Shipping from Panama City to Bogota & Quito
 

I started this thread in Travelers seeking travelers but it is more appropriate here I am sure. Look there for a bit of background. Just came back from the airport after going thru the process. The terminal de carga is about 8 kilometers past the main entrance to Tocuman International airport. The signs are very good. Follow them. Girag has it together for flying bikes to Bogota or Quito. Go to the main Girag office (the gate guard will point it out for you. Carmenza is the Sales Manager and is in charge. She only speaks Spanish but Karelia Zamorano (507) 6516-2681 is also in the office and speaks very good English (Barbara doesn`t work there any more). Carmanza/Karelia needs your passport, registration, and import papers from entering Panama to make copies. I had copies so it was a bit easier but she made the copies for Salvador. They will do their thing and give you some paperwork for the airplane guys. Bike needs to be weighed. It is done at the main office area vice airplane area. Find the "weigh" guy and do that. It is a half kilometer to the airplane area. Go there with the paperwork from the main office. Now the hard part. Upstairs at the ariplane area you pay the ladies. $551.23 (yup she gave me 7 cents change). CASH ONLY!!! She will give you a receipt that goes to Mr Dittymo (spelled like it sounds) and also the "weigh" guy. He ask us to remove the windshield and mirrors (which we did) but didn`t mention gas or battery (I was smart enough to "push" my bike into the actual cargo area but Salvador rode his and still no problems. :=) He then gets you to a fellow that give you a receipt that you take to Customs. We snagged a ride for the half Kilometer trip back near the main Girag office. The receipt and one copy of the stuff the ladies at the main office gave you and 10 minutes later "fini". We got to the Girag main office at 9:00 AM and left Aduana at 12:00 PM. While in the process we also met Larry Toby who was shipping to Quito. They quoted him $750 for the bike. Larry is traveling two up on a KLR with his 23 year old daughter (college grad present to her ???). Heading to TDF. Also met Victor Testoni from Argentenia on a Buell heading north. We went to the main airport and bought tickets on Copa to Bogota for $231. We arrive in Bogota at 12:30 PM 9th, so should be able to pick up bikes then. I`ll finish the story after that.

For God's sake!!!
 

I am in David,(oops), and expect to be shipping from Tocumen in a couple of days. My point...this seems to be getting more expensive every time someone posts a thread. N'est pas?

Shipping to Bogota from Panama
 

Shipped an R1100GS with Girag from Panama to Bogota on Oct 23rd with Girag. Charged $501.44usd total, no other costs. The bike weighed in at 294kgs but this didn't effect previously quoted price. Checked the fuel level but that was all. Dropped the bike off at 1300 and it was in Bogota the following morning 0800 in perfect condition. Very expensive but great service, talk to Karelia or Dallas, both have good english. Tried to follow the lead to Colon Pier 3 for shipping on a fishing boat but no luck. Good luck, go see Hermann at the Platipus, he has secure parking in Bogota, very biker friendly and full of info. irish dave

Almost there
 

Hi Stretcher,

Am currently planning to make David tomorrow night (friday) and the Voyager Hostel in Panama city on saturday night.

Where are you planning to ship to? I am planning to ship to Ecuador. If you are going the same route and it is cheaper doing two bikes or wanna meet up for a beer then drop me a line.

Ride safe

Paul

Raindrops keep falling on my head
 

Hello Paul,
Decided to stay an extra night in David,(Purple House), as I wanted to dry and chill out a little before going further - I never have mastered the trick of staying dry on a moto. I will be shipping to Bogota, but I don´t think you get any discounts for mutiple bookings anyway. I´m always good for a beer tho´.

Suerte

Platypus
 

Yup I agree with that Irish Dave - nice place, nice people. Fun getting the bike in and out isn´t it? Well it is if you are inept/hungover as I was the last time!

Definitive Thread
 

I think this is the best thread to date about flyng The Gap:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...shipping+quito

Thank You!
 

Why, thank you. When I was planning my trip, I wanted "details" so I tried to give them here. Refer to the second part I added here http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ota-part-24084
The name of the street leading away from Bogota airport is El Dorado not Ave Cali as I put in the entry! Thanks also to all those that added even more details.
Rick

How is the bike packaged/tied down?
 

Rick, your information makes it sound lot simpler than I expected. Very well written. I will however be going in the other direction: Quito to Panama or else Bagotta to Panama in February. I will make that decision based on the experience of all the other travelers going through Columbia during November/December.

A couple questions: How are the bikes packed? Do you have any input on the way they are tied down? I have a Harley touring bike, which ties down well, as long as the straps are connected to the correct areas. NEXT QUESTION: Everything I read seems to indicate that you just drive your bike to the shipping depot and make arrangements at that time. Is nothing booked or arranged or scheduled ahead of time; maybe using a web site?

I´m in Panama at the Riande Aeropuerto, about 1 mile fro the airport.
I´ve got all the paperwork done and will be flying to Bogota in the morning.
The bike will be shipped Tuesday 11-14-06, they originally said today,
but had to much to ship. I was overcharged $100, but Kary caught it and
made them give it back! Hope to see some of you in Bogota, or here in Panama
before I leave in the morning at 11 am.

Harold

Shipping and Colombia
 

Lend. It was very easy. No arrangements were made in advance. We could have taken the 7:30 flight to Bogota that day but decided we didn´t want to arrive after dark. We got in at 1:00 PM. Checked into hotel and back to airport and had the bikes out by 5:00 PM. No problem. Going the other way should be the same. Strangely, I have NO idea how the bikes were tied down. Left it sitting on the wheels and picked it up that way. They said they put them on a pallet, tied down, and a net over them. They suggested we take off the windshield and mirrors because of the net. Dunno. If you insisted and waited they may let you help put it on the pallet. I have heard others have done that.
Colombia. DO NOT MISS IT!! I thought the ride from Bogota to Cali was pretty but the ride from Cali to Pasto (where we are tonight (13th)) was even better. With some small exceptions, the roads are perfect, the scenery is unbeliveable, and we haven´t been stopped in even ONE checkpoint. Go to Bogota. Great ride and save $250 on shipping and you don´t have to pay any tolls.
Let me know what you do. btw. I work for Ventura Harley Davidson (when I am not riding) :=)
Rick

Hi All,

This excellent thread is what the HUBB is all about! All the info recieved will prove invaluable to me when I get to Panama, hopefully around this time next year!:thumbup:

Cheers Derek.

I shipped my bike (klr650) with the same company recently. They tied my bike down to an aluminum pallet that is made to lock to the floor of the cargo plane, with ratchet straps. I think they have shipped quite a few bikes lately, as they really seemed to know what they were doing. Of course my bike is a rat, so I wasn´t concerned about straps rubbing on paint or anything. I didn´t see them put any kind of net over mine, but they might have done that later. I just showed up with no reservation, and the bike was in Bogota the next day.

These Girag guys are getting more and more expensive. I went down there thinking it was around 400 for Panama to Bogota but they said it was going to be 550 plus taxes for a total of 651. Karelia wasnt in the office so I had to use my sorry spanish. 650 has shot me to a red line. UNforntunatly I already purchased an airfare ticket for this thursday. I´ll let you know what I do, its time to do some research...

Im just going to paste from the other thread.

Here is the skinny on Panama to Bogota, I called Karelia and she said its 550 total. I asked here why it has gone up so much and she didnt really have an answer. Never the less, she is really nice and I hope this goes well.I still cant swallow the fact that someone flew their bike in Jan for 450, someone in oct for 501, and now im at 550.. I also checked out Copa but they only fly once a week on a tuesday. They said its around 400 but thats a small bike.. One guy posted getting to columbia by boat legally, 100 moto 100 person. Thats sounding pretty good rigt now. I'll post the outcome..

as off Nov 2006, girag from panama to bogota is 551. Im heading south soon, the calle calls.

Why not sail?
 

Why not take a sailing-boat from Panama to Cartagena. Cost about 250 U$ and is a great experiance.

Maarten

ouch...
 

this hurts to admit it, but i think we were over charged and over paid by $100 per bike. the $550 was what we were quoted and when we got there, there was a $100 dangerous good surcharge. nickdude tried to fight it, got no where. hope this helps others from getting pimped.

If I didnt have to meet my friends by a certain date I would have shipped. Ive heard people paying anywhere from 200 for bike and person to 500. Anyway I know I over paid. The question is how far wi these salty dogs ¨girags¨go. Anyone ship from carcass to florida by boat?

Pre-purchasing Plane Ticket?
 

Is it safe to assume that one can first get the shipping of the bike done and then purchase a plane ticket for themself to fly out that very afternoon(i.e. no need to prepurchase weeks in advance like in the USA) Also, is it best to purchase the ticket right at the airport or via a travel agent in Panama City?

Plane Tickets after Shipping Arrangements!
 

Yes you can do that. There is a plane out of Panama City at 7:00 PM or so, but it gets into Bogota at 9:30. We didn´t want to get there after dark so left the next morning . You can save $30 to $40 bucks by getting your ticket on the internet. Seems to be plenty of space on planes going to Bogota! :=)

I've just had difficulty with Panama - Bogota tickets, seemed very booked up for Christmas. I'd get your ticket before bike´s at present.

IanC, are you still in town? Myself and Daisy have just rolled in and we're planning on hooking up with ElCrust and Helge for Christmas. Do you fancy a snifter?

that's pretty cheap
 

$550 is not bad to fly a bike. I paid a lot more than that.

Mark, so u finally made it to Panama, good time across Costa Rica. Heading back towards Cartagena next week, prob not gonna bump into each other but who knows, ride safe and stay well

Paul

Happy Christmas chap!
Where are you heading after Cartagena? Panama? If so, we´ll probably be here for another couple of weeks. Drop us a line if you´re about....
M.