Panama Great Itineraries
City, Canal, and Beyond
This quintessential three-day Panama itinerary is perfect for a long weekend beginning and ending in Panama City. You get the capital, the canal, and a taste of adventure in the interior. It requires a bit of planning, but it’s entirely possible to get a sampling of the best of Panama's urban and wilderness offerings in a brief time, thanks to short distances and the number of attractions easily reached from Panama City.
Tips
Transit tour scheduling: Partial canal transit tours operate one or two days a week; full canal transits operate one or two days a month.
Use taxis in the city. They are much cheaper and easier than renting a car, particularly for short trips to the outskirts of town.
In Colón, arrange a pick-up in advance through a tour company or take a shuttle to Colón 2000 cruise port (these shuttles always meet the Panama Railway trains), and hire a taxi there, not at the train station.
Days 1 and 2: Panama City and Canal
On your first day, get an early start to avoid the midday heat. Head to Casco Viejo, the capital’s restored colonial quarter, for a morning of old-world exploration. The pastel colors and latticework gates evoke old New Orleans, sans Bourbon Street of course. In the afternoon, head to Miraflores, just outside the city, for a front-row seat to the spectacle of huge ships passing through the locks. Narration in English and Spanish describes the fascinating process, and an adjoining museum documents the history of the canal. A visit to the Biomuseo or an afternoon of shopping in an air-conditioned mall such as Allbrook, Multiplaza, or SOHO Panama comfortably rounds out a Panama City day. The port facility at Calzada de Amador is a great place for sunset cocktails or dinner.
If you want to be on the canal waterway rather than alongside it, skip Miraflores on Day 1 and schedule a canal transit for Day 2. Partial transits, billed as half-day tours, frequently take up three-quarters of a day. Less-frequently offered full canal transits travel end to end and take up a full day with a return to Panama City in the evening.
Day 3: Railway and Nature
Get up early on your third day to take the Panama Canal Railway to Colón. Here, you can spend the day exploring the country's Caribbean coast, fortresses, rain forest, or the beaches of Portobelo or San Lorenzo. You'll leave Panama City at 7:15 am and return at 5:15 pm, which allows plenty of time to see the coast. Another option keeps you closer to the capital: Spend one or two days at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort, which is less than an hour north of Panama City by taxi. This option includes several choices of outdoor activities, including the popular rain-forest aerial tram and trips onto Lago Gatún. No matter what you choose, you’re sure to be amazed by such pristine wilderness so close to a major urban area.
The Best of Panama
With some serious picking and choosing you can put together an almost perfect dream itinerary. Panama's decent highway system makes travel quite easy, and its good domestic air network puts even the farthest-flung places an hour or less from the capital.
Days 1 to 3: Panama City and Canal
The "City, Canal, and Beyond" itinerary makes a good base from which to start. The capital, canal, and Central Panama are a good introduction to the country for most visitors. Added time gives you more flexibility to include other Central Panama destinations. Active travelers may prefer to head to El Valle de Antón for bird-watching, hiking, biking, or horseback riding. Several excellent lodging choices will make sure you sleep in comfort and eat in style. You could also combine a night at Sierra Llorona or Burbayar Lodge (both in the highlands northeast of Panama City) with a visit to an indigenous Emberá village.
Days 4 to 7: Bocas del Toro
An early-morning flight from Panama City puts you in Bocas del Toro in less than an hour, and you'll be pleasantly surprised at how quickly you slow down to island time. Check into your hotel in Bocas town, where most visitors stay. If you’re staying at one of the outer islands, arrange to have a hotel representative meet you at the airport and transfer you by boat. The farther-flung lodgings lie 45–60 minutes away. Nearby botanical and butterfly gardens on the main island can occupy your first day. Your second day should be spent on Isla Bastimentos, about 15 minutes away by boat. Traditionally, visitors come here to visit the indigenous Ngöbe communities, the islands’ original inhabitants. These days, more Bastimentos visitors head for the popular zip-line canopy tour at Red Frog Beach. Don't worry, there's time enough to do both. Bocas means underwater activities, too. If you’ve always wanted to try scuba diving, the several dive shops here offer a one-day intro course. You won’t get certified, but you'll see if you want to pursue the activity. Of course, a full diving course will take up several days here. And for much less muss and fuss, anyone who can swim can snorkel.
Days 7 to 9: Boquete and Chiriquí
Fly to the western city of David, a business hub where travelers rarely linger. Rent a car or take a taxi for the 45-minute drive over a new four-lane highway to highland Boquete. The elevation change makes temperatures noticeably cooler. Get your bearings that first day exploring the town. Early European settlers created a community that could have been transported from the Swiss Alps. Any number of expert guides can take you bird-watching—this is one of Panama’s premier destinations and is the haunt of the beautiful resplendent quetzal. An early-morning horseback tour can kick off your third day. The highlands are Panama’s coffee country, and a few processors offer tours that acquaint you with the life and times of the dark beverage. If you’re a rafter, you’ve likely come to Chiriquí for white-water sports. The Estí, Dolega, and one sector of the Chiriquí Viejo rivers are apt for beginners and take up full- or half-day excursions.
