Places to Explore

• Alto Bayano

  The Alto Bayano region is dominated by a large reservoir called Lago Bayano, which is surrounded by pastureland, and forests clinging to the upper slopes of the serranías (mountain ranges) to the... (more)

• Cerro Azul

  This highland retreat a short drive east of Panama City offers a bit of relief from the heat, plus hiking trails and some birds than you won't find in the canal area. The altitude is close to 3,000 feet... (more)

• Cerro La Vieja

  To the west of El Valle, on the road from Penenomé to Churuquita Grande, stands the impressive forested hill of Cerro la Vieja, with thick foliage clinging to its rocky face. The area around that... (more)

• Colón

  The provincial capital of Colón, beside the canal's Atlantic entrance, has clearly seen better days, as the architecture of its older buildings attests. Its predominantly Afro-Caribbean population... (more)

• El Valle de Antón

  A serpentine road winds north from the Carretera Interamericana between Playa Coronado and Playa Farallón to a small, lush mountain valley and the town that is sheltered in it, both called El Valle... (more)

• Gamboa

  Though it lies a mere 40 minutes from downtown Panama City, the tiny community of Gamboa feels remote, no doubt due to the fact that it is surrounded by exuberant tropical nature. Its location on the north... (more)

• Isla Barro Colorado

• Isla Contadora

  The resort island of Contadora, a mere 20 minutes from Panama City by plane, has some of the country's best beaches. More than a dozen swaths of ivory sand backed by exuberant foliage line Contadora's perimeter... (more)

• Isla Grande

  Lushly forested hills, palm fronds swaying in the breeze, and glistening aquamarine waters give Isla Grande an idyllic, tropical ambience, but its scarcity of beaches (it has just one decent beach) and... (more)

• Isla San José

  The southernmost island of the Pearl Archipelago, Isla San José is a remote, 14,000-acre isle that is almost completely covered with rain forest and lined with dozens of pristine beaches fronted... (more)

• Isla Taboga

  A pleasant 60-minute ferry ride from the Amador Causeway takes you far from the traffic jams of Panama City to the tranquil isle of Taboga, which has a lovely beach, clear waters, and a funky little fishing... (more)

• Lago Gatún (Gatún Lake)

  Covering about 163 square mi, an area about the size of the island nation Barbados, Gatún Lake extends northwest from Parque Nacional Soberanía to the locks of Gatún, just south of... (more)

• The Panama Canal

  Panama's biggest attraction and most famous landmark, the Panama Canal stretches 80 km (50 mi) from the edge of Panama City to the Caribbean port of Colón, and a paved road follows its route between... (more)

• Parque Nacional Chagres (Chagres National Park)

• Parque Nacional Soberanía

• Playa Coronado

  From the capital, this is the closest decent Central Pacific beach. Playa Coronado began to develop as a weekend destination for wealthy Panamanians decades ago, and today the coast is almost completely... (more)

• Playa El Palmar

  With one of the less attractive beaches on the Central Pacific coast, tiny Playa El Palmar is a mecca for surfers, since it has one of the country's most accessible surf breaks and reasonably priced accommodations... (more)

• Playa Farallón (Playa Blanca)

  For years, few people visited the long stretch of white beach between the fishing villages of Santa Clara and Farallón because it lay beneath a military base used by Panama's national guard. Access... (more)

• Playa Kobbe (Playa Bonita)

  With 2 km (1 mi) of beige sand washed by relatively clear waters and surrounded by tropical forest, Playa Kobbe is a lovely spot. It is also the closest beach to Panama City, a mere 20 minutes from downtown... (more)

• Playa Santa Clara

  Playa Santa Clara, one of the Central Pacific coast's nicest beaches, with plenty of pale sand and good water for swimming, lies just east of Farallón (Playa Blanca). Santa Clara's hotels have always... (more)

• Playa Veracruz

  Panamanians who want to hit the beach but can't make the long drive over the mountains west of La Chorrera to the Central Pacific's nicest beaches usually pop over the canal to Playa Veracruz. It is a... (more)

• Portobelo

  Portobelo has an odd mix of colonial fortresses, clear waters, and lushly forested hills that help to explain why Christopher Columbus named it "beautiful port" in 1502 during his fourth and final voyage... (more)

• San Lorenzo Protected Area

• Santa Isabela

  To the east of the Isla Grande the coast becomes wilder, and the ocean more pristine. Nestled in a remote cove about two-thirds of the way between Isla Grande and the Kuna enclave of El Porvenir, is one... (more)

• Sierra Llorona

  Sierra Llorona is a small but steep mountain range east of Gatún Lake and southwest of Portobelo that spends much of the year enveloped in clouds, and the abundant waterfalls that result from that... (more)

• Summit

  A short drive from the city, past Camino de Cruces National Park, this former American enclave consists of a golf course and a combination botanical garden and zoo. The course at Summit Golf & Resort... (more)