Contadora Island Guide

Contadora Island Ferry Port

Contadora Island is an isle found off the wide curving shores of Panama Bay to the south of the Panamanian mainland. It is one of the larger landmasses of the Pearl Island archipelago and is widely renowned for its pristine shoreline dotted with long stretches of palm-lined beaches. Once buzzing with traders selling pearls plucked from the shallows of the surrounding sea, the island is now a spectacular resort of luxury villas and apartments. It’s a particularly popular destination during the summer months when the surrounding waters of the Gulf of Panama glow almost electric blue beneath the warm sun. The port of Contadora Island is nothing more than a designated section of Galeon beach found around the edge of a small bay in the north. The passenger terminal is found at the head of the beach, just off the road that circles the island’s airstrip. The facilities here are limited to an undercover waiting area and a check-in booth from which passengers can board incoming ferries. Nowhere on the island is more than a five-minutes’ drive away meaning that travelling to and from the port is a straightforward affair. A taxi-service is available to take visitors from the port to the hotels found across the isle, though rented golf buggies are the preferred method of transport. A single passenger service currently operates from the port. A Ferry Las Perlas line sails the short distance north to the mainland capital of Panama City a few times throughout the week, a fast route that skims across the gulf.