Panama is that small long stretch of land that connects Central America to South America. It has fabulous beaches, Spanish ruins, beautiful nature, interesting culture and one the world’s greatest engineering marvels in history! I got more intrigued by Panama after seeing Season 3 of Prison Break where this country was featured. Be prepared to pay more in Panama (and also Costa Rica), it’s not as cheap as the other countries in Central America. Find below the 3 places you can’t miss on your trip to Panama.
Facts
- Capital: Panama City
- Language: Spanish
- Currency: US Dollar & Balboa (1 € ≅ 1.1 US$ / PAB)
- Population: 4 million
- Size: 74.177 km² (2 times Holland)
- Daylight saving time: No
- Visas: Not required for most nationalities
- Best time to visit: Dec – April (dry season), Carnival is in Feb
- Visited: 2016 (part of Central America trip)
Bocas del Toro
I took the bus from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Costa Rica to the small town of Almirante, Panama. The border crossing was kind of chaotic where you have to walk over a bridge to get into Panama. At the end of the bridge there were no signs of where to go next or where to get your stamp. The locals all pointed me in the opposite direction. After an hour I finally got my stamp and I was on the bus to Almirante. This small town is nothing more than a jumping off point to catch a boat to the small islands of Bocas del Toro.
Bocas del Toro is goooooood!
Nope, not going back yet!
I stayed in the ‘capital’ of this province: Bocas del Toro Town on Isla Colon. It’s a great place to explore the nearby islands and the beaches of Isla Colon. The islands look like they came directly out of your deserted island dream! They are gorgeous. Primary rainforest, palmtrees, blue waters; all mingle perfectly together. And the best thing about the islands in this region is that development is still years behind similar destinations in like for example Costa Rica. The beach of Boca del Drago is definitely the best one on Isla Colon and when you walk along the beautiful shoreline you have it all for yourself. You can make your own Survivor here!
One rum and coke please!
Beautiful Boca del Drago.
A Caribbean bar in the middle of the forest popped up out of nowhere! There’s no better way to have your rum and coke while enjoying the killer views like below. After getting back to Town I teamed up with my awesome friend from Mexico, which I met on the bus from Costa Rica, to explore the nightlife of Bocas Town.
This palm tree makes a great spot for a selfie!
Chill mode on @ Boca del Drago.
After a few days it was time to continue my journey through Panama. When you have time you should check out Isla Bastimentos which is only a 10-minute boat ride from Bocas del Toro Town.
Panama City
My flight out of Panama was already booked and I had spend more time in Nicaragua and Costa Rica then expected. I only had a few days left in Panama, so I decided to spend my remaining days in and around Panama City. From Almirante I took the night bus to Panama City. I fell asleep and all of sudden I woke up in the middle of the night; I looked out of the window and saw a sign with the direction Sona. What Sona? Does this place really exists?! Don’t bring me there! There’s a district in Panama that shares the same name as the prison in Season 3 of Prison Break. I fell back asleep and arrived a couple hours later at 4am in Panama City.
Such a view!
The modern part of Panama City.
Panama City is the most cosmopolitan and wealthiest city in Central America. The skyline is dotted with heaps of glass tower skyscrapers and all the big names from the hotel-world are represented along the skyline. It felt a bit like Miami from a distance. Panama City is not the safest city and there are parts which you can better avoid after dark. But let that not scare you; it’s the greatest capital of Central America!
One of the most remarkable skylines I’ve seen.
The amazing skyline of Panama City!
I stayed at a wonderful Panamanian family in the best part of the city; Casco Viejo. This area is perfect for a stroll and you will see plenty of beautiful churches, plazas and architecture. There are a lot of artist who call Casco Viejo home. You will find tons of little bars where you can grab a drink. Panama City has the best nightlife of Central America. I was lucky enough to visit Panama City during Carnival which gave the city a vibrant and party-like atmosphere. There were plenty of parades with colorful masks and costumes going on in the city. Panamanians sure know how to party! Casco Viejo also gives you the best views of the skyline of modern Panama City. It’s a pretty remarkable view!
Beautiful churches in Casco Viejo.
Panama City is always good for a nice stroll.
Worth checking out is the biggest mall of Central America: Albrook Mall. I literally got lost here! Opposite the enormous mall is the bus station. Panama City is a great vibrant city and I’m sure I will get back here one day!
Panama Canal
A perfect day trip from Panama City is to visit the locks of the Panama Canal. For me as an engineer this was high on my list. The Panama Canal is one of the greatest engineering wonders of the world. It’s a 77km long waterway that connects the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. It’s a key to international marine trade and the biggest form of income for Panama City. The USA helped to build the Panama Canal just over 100 years ago. That was a pretty good move for Panama.
It’s great to see those big ships passing through the ‘narrow’ Panama Canal.
Miraflores Locks – Panama Canal
The Canal has three sets of locks, but the Miraflores locks are the easiest to visit from Panama City. And therefor also the most crowded. The locks help to let the ships pass through by adjusting the water level. Roughly 14.000 ships pass through the locks each year, which makes an average of 40 a day. It ain’t cheap to pass through the canal. The canal makes roughly $2 billion a year, which is like $6 million a day! You can also pass the locks with your own private boat. There were even people who swam the entire canal! The best time to visit the locks in order to see big ships passing by is in the morning between 9am and 11am or in the afternoon between 3pm and 5pm.
A big ship is just leaving the Panama Canal.
It’s all about waiting your turn in the Panama Canal.
The Panama Canal is currently undergoing a huge expansion project with allows even bigger ships to pass through the canal. The Canal is fascinating and should be on everybody’s itinerary who visit Panama.
I had a great time at my home-stay in Panama City and I was sad to leave this great city. Moreover Panama City also marked the end of my 2 months Central America trip. Latin America stole my heart with all its amazing sights, nature, activities, food, people and culture. Although I was sad to leave, I also knew it was time for a new adventure! From Panama City I flew off to Aruba where I started my Caribbean trip!
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