www.veraguas.org



FACTS (GENERAL INFORMATION)




CURRENCY:   Balboa (B/)

The American Dollar is a legal currency. The Balboa is equivalent to the American Dollar. There are not Balboa bills, only coins, that are equal to the american dollar in size and value.
CLIMATE

Yearly average temperature: 22 Centigrades or 75 Farenheit grades (lower) and 27 Centigrades or 82 Farenheit grades (higher). Rainy season from may to november. Dry season from december to april.
LANGUAGE

The official language in Panama is spanish but english is widely spoken in the country.
AIRLINES

Veraguas province is not served by airlines. The closest airport is in David (190 km), with flights to and from Panama City, Bocas del Toro, Changuinola and San José (Costa Rica).



BANKS

There are several banks in Veraguas, most of them at Santiago, the capital of the province. The National Bank of Panama, in the Interamerican Highway, open mondays to fridays from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm, and saturdays from 9:30 am to 12:00 md.
CREDIT CARDS & TRAVELLER CHECKS

Most of the shops and service stores accept credit cards. Travellers checks can be cashed at the banks.
Money from credit cards can be get at the ATMs that exist in the banks and at the bus terminals.
ELECTRICITY

110 VAC/50 cycles. Some places have also 220 VAC/60 cycles.
GOVERNMENT AND COMMERCE HOURS

Many stores open monday to saturday, from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm. Supermarkets and some stores open on Sundays. Most of the restaurants serve dinner only up to 11:00 pm.
Government offices open monday to friday from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm.
POPULATION AND SURFACE

209,076 inhabitants (2000 census) is the population of the Province. The capital, Santiago, is the most populated with 32,480 inhabitants, followed by Soná 10,104 inhabitants.
Veraguas ocupies 11,239.4 Km2 of the panamanian territory.
MIGRATION

There are not Migrations office in the province.
All foreigner tourists must have a valid passport and visa to visit Veraguas. The Migration offices are in Panamá City, Changuinola, Bocas del Toro and David.



PUBLIC PHONES

There are many public telephones in the Veraguas province that accept coins or phone cards. Main phone company is Cable and Wireless.
VISITS TO THE NATIONAL PARKS AND RESERVES

To visit the National Parks and Reserves, tourists must show up in the entrance
Fee for nationals and Panama residents is $ 3.00 (Coiba) or $ 2.00 (other reserves) per visit. Foreigners pay $ 10.00 (Coiba) or $ 5.00 (other reserves) per visit.
The main office of the National Authority of the Environment (government dependency that controls the national reserves) in Veraguas, is on the Panamerican Highway, just in front of McDonnals restaurant.
TOURISM INFORMATIONS (TOURISM BOARD)

The office of ATP (Panamanian Tourism Authority) is at Plaza Palermo, Vía Héctor Alejandro Santa Coloma, Santiago.
Phone: (507) 998-3929 - Fax: (507) 998-0929 - Email: veraguas@atp.gob.pa.
IMPORTANT PHONES

Police: 104; Fire Department: 103; Informations: 102, Emergencies: 911.
Phone company national operator: 101, international operator: 106
LOCAL EVENTS

New Year: january 1; Carnival: february or march; Eastern: march or april; Sona Foundation: September 12; Independence from Columbia: November 3; National Flag Day: November 4; Independence from Spain: November 28; Mothers day: December 8; Christmas: December 25.




HOW TO GET TO VERAGUAS

FROM/TO DAVID:

By Car:
Panamerican Highway from David (190 Km).


By Bus:
Take the bus to Santiago in the city terminal.


FROM/TO PANAMA CITY:

By Car:
Panamerican Highway up to Santiago (250 Km).

By Bus:
Take the bus to Santiago in the Albrook terminal. To return to Panama City take the bus at the Hotel Piramidal or the El Tucan restaurant, in the Panamerican Highway.

FROM/TO BOCAS DEL TORO:

By Car:
Take the road from Almirante to Chiriqui Grande (68 Km) and then, at Punta Peña, turn to the right and take the road to the Panamerican Highway (98 km), turn to the left to Santiago (180 km).
Roads are paved, in good condition. Beautiful views in the mountains.


By Bus:
Take the bus to Santiago in Changuinola or Almirante. To return to Bocas del Toro take the bus at the Hotel Piramidal or the El Tucan restaurant, in the Panamerican Highway.


FROM/TO COSTA RICA:

By Car:
Cross the border in Paso Canoas, then drive by the Panamerican Highway to Santiago (240 Km). The Panamerican Highway is in good condition.

By Bus:
There are two alternatives: one starts at the border (Paso Canoas), a panamanian bus company. The other departs from San José (Costa Rica), crossing the border and goes to Panama City. Santiago is in the way and the buses stop at the Hotel Piramidal or the El Tucan restaurant.

To return to San Jose by bus, you can take one of the buses at the El Tucan restaurant or the Hotel Piramidal terminals in the Panamerican Highway.