Panama

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TRAVEL GUIDE

Panama City

Founded nearly five centuries ago, Panama city is steeped in history, yet much of it is remarkably modern. The baroque facades of the city's

Downtown Panama City

The area northeast of the old city, stretching from the neighborhoods of El Cangrejo to Punta Paitilla, is where you'll find most of the city

Bocas del Toro

The town of Bocas del Toro, which the locals simply call Bocas, sits on a little headland connected to the island's primary landmass by a narrow

Boquete

This pleasant town sits at 3,878 feet above sea level in the always springlike valley of the Río Caldera. The surrounding mountains are covered

Casco Viejo

Panama City's historic quarter is known as the Casco Viejo (pronounced CAS-coh Bee-EH-hoh; also called the Casco Antiguo, which translates as

El Valle de Anton

A serpentine road winds north from the town of Las Uvas, on the Carretera Interamericana between Playa Coronado and Playa Farallón, to a small

Isla Contadora

The island of Contadora, a mere 20 minutes from Panama City by plane, has some of the country's loveliest beaches. Half a dozen swaths of beige

David

The province’s bustling, sweltering capital won’t be the Chiriquí you came to see. All services are here, however—at 144,000 inhabitants, lowland

Portobelo

Portobelo has an inspiring mix of colonial fortresses, placid waters, and lushly forested hills. Christopher Columbus named it "beautiful port

Playa Santa Catalina

Literally at the end of the road, the tiny fishing village of Santa Catalina sits near some of the best surfing spots in the country and is

El Porvenir, Carti, and Rio Sidra

The most accessible and popular part of Guna Yala is the cluster of islands on its western end, the most prominent of which are the provincial

Volcan

A breezy little town, Volcán has the best view of Volcán Barú, several miles northeast. The town is a dreary succession of restaurants, banks

Calzada Amador

Just south of Balboa is the former U.S. military base of Amador, a relatively empty area that is connected to three islands by a breakwater

Cerro Ancon and Balboa

For the better part of the 20th century, the area to the west of Casco Viejo held the border between the American Canal Zone and Panama City

Boca Chica and Isla Boca Brava

Long a sleepy fishing port at the end of a long, paved road, Boca Chica has a small selection of hotels that serve the islands of Parque Nacional

Parque Natural Metropolitano, Miraflores, and Summit

The area to the north of Balboa, which was also part of the American Canal Zone, has undergone considerable development since being handed over

Gamboa

Though it lies only about 40 minutes from downtown Panama City, the tiny community of Gamboa feels remote, no doubt due to the fact that it

Colon

The provincial capital of Colón, beside the canal's Atlantic entrance, is named for the Spanish-language surname of Christopher Columbus, though

Parque Nacional Soberania

One of the planet's most accessible rain-forest reserves, Parque Nacional Soberanía comprises 19,341 hectares (48,000 acres) of lowland rain

Parque Nacional Coiba

Remote and wild, Panama's largest island and one of the world's largest marine parks offers the country's best scuba diving, world-class fishing

Isla Colon

Once you’re outside of Bocas Town, Isla Colón is a wild and beautiful place, with just two dirt roads, two lovely beaches, and significant swaths

Isla Taboga

Isla Taboga is known as the "Island of Flowers" for the abundant gardens of its small town, San Pedro, spread along the steep hillside of its

Cerro Punta

This bowl-shaped highland valley northwest of Volcán Barú offers some splendid bucolic scenery and is bordered by vast expanses of wilderness

Playa Coronado

Playa Coronado began to develop as a weekend destination for wealthy Panamanians decades ago, and today the coast is almost completely lined

San Lorenzo Protected Area

The San Lorenzo region, on Panama's Pacific coast near the city of Colón, combines picturesque natural beauty and historic significance. The

Panama Viejo

Crumbling ruins are all that's left of Panamá Viejo (sometimes called Panamá la Vieja), the country's first major Spanish settlement, which

Old Bank (Bastimentos)

Spread along a bay on the island's western tip, between the ocean and forested hills, is a colorful, crowded, poor collection of simple wooden

La Palma

La Palma, the capital of the Darién Province, is a perfect illustration of just how undeveloped this province is. At the end of a peninsula

Playa Farallon (Playa Blanca)

For years, few people visited this lovely, long stretch of white beach because it lay behind a military base used by Panama's national guard

Golfo de Chiriqui Islands

The vast Gulf of Chiriquí holds dozens of uninhabited islands surrounded by healthy coral formations and excellent conditions for surfing, diving

Achutupo

Achutupo, or Isla Perro in Spanish, is a medium-size community on an island near the mainland in the eastern half of Guna Yala. Because this

Red Frog Beach and Bahia Honda

A couple of miles east of Old Bank, Isla Bastimentos gets narrow—a mere ½ km (¼ mile) wide—and the sea to the south is dotted with mangrove

Macca Bite

Bastimentos’s southernmost point has an odd name, and its origin is as mysterious as Bocas del Toro's, though the theory is that wild macaws

Lago Fortuna and Reserva Forestal Fortuna

Playa Santa Clara

The small beach town of Santa Clara lies just to the east of Playa Blanca. For years, it consisted of a tiny fishing enclave, a handful of vacation

Bambito

Rather than a town, Bambito is a series of farms and houses scattered along the serpentine Río Chiriquí Viejo valley on the western slope of

Parque Nacional Chagres (Chagres National Park)

The mountains to the northeast of the canal form a vast watershed that feeds the Chagres River, which was one of the country's principal waterways

Playa La Barqueta

Playon Chico

This community of about 3,000 people lies just offshore, with a wooden footbridge connecting it to the mainland, where the town's school and

Isla Barro Colorado

The island of Barro Colorado in Lago Gatún is a former hilltop that became an island when the Río Chagres was dammed during construction of

Isla Carenero

Just east of Bocas is the long, forested Isla Carenero (Careening Cay), the southern end of which holds a mix of fishermen's shacks, the large

Cerro La Vieja

Santa Isabela

To the east of Portobelo, the coast becomes wilder, and the ocean more pristine. About two-thirds of the way between Isla Grande and the Guna

Sierra Llorona

Bahia Piñas

Nestled in the southwest corner of the Darién province, just north of the Jaqué River, lies remote and beautiful Bahía Piñas, a deep bay with

Parque Nacional Marino Isla Bastimentos

About one third of Isla Bastimentos and the Cayos Zapatillas, to the southeast, lie within Parque Nacional Marino Isla Bastimentos. The park

Lago Gatun (Gatun Lake)

Covering about 262 square km (163 square miles), an area about the size of the island of Barbados, Gatún Lake extends northwest from Parque

Parque Nacional Volcan Baru

Towering 11,450 feet above sea level, Barú Volcano is literally Chiriquí's biggest attraction, and Panama's highest peak. The massive dormant

Playa Kobbe (Playa Bonita)

With a long beach on a cove of calm water backed by tropical forest, Playa Kobbe is a lovely spot. It's the closest beach to Panama City, less

Parque Nacional Darien

Playa Gorgona

Panama City

Founded nearly five centuries ago, Panama city is steeped in history, yet much of it is remarkably modern. The baroque facades of the city's

Bocas del Toro

The town of Bocas del Toro, which the locals simply call Bocas, sits on a little headland connected to the island's primary landmass by a narrow

Boquete

This pleasant town sits at 3,878 feet above sea level in the always springlike valley of the Río Caldera. The surrounding mountains are covered

El Valle de Anton

A serpentine road winds north from the town of Las Uvas, on the Carretera Interamericana between Playa Coronado and Playa Farallón, to a small

David

The province’s bustling, sweltering capital won’t be the Chiriquí you came to see. All services are here, however—at 144,000 inhabitants, lowland

Portobelo

Portobelo has an inspiring mix of colonial fortresses, placid waters, and lushly forested hills. Christopher Columbus named it "beautiful port

El Porvenir, Carti, and Rio Sidra

The most accessible and popular part of Guna Yala is the cluster of islands on its western end, the most prominent of which are the provincial

Playa Santa Catalina

Literally at the end of the road, the tiny fishing village of Santa Catalina sits near some of the best surfing spots in the country and is

Volcan

A breezy little town, Volcán has the best view of Volcán Barú, several miles northeast. The town is a dreary succession of restaurants, banks

Boca Chica and Isla Boca Brava

Long a sleepy fishing port at the end of a long, paved road, Boca Chica has a small selection of hotels that serve the islands of Parque Nacional

Colon

The provincial capital of Colón, beside the canal's Atlantic entrance, is named for the Spanish-language surname of Christopher Columbus, though

Gamboa

Though it lies only about 40 minutes from downtown Panama City, the tiny community of Gamboa feels remote, no doubt due to the fact that it

Parque Nacional Soberania

One of the planet's most accessible rain-forest reserves, Parque Nacional Soberanía comprises 19,341 hectares (48,000 acres) of lowland rain

Cerro Punta

This bowl-shaped highland valley northwest of Volcán Barú offers some splendid bucolic scenery and is bordered by vast expanses of wilderness

Playa Coronado

Playa Coronado began to develop as a weekend destination for wealthy Panamanians decades ago, and today the coast is almost completely lined

San Lorenzo Protected Area

The San Lorenzo region, on Panama's Pacific coast near the city of Colón, combines picturesque natural beauty and historic significance. The

Old Bank (Bastimentos)

Spread along a bay on the island's western tip, between the ocean and forested hills, is a colorful, crowded, poor collection of simple wooden

La Palma

La Palma, the capital of the Darién Province, is a perfect illustration of just how undeveloped this province is. At the end of a peninsula

Panama Viejo

Crumbling ruins are all that's left of Panamá Viejo (sometimes called Panamá la Vieja), the country's first major Spanish settlement, which

Playa Farallon (Playa Blanca)

For years, few people visited this lovely, long stretch of white beach because it lay behind a military base used by Panama's national guard

Achutupo

Achutupo, or Isla Perro in Spanish, is a medium-size community on an island near the mainland in the eastern half of Guna Yala. Because this

Golfo de Chiriqui Islands

The vast Gulf of Chiriquí holds dozens of uninhabited islands surrounded by healthy coral formations and excellent conditions for surfing, diving

Red Frog Beach and Bahia Honda

A couple of miles east of Old Bank, Isla Bastimentos gets narrow—a mere ½ km (¼ mile) wide—and the sea to the south is dotted with mangrove

Macca Bite

Bastimentos’s southernmost point has an odd name, and its origin is as mysterious as Bocas del Toro's, though the theory is that wild macaws

Playa La Barqueta

Lago Fortuna and Reserva Forestal Fortuna

Playa Santa Clara

The small beach town of Santa Clara lies just to the east of Playa Blanca. For years, it consisted of a tiny fishing enclave, a handful of vacation

Bambito

Rather than a town, Bambito is a series of farms and houses scattered along the serpentine Río Chiriquí Viejo valley on the western slope of

Cerro La Vieja

Playon Chico

This community of about 3,000 people lies just offshore, with a wooden footbridge connecting it to the mainland, where the town's school and

Sierra Llorona

Santa Isabela

To the east of Portobelo, the coast becomes wilder, and the ocean more pristine. About two-thirds of the way between Isla Grande and the Guna

Playa Kobbe (Playa Bonita)

With a long beach on a cove of calm water backed by tropical forest, Playa Kobbe is a lovely spot. It's the closest beach to Panama City, less

Bahia Piñas

Nestled in the southwest corner of the Darién province, just north of the Jaqué River, lies remote and beautiful Bahía Piñas, a deep bay with

Lago Gatun (Gatun Lake)

Covering about 262 square km (163 square miles), an area about the size of the island of Barbados, Gatún Lake extends northwest from Parque

Playa Gorgona

Chiriqui Province

Panama's southwest province of Chiriquí contains the country's most varied scenery. Landscapes that evoke different continents—from alpine peaks

The Canal and Central Panama

The Panama Canal bisects the country just to the west of Panama City, which enjoys excellent views of the monumental waterway. Between the canal

Bocas del Toro Archipelago

With its turquoise waters, sugar-sand beaches, and funky island towns, the relatively isolated archipelago of Bocas del Toro has the same attractions

Eastern Panama

The Guna Yala Archipelago and surrounding sea are the main attractions in Guna Yala—an indigenous comarca (autonomous territory) stretching

Guna Yala (San Blas)

The Darien

The easternmost province of Darién is Panama's wildest, least accessible region; home to extraordinary flora, fauna, and indigenous communities

The Panama Canal

Panama's most famous landmark stretches 80 km (50 miles) from the edge of Panama City to the Caribbean port of Colón, and a paved road follows

Parque Nacional Coiba

Remote and wild, Panama's largest island and one of the world's largest marine parks offers the country's best scuba diving, world-class fishing

Parque Nacional Chagres (Chagres National Park)

The mountains to the northeast of the canal form a vast watershed that feeds the Chagres River, which was one of the country's principal waterways

Parque Nacional Volcan Baru

Towering 11,450 feet above sea level, Barú Volcano is literally Chiriquí's biggest attraction, and Panama's highest peak. The massive dormant

Parque Nacional Marino Isla Bastimentos

About one third of Isla Bastimentos and the Cayos Zapatillas, to the southeast, lie within Parque Nacional Marino Isla Bastimentos. The park

Parque Nacional Darien

Isla Contadora

The island of Contadora, a mere 20 minutes from Panama City by plane, has some of the country's loveliest beaches. Half a dozen swaths of beige

Isla Colon

Once you’re outside of Bocas Town, Isla Colón is a wild and beautiful place, with just two dirt roads, two lovely beaches, and significant swaths

Isla Taboga

Isla Taboga is known as the "Island of Flowers" for the abundant gardens of its small town, San Pedro, spread along the steep hillside of its

Isla Barro Colorado

The island of Barro Colorado in Lago Gatún is a former hilltop that became an island when the Río Chagres was dammed during construction of

Isla Carenero

Just east of Bocas is the long, forested Isla Carenero (Careening Cay), the southern end of which holds a mix of fishermen's shacks, the large