PUBLIC BUSES FROM PANAMA CITY
From Tocumen International Airport (PTY), a taxi costs around $30 and 5$ more for each extra person. Make sure to agree to the price with the driver before you jump in. Alternatively, you can walk to the bus stop outside the terminal a few hundred meters away and take a public bus for $0.25-$1.25, depending on the number of stops.
A taxi from the city centre to Albrook Bus terminal should be around $3, although taxi drivers will ask for more if in rush hours (or will refuse to take you there). Also, many bus routes go to the Bus Terminal ($0.25).
Another great alternative for travelling from the Airport to the bus terminal or around the city is peer-to-peer car service companies like Uber.
The Metro Public Transport is a train system throughout Panama City that now connects the Airport to the Albrook Bus Terminal. This is the cheapest and fastest way to get to Albrook Bus Station if you plan on arriving at Tribal Gathering by Bus.
You can enter the Metro by paying with a CC Visa or MC. When arriving from the Airport, you can enter the Tocumen Airport Station, in Metro Linea 2. This costs $0.50, while going to Linea 1 costs $0.35 for the ride.
From Panama City to Sabanitas
Take the public bus to Colon City from Albrook Bus Terminal and hop off at the Sabanitas bus stop, next to the REY supermarket.
You have 2 options of buses:
Diablos Rojos: The colourful traditional buses of Panama. They start at 3:30 am and they run every 30 min.
Express Buses: Faster, more comfortable and with A/C. They start at 4:50 am and they run hourly.
From Sabanitas to Tribal Gathering
At the Sabanitas bus stop you need to wait for the bus for Costa Arriba - Nombre de Dios - Palmira (which comes from Colon). It will take a few hours as the bus stops a lot. Not all the buses go all the way to Palmira and the festival so please ask the driver to make sure. Some end their service in Cuango and there are no taxis there. Currently, only 3 buses per day serve Palmira and they are usually full of locals commuting, so it may be difficult to get in, especially with so many TG attendees.
Alternatively, there are other buses (Costa Arriba - Guaira) that can take you to Portobelo, which is halfway to Tribal Gathering from Sabanitas, and from there you can try to find a taxi to the festival site (35 km). If there are a few of you, this should be affordable, although this is even more inconvenient than the regular public bus.
We strongly advise all the travellers attending the Tribal Gathering to book our official airport shuttles to avoid extended waiting times and an extremely long journey on the public bus, with uncertain capacity.
The price difference will make your trip hassle-free and you will be supporting GeoParadise by helping offset the huge costs of transportation involved in bringing together tribes and artists from all over the world. Thank you for your contribution! :)
PUBLIC BUSES FROM COLON
You can grab the bus to Costa Arriba - Nombre de Dios - Palmira directly from Colon Bus Terminal, no need to do the transfer in Sabanitas. See above the instructions to hop off. Departure times from Colon are around 7 am, 11 am and 3 pm but delays are frequent and expected. and it may be difficult to get in the bus with the increased passenger traffic of other tribal gathering attendees.