My ultimate itinerary for Panama: 10 – 14 days

Panama had never been really high on my ‘want to go to asap’ list, to be honest. Even when I was living in Costa Rica I was more keen on exploring the other Central American states rather than Costa Rica’s southern neighbour.

Perhaps that had something to do with Panama City. Even though its international vibe was a nice contrast with the nationally oriented capital from Costa Rica, it all felt a bit too familiar to me. Everything was about shopping and dining; consuming in other words. Nothing peculiar.

However, as I worked my way southwards out of Central America – on my final goodbye tour – I was slowly falling in love with the country. Not only is the shape of the country – small and long; hard to miss out on any highlights – very convenient for travellers, Panama also offers ample opportunity for outdoor lovers. How could I’ve missed that notion in the last years. Whether you like diving, hiking, volcano scaling, climbing, cycling or just shamelessly chilling in the sun – Panama has some for everyone.

I wasn’t the only one enjoying the country. I noticed Panama is getting more and more popular with Europeans, in particular with Germans. Perhaps due to the book “Oh, wie schön ist Panama”.

I also met an exceptional lot of Swiss persons in here. I’m not sure if I’d ever met so many Swiss persons in any other country. They feel comfortable in Panama “due the the many mountains” as one of them entrusted me. 

I can understand, they are awe-inspiring. Just like the pristine beaches and lush landscapes. After many visits to Panama, this would be the ultimate itinerary I’d recommend you to go: 

The itinerary for 14 days in short:

• Panama City – 1 day
• San Blas islands – 3 days (optional in case of 10 days)
• El Valle – 1 day
• Santa Catalina – 2 days
• Boquete – 4 days
• Bocas del Toro – 4 days (optional in case of 10 days)

Now brace yourself, here comes the itinerary in detail! ↓

Panama Canal + Ruins + skyscraper galore @ Panama City – 1 day

Panama City is big and bold and perhaps a bit daunting to conquer if you start your journey in here. Count half a day for a visit to the Panama Canal. Even if you’re not into mega projects, the history of the project and the way it transformed trade in the world and the country of Panama itself for sure is a fascinating one. 

Apart from that, the best asset of Panama City in my opinion might be the old city. ↓

From a young age onwards, I’ve always had a weakness for buildings in decay. I know I don’t stand alone on this one, as the Germans have invented a word for the delightful feeling one gets while seeing ruins: “ruinenlust”. Indeed, lust for ruins. For some melancholic reason we are able to put the present into perspective once we behold collapsed temples, churches, castles or theatres. It reminds us of the idea that all things will pass, even great ones.  

Surprised I was therefore when I first entered the old center of Panama City; Casco Viejo. Normally, the oldest part of the city is presented as its showpiece. But not in this case.

A local told me that this old part has seen some horrible things up until ten years ago. Local gangs would rival one another, no one ever felt really safe and the buildings were left to rot. Most people would even avoid the area in its totality. 

However, since UNESCO enlisted the Casco Viejo – or Casco Antiguo as the locals put it – in its rank, the once considered lost area saw its revival. One can really feel the transition while walking through the streets. Ten more years and this area will be totally different from what it is today; you don’t need to be a fortune teller to see that. Adding to that, the old center is a remarkably contrast with the rest of sky high Panama City.

Read in here where to go in Casco Viejo!

Poor man’s paradise @ San Blas islands – 3 days 

First and foremost, there are not enough positive superlatives in my opinion to describe this Robinson-like archipelago of the San Blas (Guna Yala) islands. It’s almost annoying how perfect the area is.

Getting to the San Blas Islands unfortunately takes half a day from Panama City, but is absolutely worth the long journey. If you’re planning a visit, just mentally prepare yourself to expect drop-dead gorgeous sceneries.

In total, the region consists of 365 separate islands. However, only a few of them are open to the public. The islands are very small, full of palm trees and usually have a handful of huts that are either occupied by locals or available for tourists. Whatever island you visit, you probably are able to walk it entirely within 10 minutes.

The San Blas islands are not just any paradisiacal destination; they are the home of the Guna’s. They form together a strong community of proud people that have their own culture, one that’s totally different from the traditional Panamanian culture. The islands are the Guna’s homes, and they consider tourists as their guests. Their life on the islands are kept very primitive and they want it to keep it that way. Perhaps you might need to get used to a stay of scarce electricity and cold water showers, but it is because of those undeveloped facilities and ‘stay away’ mentality that the area still can be considered so pristine and free of big chain hotels. Although things are changing now a bit.

Reaching one of the four ports to the islands requires some patience as said… and a strong stomach. If you are prone to motion sickness, make sure you take a pill of some sort before you go. The bends in the road are serious. Our entire journey from A to B was about 5 hours getting there and 4 hours on the way back. It really depends on the traffic in Panama City, so to decrease your time of sitting in the minibus, make sure you don’t go on some local holiday!

For more information about the San Blas Islands and how to arrange the trip, read about it my other article!

Outdoor opportunities @ El Valle – 1 day

Now that you’ve had quite a bit of sun, it’s time for some refreshment. Quite close to Panama City you’ll find the sleepy mountain village of El Valle de Anton. ‘A sleepy town’ may not sound all too exciting perhaps, but wait for it… El Valle de Anton is located on the inside of an extinct volcano crater. And that’s as cool it sounds in my opinion!

Apart from its smashing location El Valle also has a way cooler type of climate, compared to Panama City. Chock full of butterflies, flowers and waterfalls this little town is quite a refreshing escape. It is therefore a favourite weekend destination. among the Panamanians and expats from ‘The Ciudad’. 

This place is a great stopover on your way to the west, if only to test out your hiking capabilities and warm up those muscles before heading to Boquete. 

Check out in here what cool stuff there’s to do in El Valle!

Surfing + wildlife @ Santa Catalina – 2 days

Up next: a very enchanting little village in the west. Located on the Pacific coast of Panama, Santa Catalina has been a very dormant fishing village for decades. According to a local (one of the employees of the local Hotel Santa Catalina I had a conversation with) some ten years ago the world class waves that roll in on all sides of this tiny village started to attract folks from all around the globe. Add to that the stunning Nacional Park of Coiba, rich in marine life and located nearby Santa Catalina’s coastline which has become popular by divers and you may wonder how Santa Catalina has remained its small-town charm over the years at all. There are still only two paved roads in here. Also, luckily, this place is still refrained from resorts. 

Santa Catalina’s remote location may have something to do with it. This is not the best accessible part of Panama after all. It takes a long drive from Panama City to get to this part of the country, making it less attractive for a short weekend trip for the majority of both Panamanians and expats.

I personally arrived from Boquete and it even took me 8 hours to reach the place by public transport. All very much worth the effort by the way, in my opinion.

Perhaps after seeing these pictures you’re already convinced about hopping over to Santa Catalina, but I’ll give you some extra reasons in this article why you should include this village in your Panama-itinerary for sure!

I personally think you can easily stay here for a couple of days in you want to unwind a bit, but for now I’d say two days is quite essential, given that a tour to Nacional Park Coiba takes a full day.

Volcanoes + hot springs + flowers + hiking @ Boquete – 4 days

Get rid of the sand in your bag and head up to the mountains of Boquete!

Sandwiched between the screaming hot Caribbean coast and the Pacific coast in Panama (or Costa Rica), it’s ridiculously refreshing to land in the little, lush hillside town of Boquete. Just like in El Valle you’ll be able in here to wear that sweater again! 

Boquete is located at 2000 meters in the highlands of Chiriquí – right in the middle of both coasts – and its temperature is way cooler compared to other Panamanian hotspots because of the altitude. I personally felt really relieved to sleep without a fan or aircon for once. 

The volcanic ash in the region enriches the soil and thus creates the perfect, fertile climate for all of the coffee beans and fruits, veggies and flowers to grow. There are so many strawberries for sale in here! These are the strawberry fields of Panama indeed and its understandable that the area attracts lots of expats. 

Apart from getting your daily dose of vitamin fresa in here, get acquainted with landscapes full of dormant mountains, little rivers, cloud forests, hot springs, canyons and endless trails in between all of that… what’s not to like in here! The more than bearable temperatures make this area a hikers’ dream! 

All in all Boquete reminded me a lot about Monteverde in Costa Rica. If only because the activities – like hiking in the cloud forest, ziplining, coffee tours, birding (Boquete is an excellent place to spot the famous quetzal!), butterfly farm visit – are more or less the same over here. But when it comes to appearance, Boquete definitely beats Monteverde!

I mean, these colourful fellows are all around ↓

The city’s nickname “flower capital of Panama” seems about right. 

There’s tons of stuff to do in Boquete. I stayed for a week and still had the feeling I’d only hiked a fraction of all the trails. I think you could make a new hike every day for about three weeks in here. 

As it can be a bit much to figure out where to go (for sleeping, eating and hiking) I made a little guide to the area, I sincerely hope it can be of use to you!

Bocas del Toro – 4 days

Now that we’ve already seen San Blas on the itinerary, another big stop at Bocas del Toro seems a bit much perhaps to you, my dear reader. If I had to skimp on something to make this into a 10-day itinerary (as promised in the title) I would delete one of these two archipelagos indeed. But the choice between the two would be a tough one, really. 

It is basically the number one question that fellow travellers asked me along the way: is Bocas del Toro so different from the San Blas Islands? Or the other way ’round? Yes, it is. And I’m not even sorry for it, because we can consider ourselves lucky that both of these archipelagos are (relatively) easy to visit in Panama (with Bocas del Toro being the easier one to reach of the two)!

I find it difficult to put the difference into words, but I’ll give it a try. The San Blas islands are exceptionally pristine (with no other options than to snorkel at some spots and to run around in circles on any of the islands), yet at the islands of Bocas del Toro there’s is much more to experience in the sense that it has more restaurants, ecolodges and tours/activities. Although that may sounds horribly touristy it isn’t perse in my opinion. You just have to know where to go. 

I’ve been in Bocas several times, on several islands, and every time I got off the boat at Isla Colón I felt like stepping into a ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’-like paradise, with always something new to discover. Whether you like snorkeling, deserted beaches, diving, starfishes, sailing, coconuts, wildlife, exquisite food, party places, ultimate quietness; Bocas has some for everyone. Except perhaps if you hate sunshine. 

Are you not sure yet of how many days you want to go to the archipelago of Bocas del Toro? I recommend at least 4 days, if you can spare the time. If not, pick a couple of components of my top 4 days in the area that suit you best!

Anywhere else to go to prolong my stay? 

If I had some extra days I would have added Santa Fe on my route. This teeny tiny town is a 2 to 3-hour drive from the Panamanian highway, but according to a fellow traveller a great option if you like mountains. The village itself is nothing much, but its location apparently is supposed to be very pretty. Something like a mini-Boquete. This spot is totally under the radar though. Even some expats in Panama I asked about this place hadn’t heard from it.

Ready to add even more?

Hop into Costa Rica, my former home country :)! Here’s how to cross that border between Panama and Costa Rica in Sixaola. 

If there’s anything else I can help you out with, let me know! 

And this is where my itinerary takes you: