If you have time and travel light, then the cheapest option is to take the bus from downtown Panama to Tocumen Airport. The bus drops you off at the main road from where you walk for 5-10 mins to get to the airport. A taxi ride can cost you easily upwards of 20$ whereas the bus ride takes only 75 cents.
I used the app ‘moovit’ to find a bus from Casco Viejo to the Airport. I walked till the bus station next to the ‘5 de mayo’ metro station. I had to wait for 5 minutes to get the bus (S-480 or S-482) to Airport. This bus turned out to be an express bus which stops you just shy of the airport. The bus station is called Aeropuerto-R.
You can see the Airport terminal from the bus stop. There is a sheltered and well-marked path towards the terminal.
The bus was very convenient and pocket friendly means of getting to the Airport.
I was looking to get to Panajachel from Flores. I didn’t have any plan or interest for Guatemala City but was disappointed to find out there are no direct buses from Flores to Panajachel or anywhere on Lake Atitlan. I found out there are chicken buses that run from Guatemala City to Panajachel but not many were sure about it. I decided to take a chance. Chicken buses are old US school buses, most of them manufactured by the company Blue Bird Corporation.
The chicken bus to Panajachel is run by Transportes Rebuli. I found this blog post that detailed how to get to the start point of Rebuli bus. Unfortunately, I cannot find the post again now. Fortunately, someone has marked the place in Google Maps. It is walkable from Estacion El Amate. The bus’s starting point is a workshop/shed. You will find all their buses parked if you are there before the first bus leaves. I had arrived here straight from the bus stand where the overnight bus from Flores had dropped me. There is a restroom here, I made use of that and got freshened up. I was there at 7:30 AM but the first bus leaves at 8:30 AM. So took the time to relax. The bus left exactly at 8:30 AM but turns out they wait for passengers at zone 9, only when they get enough (whatever number that is), they leave. We were there in zone 9 at 8:50 AM but the bus didn’t leave till 9:40 AM. Then it took a little more than 3.5 hours to reach Panajachel.
Board in front of the Rebuli Bus Station
Those who have traveled in rural buses in India will not find chicken bus any different. While we were waiting at zone 9 for passengers, I was reminded of the Kalasipalyam bus stand. There were hawkers here too who board the bus and sell their wares just like in Kalasipalyam. The difference is that in Guatemala, local police board the bus and check the IDs of all passengers.
Here in this bus trip, I heard for the first time the Mayan tongue being spoken by a Maya family. They wore a traditional Maya dress and were cheerful the whole time.
P.S – I undertook this journey in January first week of 2020.
