Hey that's nice of you.

Well I too was thinking of taking the ferry, which would be when you arrive. However I've not heard back from Fritz about availability, so I'm still looking for other options between 16th June and 31st July.

dont worrie. it will work out. i asked fritz about reservation etc he said no need. they have space for 30 cars and 50 motorbikes- this wont be full like ferry express which was also not full at all -

so availability is there. i will just see if it leaves on the 15th. if i am on it. if not i ship it somehow else.

stay in touch. if we meet i give you my maps.

cheers
ingo

Fritz did get back to me in the end, but was uncertain about his departure date.

I had already given up on that transport, so managed to find a way to stay in Colombia until the stahlratte leaves on 31st July, though of course that date might run aground too, since I read on the captains log they have major engine trouble. Fingers crossed.

I'll be renting an apartment in Barranquilla when you arrive, so if you pass my way we can meetup, maybe I'll have a spare room if you need.

Its part of the adventure :) i should leave on wednesday. will contact you when i am in colombia. lets catch up for a drink. wish me luck that the transport will be smooth.

cheers

do you wanna pm me your facebook or so - so we can connect there?

Hey, good luck man, and report back as I'm sure others will be interested to know how it went.

My plans changed a bit, I'm not going to be around Riohacha in about 1 week, then onto Santa Marta/Barranquilla beginning of July.

So San blas ferry has some troubles that's why they didn't leave yet. I got email telling me it will be next day and then the next day and so on. So I decided spontaneous to go on a sailboat with two other bikers. We did the San blas cruse which was really nice but also bumpy. Rough sea. I am in Cartagena now. For some more days. Not sure where to go after.

Yes, I thought it would not be reliable with him.

Well done for finding a boat that would take you !

Panama to Colombia
 

Hey I am looking to do the cross into Colombia in January and had a few questions.
Where did you go to find the information about the sail boat you eventually took? A particular port in Colon or in Panama City?
Do you have any other sources where I can find other options?
Did you spend most of your time in Colon while asking questions or Panama city?
As your know, any information helps and I hope your trip is going well!
Thanks,
Ryan

I was travelling from Colombia to Panama, opposite direction.

You can find out about that ship here:
I think you may have just missed them going back to Cartagena, but make contact as you never know.

Sorry, we do no Panama <-> Colombia trips till June 2016.
Stahlratte will be on a trip to Jamaica, Cuba and Mexico during that time.

I haven't heard of any other sailboats transporting bikes lately and we don't recommend other boats anymore since we have no information about how they are maintained...

You can try here:
http://www.mamallena.com/sailboats-to-cartagena.html
http://hostelwunderbar.com/sailing/
But I can't tell you which one is still transporting bikes...
Check the internet for the latest reviews about the boat you picked because there are some bad ones out there...

The next problem is that most sailboats and catamarans are not allowed to transport bikes because they are not build to carry heavy deckloads. But some try to do it anyway once in a while. That can be dangerous and cause trouble with the authorities because sometimes the sea between Panama and Colombia can be quite "bumpy"...

I hear some people took small local cargo boats from Turbo (Colombia) via Capurgana and Puerto Obalida to Carti (Panama). But I think they just take your bike and you have to travel seperately. And it takes about a week. Maybe that works the other way too.

Then there are the fright options by air (check GIRAG) and sharing a container on a big cargo ship. But I have no detailed information about that.
Last thing I heard is that flying the bike is preferable. Costs and customs for the container share seem to be unpredictable and kind of nightmarish. But all that is only hearesay!
There should be some people on here that really took those options and can give you better info.

I can't vouch for quality, safety or reliability of any of those options!

I hope you find a safe way to cross the gap that fits your need.
Sorry that we can't take you but the crew needs some change/break once in a while too;)
Have a great trip and good luck,
Stefan.

Is anyone around Panama at the moment?
 

Hi guys,

thanks for all the info.
We're currently in Panama City. We've been looking at different options to cross to Columbia. There is a boat option it seems but that would not be before end of Jan that is a bit late for us.
We are looking at airfreight and possibly container sharing.
If anyone has used one recently, would be great to get some info.
If anyone would consider sharing a container, let me know.
It would be good to cross as early as possible. But we might as well still be here in few weeks…lol

So cheers for now and I guess some best wishes are in order…
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016 every one! May it be a year rich in travels and adventure! bier

cheers
sophie

We are in Antigua, Guatemala in language school until at least the end of January. Then, we'll be heading toward Panama. I'm sure we're too late to coordinate a container with you but, I would really appreciate learning from you. You can PM me here.
Muchas gracias!
Jalene

Just got my bike out of the container yesterday. Dealt with Tea from Seabord Marine and she got 6 bikes into container shares with 6 cars. Each container 2 cars, 2 bikes. Cost was $325 per bike plus total poert costs on both ends of $130. Flights and busses ranged from $150-200 with a car couple doing the San Blas thing.
http://advrider.com/index.php?attach...30-jpg.439167/

End January/February
 

I will be in Panama at the end January. Anybody in for sharing a container?

How is Seabord working for you VicMitch?

I don't know how quick you are, but maybe we can share a container if I am still stuck in Panama. Let's stay in contact!