Tocumen

Introduction

tocumen intl airport 2016-10-15 10.46.40

© adosuarez

Tocumen is a city and corregimiento in Panamá District, Panamá Province, Panama with a population of 74,952 as of 2010. The Tocumen International Airport (PTY) is located here.

Sights and Activities

The mountainous area of Cerro Azul and Cerro Jefe (16 kilometres from Tocumen International Airport) are great for a visit.

Weather

Tocumen has a tropical climate with the temperature varying between 27 °C and 33 °C. Typical to tropical climates, Tocumen has two seasons, a dry one and a wet one. The dry season, considered summertime, lasts from January to March and the wet season is from April through December, with the wettest months being October and November where average rainfall is above 230 mm. Typically the other wet months see an average rainfall of between 80 and 150 mm with April and December falling on the low end. During the wet season there is not necessarily non-stop rain for days on end, but it usually rains at least once a day, usually a heavy shower or two.

Getting There

By Plane

Copa Airlines is the national carrier of Panama with its base at Tocumen International Airport (PTY) near the capital Panama City. Copa and others operate services to most major cities in North, Central and South America and direct flights from Amsterdam, Madrid, Paris, Frankfurt, and Istanbul. About twenty airlines have flights to Panama City.

By Train

The new Line 2 of Metro de Panamá connects Tocumen International Airport with Corredor Sur Station. Also, Tocumen is served by Line 2 of Metro de Panama by the stations of Hospital del Este (Eastern Hospital), Altos de Tocumen and La Doña.

Getting Around

By Car

You drive to centre of Panama City through Domingo Díaz (or Tocumen) Avenue or Southern Corridor (Corredor Sur).

By Public Transport

There are Metrobus buses, San Cristobal Cooperative buses (green devils) and private buses. You can also get taxis.

Sleep

Budget

There are five motel style hotels located at Tocumen:

• Hotel-Motel El Encanto
• Hotel El Lago
• Hotel La 24
• Residencial Los Ríos
• Pensión Monterrico

Mid Range

• Dumas Villa - This hotel is located at San Antonio neighbourhood, behind of Metromall Mall.
• Hotel Express Inn Panama International Airport

Up Scale

• Crowne Plaza Panama Airport
• Hotel Riande Aeropuerto
• Courtyard Panama at Metromall - This hotel is located in the area of Metromall-Los Pueblos.
• La Semilla Ecolodge located at the mountainous area of Cerro Azul.

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet cafes can be found in cities and most major towns. Wifi is on the rise though with many hotels, restaurants and bars offering this services, especially in the major tourist areas like Panama City, Bocas del Toro and Boquete. Some mountainous or off the beaten track areas might not have any internet services at all.

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Panama's country code is 507. All cellular numbers start with the number 6 and have 8 digits. Land line phone numbers have 7 digits. 911 is the general emergency phone number.

Calls to the USA and Europe are between 4 and 10 cents a minute. The best way to make international calls from Panama is to buy prepaid telephone cards that are sold at every corner. The most popular is the TeleChip card. If you bring your cellphone, you can choose to buy a local simcard, instead of paying high charges for internet use through your home provider.

Post

Correos y Telegrafos is the national postal company of Panama. It provides a wide range of services though you usually have to use the post offices for both sending and receiving mail and packages, including buying stamps. Post offices can be found in many cities and towns and are open from 6:30am to 5:45pm Monday to Friday and 7:00am to 5:00pm on Saturday. Domestic mail takes several days but to the USA and Europe for example it can take anywhere from 5 to over 10 days depending on the country. For sending larger packages, you might also consider using companies like FedEx, TNT, UPS or DHL, as they offer fast, reliable and competitively priced services as well.

External Links