Travel in Panama: when to go, places and advice

An isthmus between two oceans: Panama is the legendary canal and its capital's skyline, but above all a concentrate of Central America. The 365 islands of the San Blas archipelago run by the Guna people, the laid-back Caribbean of Bocas del Toro, the coffee plantations of Boquete beneath the Barú volcano and the whale sharks of Coiba. Small in size, immense in variety, and you cross from the Pacific to the Atlantic in an hour's drive.

Capital: Panama City
Currency: Balboa, US dollar ($)
Language: Spanish
Direct flight: ≈ 11 hr 30 from Paris
Time difference: -6 hr in winter, -7 hr in summer

Itineraries

Our trip ideas in Panama

The itineraries in Panama are in the works: the day-by-day programme, named hotels, tickets to book flagged in advance. Leave your address to be notified when they come out.

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The right season

When to go in Panama?

From December to April, the dry season opens every door: a sparkling San Blas, passable tracks, pleasant trade winds. The green season (May-November) alternates luminous mornings and afternoon showers, with a wet peak in October-November on the Pacific side; Bocas del Toro, on the opposite cycle, often offers its best weeks in September-October.

January : Ideal
February : Ideal
March : Ideal
April : Pleasant
May : In-between
June : In-between
July : In-between
August : In-between
September : Pleasant
October : In-between
November : In-between
December : Ideal

Ideal
Pleasant
In-between
Avoid

Quick guide

Understanding Panama

Getting around

Air Panama and Copa domestic flights for Bocas and David, cheap buses on the Pan-American, a 4x4 to reach the San Blas jetties. The Panama City metro is the only one in Central America.

Money

The US dollar circulates everywhere (the balboa exists only as coins). Withdraw before the islands: no ATM and no cards in San Blas, everything there is paid in cash.

Language

Spanish, with English common in tourism and business. In the indigenous comarcas, Guna and Ngäbe dominate, but Spanish works everywhere.

Useful apps

Uber in Panama City, the metro app for the rechargeable card, Hopin (the local Uber) in David, and San Blas boat bookings via WhatsApp, the national tool.

Accommodation

Design hotels of the Casco Viejo, stilt cabins in San Blas (rustic, magical), coffee lodges in Boquete and surf hotels in Bocas. Book San Blas early, places are counted.

Etiquette

On the Guna islands, ask before photographing and pay the small community fees without arguing: it is their autonomous territory. Light but proper dress in town.

The iconic places

Panama Canal

Miraflores

The Miraflores locks seen from the terraces: giant container ships lifted 16 m before your eyes. A century of engineering in action.

Casco Viejo

Panama City

The UNESCO-listed colonial quarter: restored pastel façades, rooftops facing the skyline and gilded churches.

San Blas

Guna Yala

365 islets of sand and coconut palms on a turquoise sea, run by the Guna people. A night in a cabin, grilled lobster, stars: raw paradise.

Bocas del Toro

Caribbean

The laid-back Caribbean archipelago: houses on stilts, starfish beaches, surf and sloths in the mangroves.

Boquete

Chiriquí

The mountain village of geisha coffee, the most expensive in the world: fincas to visit, canopy walks and the night climb of the Barú volcano.

Coiba Marine Park

Pacific

The former prison island turned UNESCO sanctuary: whale sharks, manta rays and some of the richest dives in the American Pacific.

Tap a dot, or browse the list below the map.

Casco Viejo : The colonial quarter, UNESCO
Miraflores Locks : The canal in action
San Blas : The 365 islands of the Guna people
Portobelo : Spanish forts of the Caribbean, UNESCO
El Valle de Antón : The village in the crater
Santa Catalina : The surf spot and gateway to Coiba
Coiba : The marine sanctuary, UNESCO
Boquete : Geisha coffee and the Barú volcano
Bocas del Toro : The laid-back Caribbean archipelago