Sixaola

Introducing Sixaola

This is the end of the road as far as the Costa Rican Caribbean is concerned. Sixaola marks the country’s secondary border crossing with Panama, though most foreign tourists travel overland via Paso Canoas on the Carratera Interamericana. Sixaola is a border town, which – by definition – is not a nice place. But the crossing here is more relaxed than Paso Canoas; it’s popular among expats without residency visas who take their required 72-hour vacation on the lovely islands of Bocas del Toro, Panama.

Sixaola is centered on the optimistically named Mercado Internacional de Sixaola, a gravelly square where you can find taxis, a handful of sodas and several small stores selling a wide selection of rubber boots. The mercado is about two blocks from the border crossing.

If you need to change money or use the toilet, ask at Restaurante La Prada, just north of the bridge on the main drag. For details on crossing the border at this point, see the boxed text Getting to Guabito & Bocas del Toro, Panama, below.

Last updated: Oct 20, 2009