Contadora Airport

Contadora Island Airport (IATA: OTD, ICAO: MPCO) serves one of the most historically glamorous and ecologically pristine islands in the Americas. Contadora — the largest of the 39 Pearl Islands in the Gulf of Panama — is accessible exclusively by air (25 minutes from PAC by private propeller aircraft) or by speedboat from Panama City (70 minutes), creating an isolation that has been central to the island's identity for over a century.

The Pearl Islands were named for the extraordinary pearl oyster beds discovered by the Spanish conquistadors — the La Peregrina pearl, found here and later owned by Mary Queen of Scots, King Philip II of Spain, Joseph Bonaparte, and ultimately Elizabeth Taylor, is the most famous pearl ever found in the Americas. Contadora itself has been the preferred retreat of the Latin American elite since the early 20th century.

The island achieved its most dramatic historical moment in 1979, when the deposed Shah of Iran — forced out of his country by the Islamic Revolution — spent several months here in exile, receiving treatment at the Punta Galeon resort clinic. Presidents, CEOs, film directors, and artists have maintained private residences on Contadora's hills since, drawn by the combination of extraordinary Pacific Pacific views, Caribbean-quality water, and the absolute privacy afforded by an island with limited visitor access.

Today, Contadora has 10 beaches, excellent snorkeling over reef systems that include encounters with Pacific spotted dolphins, humpback whales (July–October), hammerhead sharks, and manta rays in the surrounding waters. The island has no traffic lights, no chain hotels, no commercial noise. What it has is the most beautiful water in Panama and a peace that money in a city cannot buy.