Las Perlas Archipelago
90 islands and islets in the Pearl Islands — where Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed and where Panama's finest beaches remain largely undiscovered.
OTD · MPRA · Panama
Contadora Airport
Contadora Island — Las Perlas Archipelago. 5 min to Contadora beach.
Runway
800m
Surface
Asphalt
Elevation
15m
Hours
6am-5pm
Book your private flight to Contadora
Airport at a glance
Contadora Island — Panama
Twenty minutes after leaving a city of glass towers you are on an island with no cars. That is the whole proposition of Contadora, and it is difficult to overstate how abrupt the transition feels.
The Pearl Islands — the Archipiélago de las Perlas — are roughly 200 islands in the Gulf of Panama, and Contadora is the developed one. The name means "counting house": this is where the Spanish tallied pearls harvested from the archipelago before shipping them to Seville, including, by tradition, some of the most famous stones in European history.
Airstrip at 13 metres elevation. ICAO: MPRA. Coordinates: 8°37′43″N, 79°02′04″W. The runway crosses the full width of the island, with approaches to either end over open water and a tight parking apron at the northern end. Daylight operations.
This is a short strip running the width of the island with water at both thresholds: Cessna Caravan and light twin class, with real weight discipline.
Getting there
Contadora Airport — Getting there
Contadora is about 50 kilometres offshore. The ferry from Panama City takes roughly an hour and a half to two hours and is weather-dependent — the Gulf of Panama can be lively, and sailings are cancelled.
The charter from Albrook is about 20 minutes. From Tocumen it is about 25.
For a two- or three-night stay, that difference is most of a day at each end, plus the risk of a cancelled crossing. Contadora is one of the clearest cases in this network for flying.
Nearby
Things to do near Contadora Island
Small — you can walk across it in twenty minutes and around it in two hours. Transport is golf carts and bicycles. There are perhaps a dozen beaches, several of them genuinely excellent: Playa Larga, the longest; Playa Cacique, on the western side, generally regarded as the best; Playa Ejecutiva and Playa Galeón, small and sheltered. Playa Sueca is the island's clothing-optional beach, which is unusual for Panama and openly signposted.
The water is clearer than anything on the Panamanian mainland Pacific, and the snorkelling directly off the beaches is good — rays, reef fish, turtles.
Between roughly July and October, humpback whales from the southern hemisphere are present in the archipelago in numbers. The Gulf of Panama is one of relatively few places where northern and southern populations both use the same waters, and whale watching from Contadora is reliable in season.
The history nobody mentions. Contadora has an outsized diplomatic record for an island of this size. The Shah of Iran lived here in exile in 1979–80 after leaving Tehran. In 1983, the foreign ministers of Panama, Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela met here to launch what became the Contadora Group, the regional peace initiative that shaped the negotiations ending the Central American conflicts of that decade. The island's name is in the diplomatic record because of it.
Beyond Contadora. Isla del Rey, the largest island in the archipelago and the second largest in Panama, lies to the south with its own airstrip at San Miguel. Isla Mogo Mogo and Isla Chapera, minutes away by boat, are uninhabited and were used as filming locations for several seasons of the Survivor franchise. Isla Pacheca and Pacheca's neighbouring islets hold major seabird colonies.
Day boats from Contadora reach all of them.
Private Island Hopping — Pearl Islands
Private boat charters between the Pearl Islands — snorkeling, fishing and beach picnics on deserted islands in the Pacific.
Offshore Sportfishing — Contadora
World-class Pacific sportfishing from Contadora — marlin, sailfish, wahoo and yellowfin tuna in some of the Pacific's richest waters.
Diving & Snorkeling — Pearl Islands
Pristine coral reefs around the Pearl Islands host manta rays, whale sharks, sea turtles and hundreds of Pacific fish species.
Private Yachts — Pearl Islands
Multi-day private yacht charters through the Pearl Islands — anchor in deserted coves, fish for marlin and sleep under the Milky Way.
Helicopter — Pearl Islands Aerial
Private helicopter tour of the Pearl Islands — 250 coral islands from above, the deepest blue Pacific water, uninhabited cays and the extraordinary contrast between jungle interior and Caribbean-quality reef.
Technical Diving — Pearl Islands
Advanced technical diving on the Pearl Islands reef walls — bull sharks, schooling hammerheads and enormous jewfish in the deep Pacific water around the outer atolls, with a certified technical dive instructor.
Yellowfin Tuna Fishing — Pearl Islands
Trolling and jigging for giant yellowfin tuna in the productive Pacific waters of the Pearl Islands — fish up to 300lb in season, on a purpose-rigged 45ft sport fishing vessel with live bait and stand-up tackle.
Where to stay
Hotels near Contadora Island
When to fly
When to fly
Dry season from roughly mid-December to April: steady trade winds, clear skies, and the best conditions of the year — though the winds can make the crossing choppy, which is another argument for the aircraft. Rainy season May to mid-December, with afternoon convection and calmer seas. Whale season runs July to October, inside the wet half of the year.
FAQ
Contadora Airport — Frequently asked questions
How do I get to Contadora Island?
By air from Panama City — about 20 minutes from Albrook (PAC), 25 from Tocumen — or by ferry, which takes an hour and a half to two hours and is weather-dependent.
What is the airport at Contadora like?
An airstrip running across the full width of the island, with approaches over water at both ends and a small apron at the northern end. Daylight operations. ICAO: MPRA.
Are there cars on Contadora?
No. Transport is golf carts and bicycles.
When can I see whales at the Pearl Islands?
Roughly July to October, when southern hemisphere humpbacks are present in the Gulf of Panama.
Which is the best beach on Contadora?
Playa Cacique on the western side is generally considered the best; Playa Larga is the longest. Playa Sueca is clothing-optional.
Why is it called Contadora?
It means "counting house" — the island where the Spanish tallied pearls from the archipelago before shipping them to Spain.