If you’re backpacking through Panama and trying to keep your travel budget under control, there’s one piece of advice worth remembering: don’t overlook the night bus between Panama City and David.
For around $20, the Night Express lets you cross a huge chunk of Panama while you sleep. Instead of paying for a hostel bed, spending money on a flight, or burning an entire day sitting on a bus, you can have dinner in Panama City, grab your backpack and head to the terminal in the evening. A few hours later, you’ll wake up in David, ready to start exploring Chiriquí.
It’s one of those wonderfully practical backpacker tricks that makes traveling through Panama considerably easier.
Leave Panama City at Night, Wake Up in Chiriquí
The adventure starts at Albrook Bus Terminal, the enormous transportation hub in Panama City.
After spending the day wandering around Casco Viejo, checking out the Panama Canal, exploring the city's skyline or simply recovering from your previous travel day, you can grab some food, head to Albrook and board the Night Express.
Then comes the best part.
Get comfortable, put on your headphones, lean back and try to sleep.
The bus heads west along the Pan American Highway, leaving the lights of Panama City behind and crossing the interior of the country during the night.
You don't get much scenery after dark, obviously, but that's kind of the point. Why waste your daylight hours traveling when you can do it while you're asleep?
For roughly $20, you can wake up in David the following morning.
And Suddenly, You're in Chiriquí
David is one of the most useful places for a backpacker to arrive because it is basically the gateway to western Panama.
From here, you can head into the mountains toward Boquete, Volcán, Bambito and Cerro Punta, travel south toward the Pacific coast, continue west toward Costa Rica or head north toward the Caribbean and eventually Bocas del Toro.
David is also a great place to stop for breakfast, grab some supplies and figure out your next move.
One minute you're leaving the skyscrapers of Panama City behind. The next morning you're surrounded by the completely different atmosphere of Chiriquí.
And you've barely spent anything.
The $20 Overnight Hack
Backpacking is often about finding little ways to stretch your money without sacrificing the experience.
The Night Express is a perfect example.
Let's say you have a $20 dorm bed waiting for you in Panama City. Instead of sleeping there, you spend roughly the same amount on the bus and wake up hundreds of kilometers away.
You've essentially combined transportation + accommodation into one expense.
That's exactly the kind of travel math backpackers love.
It's especially useful if you're traveling for several weeks and every dollar matters. Saving $20 here and $20 there can eventually pay for an extra adventure, another night in the mountains or a few more rounds of beers with the people you meet along the way.
What Is the Bus Actually Like?
Don't expect a luxury sleeper bus with beds and curtains. This is Panama, not the Orient Express.
The Night Express is a long-distance coach with reclining seats and air conditioning. The seats are generally comfortable enough to catch some sleep, but your experience will depend on how easily you can sleep on buses.
And here's a classic backpacker warning:
Bring something warm.
Panama may be tropical, but the air conditioning on long-distance buses can make you wonder if you've accidentally been transported to Canada.
A hoodie, light jacket or travel blanket can make the difference between getting several hours of sleep and spending the night wondering why you didn't bring a sweater.
A neck pillow, headphones and an eye mask are also worth having.
Keep Your Important Stuff With You
As with any long-distance bus journey, keep your valuables close.
Your backpack or large luggage may go underneath the bus, but your passport, wallet, phone, camera, money and other important items should stay with you.
It's also a good idea to keep a small daypack beside your seat with anything you'll need during the night.
That way, you don't have to wake up at every stop wondering where your stuff is.
David to Panama City Works the Same Way
The Night Express isn't just useful for getting from Panama City to David.
It works beautifully in reverse.
Spend your day exploring Chiriquí, hiking in the mountains, visiting coffee farms, hanging out in David or simply enjoying your last day in the west.
Then have dinner, grab your backpack and take the night bus toward Panama City.
You sleep through most of the journey and arrive in the capital in the morning.
That means you can spend almost the entire day enjoying your destination instead of sitting on a bus.
The Backpacker Route Through Panama
For travelers moving around Central America, the Panama City–David route is particularly useful.
Panama City is the major hub in the east, while David is the gateway to the west.
From Panama City, you can continue toward the Caribbean, Colombia or other parts of Central America. From David, you can explore Chiriquí, head toward Costa Rica or make your way toward Bocas del Toro.
That makes David an important stop on the classic backpacker route.
And unlike some transportation routes where you have to spend a fortune to get from one destination to another, this one is remarkably affordable.
The Road Trip You Don't Have to Watch
There is something slightly funny about taking a bus across Panama at night.
You're traveling through an entire country, but you barely see it.
During the day, the Pan American Highway takes you through towns, farmland, mountains and changing landscapes. At night, most of it is hidden in darkness.
But that's okay.
You're not taking the Night Express to admire the scenery. You're taking it so you can wake up somewhere new.
And that is one of the great pleasures of backpacking.
You go to sleep in one place, wake up somewhere completely different and suddenly have an entirely new adventure in front of you.
A Great Option for Budget Travelers
For approximately $20, the Night Express between Panama City and David is hard to beat if you're traveling on a backpacker budget.
It's not glamorous. It's not particularly fast. And you probably won't wake up feeling like you've spent the night at a five-star hotel.
But it gets the job done.
More importantly, it lets you save money, save daylight and wake up on the other side of Panama.
So if you're backpacking through Panama and looking at the map wondering how you're going to get from the capital to Chiriquí without spending a fortune, remember the simple solution:
Have dinner. Grab your backpack. Get on the Night Express. Go to sleep. Wake up in David.
That's backpacking.