO
- Distance
- 2 km from the centre of Bocas del Toro
Getting into Bocas del Toro
- Ferry or water taxi from Almirante on the mainland to Isla Colón
- Yellow pickup-truck taxis and minibuses on Isla Colón (BOC)
- Ferry Bocas, Almirante to Isla Colon, about 100 minutes
Worth knowing about Bocas del Toro
- Bocas del Toro is a province and archipelago, not a city; its capital Bocas Town sits on Isla Colón, the northernmost island.
- The only surface route in is by ferry or water taxi from Almirante on the mainland.
- Bocas del Toro airport operates only from 06:00 to 20:00 daily, so late-evening arrivals are not possible.
- Scheduled service is small domestic flights from Panama City Gelabert plus a SANSA link to Costa Rica; international arrivals clear Panamanian customs at the airport.
- Panama's national free wifi programme is Internet Para Todos, run by the innovation authority AIG. The network you select is called InternetParaTodos.
- Internet Para Todos lists 1,320 free access points, gives 2 Mbps to the end user, and each point reaches roughly 50 to 150 metres.
- On a first connection to InternetParaTodos, opening any web page brings up a registration portal that you must complete before you can browse.
- The Internet Para Todos network applies content filtering that blocks material unsuitable for minors, violence, gambling and streaming services.
- Panama's prepaid SIM rule, ASEP Resolution AN No. 18397-Telco of 26 April 2023, requires the operator to capture an image of the buyer's personal identity card or passport plus a photo of the buyer's face, checked by biometric validation.
- Since 15 November 2023 every prepaid line in Panama must have the user's identity registered before an operator may activate it.
- Isla Colon was joined to Panama's national grid by a 22 km submarine cable built by Naturgy for 28 million dollars, a double 34.5 kV circuit that carries high speed fibre optic cable inside it.
- Ferry Bocas sails Monday to Sunday, leaving Almirante at 07:00 and 12:00 and Isla Colon at 10:00 and 15:00. The crossing takes about 1 hour 40 minutes.
- Almirante, the mainland port for the archipelago, had 12,731 residents in 2010, has three water taxi stations, and has bus terminals for Changuinola and for Panama City and David.
- Isla Colon has 6,629 residents, and local transport includes fifteen seat minibuses marked Transporte Colectivo alongside the pickup taxis. The town draws over 150,000 visitors a year.
- The airport, also known as Jose Ezequiel Hall International, has a single asphalt runway 09/27 of 1,500 m, sits at 3 m elevation, and is 1.5 km northwest of the centre of Bocas del Toro town.
- Scheduled airlines at Bocas del Toro are Air Panama and Flytrip to Panama City Gelabert, and SANSA to San Jose Juan Santamaria and Limon.
Sources for this page
Other cities in Panama we cover
- Panama City
- 301 km from Bocas del Toro, nearest airport PAC