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Top Sights
Top Sights
1. Panama Canal
1. Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is an amazing feat of engineering stretching for 82 km and connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. The resulting maritime trade makes Panama a rich country, which is partly why they have not bothered to invest in tourism, so nature is untouched. Of course a boat tour is the best way to appreciate the scale of the marvel. You can also witness it at the Miraflores Locks, in the five-story visitor center, complete with a small museum, a restaurant, and an IMAX theater in a separate building. It's about 25 minutes from downtown Panama City.
2. Coiba Island
2. Coiba Island
Coiba Island is part of Panama, off the country’s Pacific Coast, in the Gulf of Chiriquí. Once a penal colony, it’s now part of Coiba National Park, which is known for its diverse marine life and jungle animals including white-faced monkeys. Dive sites on Bahia Damas Reef are home to manta rays, whales and hammerhead sharks. Offshore, Granito de Oro is a small island with a beach and coral reef.
3. Bocas del Toro
3. Bocas del Toro
Bocas del Toro is an island chain off the Caribbean coast, plus a section of nearby mainland with biodiverse rainforest. Isla Colón, the main island, is home to the capital, Bocas Town, a central hub with restaurants, shops and nightlife. Popular beaches include Boca del Drago. Also on Isla Colón is Starfish Beach, named for the numerous sea stars on its ocean floor.
4. Boquete
4. Boquete
Boquete is a small town on the Caldera River, in western Panama. The surrounding Chiriquí Highlands are home to coffee plantations and the Barú Volcano National Park, to the west. Highlights in the park include the towering Barú Volcano and Los Quetzales Trail, which offers sightings of the elusive quetzal bird. North of town, the Bajo Mono Loop drive has expansive views of the forest.
5. Panama City
5. Panama City
Panama City, the capital of Panama, is a modern city framed by the Pacific Ocean and famous Panama Canal. Casco Viejo, its cobblestoned historic center, is famed for colonial-era landmarks like the neoclassical Palacio Presidencial and bougainvillea-filled plazas lined with cafes and bars. The Miraflores Locks offers views of ships traversing the canal, an essential shipping route linking the Atlantic and Pacific.
6. San Blas Islands
6. San Blas Islands
The San Blas Islands is an archipelago comprising approximately 365 islands and cays, of which 49 are inhabited. They lie off the north coast of the Isthmus of Panama, east of the Panama Canal. A part of the comarca Guna Yala along the Caribbean coast of Panama. The only way to visit these idyllic islands is to book a package with the local indigenous Guna people, which includes transport to, from, and around the islands.
7. Santa Catalina
7. Santa Catalina
Located along the Pacific Ocean in the Veraguas province, Santa Catalina offers world-class surfing and is the jumping-off point for trips to Parque Nacional Coiba. It's fairly remote location has kept tourist crowds low, but its beautiful beach surrounded by jungle forests makes it an ideal destination.
8. Pearl Islands
8. Pearl Islands
The Pearl Islands is a group of 200 or more islands and islets lying about 30 miles off the Pacific coast of Panama in the Gulf of Panama. Indigenous peoples populated the Pearl Islands until Spanish Conquistadors discovered the archipelagos’ wealth of pearls in the 1500s. Contadora Island is the most developed of the Pearl Islands, with several resorts and an airstrip. Expect to find lush forests surrounded by white sandy beaches.
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