Panama When to Go

Hotels often fill up between Christmas and Easter, especially on weekends. Reserve rooms weeks or months in advance if you plan to be here during Christmas week or Semana Santa (Holy Week). Holidays mean crowded times at the beach, but they hardly affect Guna Yala. Check the Panama Tourism Authority’s website (www.visitpanama.com) for holiday and festival dates.

Most visitors come during the December through May dry season, but there's no bad time to visit. Just choose your activity.

Bird-watching is best from October to March, when northern migrants boost the native population.

Fishing excels from January to March, though Pacific sailfish run from April to July, and there are plenty of fish biting from July to December.

Surfing is best from June to December in the Pacific, whereas the Caribbean gets more waves between November and March, and some swells in July and August.

White-water rafting and kayaking are best June to December, when you have half a dozen rivers to choose from.

Scuba diving varies according to the region. The Caribbean's best diving conditions are between August and November, though March and April can also be good. The Gulf of Panama has better visibility from June to December, but the trade winds make the sea progressively colder and murkier there from December to May. Those winds have less of an impact on the Gulf of Chiriquí and Isla de Coiba, where the diving is best from December to July.

Dry Season/Wet Season

Panama is an unmistakably tropical country, where temperatures fluctuate between 70°F and 90°F year-round, and humidity hovers around 80%. The country experiences only two seasons: dry, from late December to May, and rainy from early May to December. January through April are the sunniest months for most of the country. Panama experiences a mini dry season in July and August, where you may have long stretches of sunny days. Count on downpours most afternoons in May, June, September, October, and November. Bocas del Toro province gets plenty of rain in December and January, but less than the rest of the country in September and October.

Festivals

January

Panama Jazz Festival. The Panama Jazz Festival brings together international and local artists for a concert series at various venues around Panama City in mid- to late January. www.panamajazzfestival.com.

March

Festival de Diablos y Congos. The Festival de Diablos y Congos is celebrated early in March in Portobelo with traditional dances, elaborate costumes, and giant devil masks. .

Late March–April

Semana Santa. Semana Santa.The week leading up to Easter is celebrated with religious processions throughout Panama, but it's also a time when many Panamanians flock to the beaches.

April

Expo Orquídeas. Expo Orquídeas is an orchid and coffee fair that includes folklore presentations held in early or mid-April in the mountain town of Boquete, Chiriquí. The date changes so as not to conflict with Holy Week. .

August

Fundación de Panamá. Fundación de Panamá. The Fundación de Panamá celebrates the founding of Panamá Viejo with a ceremony and folk dances at the ruins on August 15. .