Driving to Colombia from Panama--how do you do it?

santiBOG says on Mar 31, 2005, 16:00:

I think there's a ferryboat that goes to Cartagena. Not sure though.

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dwmte says on Mar 31, 2005, 16:06:

i don't know about ferrys, but you can put your car on the deck of a ship and have it in cartegena or buena ventura in a day or so...i don't think it's very expensive.

call shenker international. frt forwarders

good luck.

dw martin

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Sam Salmon says on Mar 31, 2005, 21:03:

You Don't Drive/No Road/No Ferry When shipping your vehicle you must remain with the vehicle at all times or it will be plundered/stripped of anything of value!!
If this means sleeping down in a dark dirty noisy hold you'll have to do it or lose your possessions.



' a la orden!'

' a la orden!'

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dwmte says on Apr 1, 2005, 03:42:

heh sam..... is that the voice of experience?

i had a buddy who did it back in the 60's, driving a 49 chevy fastback and off loaded it at buenaventura. he didn't mention the bandito problem... however, knowing the theft in colombia as i do, it is clearly a realistic problem.

dw

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Sam Salmon says on Apr 1, 2005, 08:52:

Not Me No I met someone who's vehicle was robbed by stevedores and stripped by sailors-whether in Panama or on board ship or in Ecuador it doesn't matter-it cost him thousands of dollars to make the vehicle drivable.








' a la orden!'

' a la orden!'

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Gator says on Apr 1, 2005, 13:47:

no more ferry service... you could ship by container or by what is called "open cargo."
IMHO not worth the hassle

"Bene, cum Latine nescias, nolo manus meas in te maculare" .

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boomer says on Apr 2, 2005, 09:48:

By Sea around the Darien Gap???? Here's an article the I found, it may answer some questions?

The Crucero express is a ferry service that operated for 6-18 months
depending on who one talks to. However, it has stopped running almost 2 years ago. Rumor has it that the boat now runs from Cancun to Miami. There are no current plans for a replacement ferry service.

There are a number of options of how to cross by boat, but no yet well
established method, and so all options require a lot of foot work. I
would recommend allowing 1-2 weeks to arrange, plus 3-4 days in
crossing. However, I've heard costs as low as $200* for motorcycle and passenger, (BIG asterisk here... see below)

One way to cross is by container ship. One rents a 10x20x10 foot
container which is large enough for two cars/trucks, or four
motorcycles. These typically go for $1000 plus $100 to load, and $100 to unload for a total of $1200. Great if you can pair up vehicles with someone else. The alternative to renting a container would be to find a ship that takes open cargo. These are more difficult to find.

This type of travel is arranged through a port agency, who acts as cargo schedulers for a couple of boats. Port agencies are usually centrally located, so one can walk around to the various ones, and ask about various boats. Most boats in Panama load in Colon, and so I'm told it's best to go there despite the reputation of the city. My information was gathered in Panama City.
In Panama city, there are several port agencies grouped together at
WGS84 coordinates N8d57.534, W79d33.647. OTC is a port agent at these coordinates. OTC themselves only had a 20 foot container as their smallest which was $950 to Cartagena plus $100 handling. Perfect if I had a Winebego. Some other contacts:

Gemini Shipping Co. Tel: 441-6269, 441-6959. They would except open
cargo cars or motorcycle. However they sailed every 1-2
weeks.

Fast Cargo Inc. Tel: 263-2008, 263-7826, 264-5792, 441-7037, Fax: 269-8447,
They handle arrangements by air or boat.

orgullo_de_colombia

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anabruiz says on Apr 3, 2005, 20:19:

Re: By Sea around the Darien Gap???? and others Thanks a lot for all the responses ("boomer", yours is particularly helpful). Frankly, it seems harder than I thought...I guess I'll have to find the way around it. I'll keep you posted on how it works out.

ana belen

ana belen

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Chuck says on Apr 4, 2005, 22:26:

Try Isabella Shippng! Maybe they can help. They are the shipping company that transport bananas from Colombia to the USA but their ships stop in Costa RIca before coming back to Colombia. A friend used their service in the past and nothing was lost.

http://www.isabellashipping.com/ing/htm/rutas.htm

Good luck1

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