Surf coast to surf coast — a direct shared shuttle from Panama's best-known point break to the Azuero Peninsula's favourite beach town.
Shared shuttle, two departures a week. This route runs only on Tuesdays and Fridays, so plan your dates around it — seats fill up fast in high season. It is a shared service, so you may travel with other passengers going the same way, and the trip includes stops for food and restroom breaks.
Playa Venao is a horseshoe-shaped bay on the southern coast of Panama's Azuero Peninsula, about 35 km past Pedasí. Its long, consistent beach break works almost every day of the year, which is why it has grown from a quiet fishing cove into the country's second great surf hub — beginner-friendly on the inside, punchy and powerful on the outside when the south swell fills in.
The bay is lined with surf camps, hostels, boutique hotels and open-air restaurants, and it keeps the barefoot, unhurried feel that first put it on the map. Beyond the waves there is plenty to fill a week: yoga and wellness retreats, horseback riding along the sand, snorkelling trips to Isla Iguana Wildlife Refuge, and the olive ridley turtle arribadas at nearby Isla Cañas between July and November. Humpback whales pass offshore from July to October.
The shuttle leaves Santa Catalina at 2:30 PM and takes the coastal and Pan-American route across Veraguas into the Azuero Peninsula, arriving at Playa Venao around 8:30 PM. It is roughly a six-hour drive in an air-conditioned van, with rest stops on the way:
Doing this trip by public bus means three or four separate connections through Santiago, Chitré and Las Tablas, and you almost certainly will not make it in one day. Our shuttle does it in a single ride with your bags and boards on board — and if you are heading the other way, see the Playa Venao to Santa Catalina shuttle. Stopping short of Venao? We also run the Santa Catalina to Pedasí route.
Pick a Tuesday or Friday, confirm your seat and receive your booking confirmation by email instantly.
Tuesdays and Fridays only. The van leaves Santa Catalina at 2:30 PM and arrives at Playa Venao around 8:30 PM. There is no service on other days of the week, so book the date that fits your trip.
$45 USD per person each way. The return shuttle from Playa Venao to Santa Catalina costs the same $45 and also runs Tuesdays and Fridays, leaving Playa Venao at 7:00 AM.
We offer door-to-door pickup from your accommodation in Santa Catalina. Give us your hotel or hostel address when you book and we will confirm the exact pickup time.
Yes — door-to-door drop-off anywhere in the Playa Venao area, including the surf camps and hostels along the bay. Just tell us where you are staying when you book.
Yes. Our vans carry a roof rack for boards and large luggage at no extra cost. Let us know how many boards you are travelling with so we can reserve the space.
No advance payment needed. You reserve your seat online and pay the driver directly on the day of travel.
Two departures a week — Tuesdays and Fridays. Reserve your seat before they sell out.
