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Panama

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Panama

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Panama

GALLERY

In the past couple of years Panama has become Central America's hottest destination. Beyond its famous canal (which, 100 years after its completion, still astonishes all who visit), scads of travelers are discovering vast jungles that hold amazing biological diversity, idyllic islands ringed with coral reefs, and mountain forests filled with exotic birds. Panama City is the exciting, and rapidly developing, hub from which to explore–-a vibrant and diverse metropolis with excellent dining, lodging, and nightlife, and an abundance of day-trip options.

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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 old...

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 and...

Chiriqui Province

Panama's southwest province of Chiriquí contains the country's most varied scenery. Landscapes that evoke different continents—from alpine peaks to palm-lined beaches—lie mere hours apart. The...

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 as major Caribbean...

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 with...

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...

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, lush...

Eastern Panama

The Guna Yala Archipelago and surrounding sea are the main attractions in Guna Yala—an indigenous comarca (autonomous territory) stretching more than 200 km (120 miles)...

Guna Yala (San Blas)

...

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...

Portobelo

Portobelo has an inspiring mix of colonial fortresses, placid waters, and lushly forested hills. Christopher Columbus named it "beautiful port" in 1502 during his fourth...

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 David clocks in as...

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...

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...

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 was destroyed by pirate...

Colon

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

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, and palm-lined beaches...

Cerro Punta

This bowl-shaped highland valley northwest of Volcán Barú offers some splendid bucolic scenery and is bordered by vast expanses of wilderness that invite bird-watchers, hikers...

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 and...

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 ruins of San Lorenzo...

The Darien

The easternmost province of Darién is Panama's wildest, least accessible region; home to extraordinary flora, fauna, and indigenous communities. Its remote eastern and southern extremes...

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...

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 buildings...

Lago Fortuna and Reserva Forestal Fortuna

...

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...

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...

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 volcano is visible from David...

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's 32,000 acres comprise...

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...

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 Nacional...

Playa Coronado

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

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 forest along the canal's eastern edge...

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...

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...

Sierra Llorona

...

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 once...

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...

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...

Playa La Barqueta

...

Cerro La Vieja

...

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, and...

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...

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...

Parque Nacional Darien

...

Playa Gorgona

...

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, and fishing. You can...

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 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...

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...

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...

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 landing strip...

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...

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 old...

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 and...

Chiriqui Province

Panama's southwest province of Chiriquí contains the country's most varied scenery. Landscapes that evoke different continents—from alpine peaks to palm-lined beaches—lie mere hours apart. The...

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 as major Caribbean...

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 with...

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...

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, lush...

Eastern Panama

The Guna Yala Archipelago and surrounding sea are the main attractions in Guna Yala—an indigenous comarca (autonomous territory) stretching more than 200 km (120 miles)...

Guna Yala (San Blas)

...

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...

Portobelo

Portobelo has an inspiring mix of colonial fortresses, placid waters, and lushly forested hills. Christopher Columbus named it "beautiful port" in 1502 during his fourth...

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 David clocks in as...

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...

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...

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 was destroyed by pirate...

Colon

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

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, and palm-lined beaches...

Cerro Punta

This bowl-shaped highland valley northwest of Volcán Barú offers some splendid bucolic scenery and is bordered by vast expanses of wilderness that invite bird-watchers, hikers...

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 and...

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 ruins of San Lorenzo...

The Darien

The easternmost province of Darién is Panama's wildest, least accessible region; home to extraordinary flora, fauna, and indigenous communities. Its remote eastern and southern extremes...

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...

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 buildings...

Lago Fortuna and Reserva Forestal Fortuna

...

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...

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...

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 volcano is visible from David...

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's 32,000 acres comprise...

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...

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 Nacional...

Playa Coronado

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

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 forest along the canal's eastern edge...

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...

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...

Sierra Llorona

...

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 once...

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...

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...

Playa La Barqueta

...

Cerro La Vieja

...

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, and...

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...

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...

Parque Nacional Darien

...

Playa Gorgona

...

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, and fishing. You can...

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 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...

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...

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...

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 landing strip...

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...

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 old...

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 with...

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...

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, lush...

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...

Portobelo

Portobelo has an inspiring mix of colonial fortresses, placid waters, and lushly forested hills. Christopher Columbus named it "beautiful port" in 1502 during his fourth...

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 David clocks in as...

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...

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 was destroyed by pirate...

Cerro Punta

This bowl-shaped highland valley northwest of Volcán Barú offers some splendid bucolic scenery and is bordered by vast expanses of wilderness that invite bird-watchers, hikers...

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 ruins of San Lorenzo...

Colon

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

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 and...

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...

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 buildings...

Lago Fortuna and Reserva Forestal Fortuna

...

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...

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 Nacional...

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...

Playa Coronado

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

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 forest along the canal's eastern edge...

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...

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, and...

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...

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...

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 landing strip...

Playa Gorgona

...

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, and fishing. You can...

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 once...

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 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...

Cerro La Vieja

...

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...

Playa La Barqueta

...

Sierra Llorona

...

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 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 old...

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 with...

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...

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, lush...

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...

Portobelo

Portobelo has an inspiring mix of colonial fortresses, placid waters, and lushly forested hills. Christopher Columbus named it "beautiful port" in 1502 during his fourth...

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 David clocks in as...

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...

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 was destroyed by pirate...

Cerro Punta

This bowl-shaped highland valley northwest of Volcán Barú offers some splendid bucolic scenery and is bordered by vast expanses of wilderness that invite bird-watchers, hikers...

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 ruins of San Lorenzo...

Colon

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

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 and...

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...

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 buildings...

Lago Fortuna and Reserva Forestal Fortuna

...

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...

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 Nacional...

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...

Playa Coronado

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

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 forest along the canal's eastern edge...

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...

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, and...

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...

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...

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 landing strip...

Playa Gorgona

...

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, and fishing. You can...

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 once...

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 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...

Cerro La Vieja

...

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...

Playa La Barqueta

...

Sierra Llorona

...

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...

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 and...

Chiriqui Province

Panama's southwest province of Chiriquí contains the country's most varied scenery. Landscapes that evoke different continents—from alpine peaks to palm-lined beaches—lie mere hours apart. The...

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 as major Caribbean...

Eastern Panama

The Guna Yala Archipelago and surrounding sea are the main attractions in Guna Yala—an indigenous comarca (autonomous territory) stretching more than 200 km (120 miles)...

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. Its remote eastern and southern extremes...

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...

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 and...

Chiriqui Province

Panama's southwest province of Chiriquí contains the country's most varied scenery. Landscapes that evoke different continents—from alpine peaks to palm-lined beaches—lie mere hours apart. The...

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 as major Caribbean...

Eastern Panama

The Guna Yala Archipelago and surrounding sea are the main attractions in Guna Yala—an indigenous comarca (autonomous territory) stretching more than 200 km (120 miles)...

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. Its remote eastern and southern extremes...

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...

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, and palm-lined beaches...

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 volcano is visible from David...

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's 32,000 acres comprise...

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 Darien

...

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, and palm-lined beaches...

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 volcano is visible from David...

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's 32,000 acres comprise...

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 Darien

...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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Bocas del Toro Archipelago

Chiriqui Province

Eastern Panama

Panama City

The Canal and Central Panama

Bocas del Toro Archipelago

Panama City

Chiriqui Province

The Canal and Central Panama

Eastern Panama

Bocas del Toro Archipelago

Eastern Panama

The Canal and Central Panama

Chiriqui Province

Panama City

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