We recently returned from a month-long trip to Panama and while we felt like we got a good and well-rounded introduction to the country, we also realized that there was so much more to see than we could have managed even with such ample time.

Don’t be fooled by its small size – Panama is a very diverse country and there are tons of historic places, pristine patches of rainforest, scenic mountains and windswept, empty beaches to explore. A lot of these places are quite remote and require a few days to enjoy properly.

While doing some research, I came across many one-week and a few two-week itineraries online, but if you really want to do the country justice and can afford spending the time, you need to spend at least three weeks here. Here’s my personal 3-Week-Itinerary for wonderful Panama.

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Getting Around Panama on Your Own

It’s very easy to get around the country by using the public transport system. There are frequent bus connections between both bigger cities (Panama City, David, Cólón) and smaller destinations (Santa Fé, Boquete, Santa Catalina) and it’s usually very affordable (around 5$ for a distance of about 100km).

Apart from that, lots of hostels around the country offer shuttle services to popular places around the country. These are usually more expensive (e.g. about 25$ from Santa Catalina to Boquete), but they’re also a bit faster, and there’s no need to change connections in between, so if your time is more limited than your money, you might want to consider them for longer trips.

Otherwise, renting a car is always a viable option, if you want some more flexibility. There are tons of places renting cars in Panama City and other bigger cities in the country, like Colón or David, as well as in some smaller touristy places like Boquete. Make sure to book ahead – especially in the main season between January and March.

Organized Panama Tours

If you prefer to explore Panama without the hassle of sorting out your own transport, tours and accommodation, taking an organized tour might be the way to go for you. There are several multi-day tours available, although prices are naturally higher than if you sort the trip out yourself.

Have a look below for some possible options.

The Perfect Three-Week Itinerary for Panama

Day 1 to 3: Panama City

We found Panama City to be a great introduction to the country, as it exemplifies the intriguing mixture of modern and traditional, which we came across all over Panama. If you take a walk from the modern skyscraper-dotted quarters of Marbella and El Cangrejo along the Cinta Costera to the historic area of Casco Viejo, it kind of feels like you’re gradually stepping back in time.

Casco Viejo is one of the nicest areas in the city, with lots of beautifully-renovated colonial houses and cute plazas in between. If you want to glimpse even further into Panama City’s past, I can highly recommend dropping by the UNESCO-listed ruins of Panama Viejo, the first colonial settlement in the area, which was destroyed by a 17th-century pirate attack.

If you can’t wait to get out into nature (as was the case for us), there are enough Nature Reserves and National Parks in easy reach from the capital. The Metropolitan Natural Park is just north of the centre, and we found it to be a great introduction to some of the country’s wildlife, as we spotted tons of colourful birds here, as well as coatis, agoutis and tamarin monkeys.

A little further west along the Panamericana is the Altos de Campana National Park, which we liked even better. It has some beautiful patches of cloud forest as well as amazing views down to the Pacific Ocean, but the trails can get quite slippery, so make sure to bring appropriate hiking shoes.

Finally, make sure to drop by the Miraflores Locks, where you can watch huge container ships being lowered during their transit through the Panama Canal, which requires some impressively delicate manoeuvring. All of these places can easily be reached by bus from the city’s Albrook Terminal, so we found it very convenient to base ourselves in the capital for the first few days.

See Also: A Great 2-Day Itinerary for Panama City, Panama

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Day 4: Isla Barro Colorado

Were you aware that there are islands in the Panama Canal? We certainly weren’t before researching for our trip. Isla Barro Colorado is a biological research Island for the Smithsonian Institute and one of the most naturally diverse places in the country.

If you pre-arrange it, you can visit the island by taking a guided tour from the village of Gamboa. After a boat trip across the beautiful Gatun Lake, you’ll reach the Research Station, from which you’ll be led on nature walks through the surrounding rainforest by one of the resident scientists.

On our walk, we encountered big groups of White-faced Capuchin and Howler Monkeys, Sloths, Agoutis as well as plenty of birds and insects. While it’s possible to visit the island on a day trip from Panama City, the tours start very early, so we found it more convenient to base ourselves in pretty Gamboa.

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Day 5 to 7: El Valle de Antón

The wonderful Valle de Antón lies in the Caldera of an inactive Volcano, full of little streams and flowering Bougainvillea. We found it to be a great base for hikes along the surrounding mountain ridges, including the spectacular climb to the top of the India Dormida formation.

Another thing we loved about the Valley was the local focus on ecotourism and conservation efforts. There are community-run breeding programs for endan­­­­gered butterfly and orchid species, as well as an Amphibian Rescue Centre, protecting the Golden Frog, which is all but extinct in the wild.

To do the place justice, I suggest spending two full days here and to start your transfer from Gamboa early, so you can at least use a few hours of your travel day to also explore the Valley.

See Also: How to Spend 2 Fantastic Days in El Valle de Antón, Panama

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Day 8 to 10: Santa Fé

Santa Fé is a small village in the Cordillera Central Mountains and probably my favourite place in Panama. Similar to the Valle de Anton, there are tons of hiking options in the surrounding hills and forests, as well as great opportunities for wildlife watching.

We managed to spot Toucans and rare Blue Frogs without even leaving the garden of our AirBnB. Apart from hiking, there are lots of different ways to explore the surrounding nature, including on horseback or by taking a guided wildlife spotting tour at night.

While exploring the surrounding mountain tops and waterfalls, we were also delighted by the fact that we had most of the places completely to ourselves. Apparently, Santa Fé isn’t yet on many travelers’ radar.

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Day 11: Santa Catalina

Next, you should make your way down from the cool mountains to the sweltering Pacific Coast. Santa Catalina is a small village on the Sóma Peninsula surrounded by some very picturesque beaches, which apparently offer great conditions for surfing.

If you’re not a surfer (like us), the main reason to drop by Santa Catalina is to take a trip to Coiba Island, so enjoy your afternoon in town, try some seafood, maybe hop over to tiny Santa Catalina Island and otherwise just get used to the leisurely pace of the place.

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Day 12 and 13: Coiba Island National Park

This is one of Panama’s most spectacular National Parks and the country’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has an incredible amount of wildlife both on land and under water, and on our trip we managed to spot tons of monkeys, agoutis, crocodiles and dolphins, plus snorkeled with plenty of colourful fish, sharks and sea turtles.

Coiba is Central America’s biggest island and to do the place justice, it’s worth taking an overnight tour instead of the short day trips offered by most tour operators in Santa Catalina. The island has a dark past as a penal colony and on a longer tour, you’ll also be able to visit the atmospheric prison ruins.

An even better reason for an overnight tour is the chance to watch the sunrise from a pristine deserted beach surrounded by troops of Capuchin Monkeys and flocks of colourful birds.

There are dozens of outfitters offering day tours in Santa Catalina, but spots for overnight tours are more limited, so it’s a good idea to book your trip in advance. We used Discover Coiba Tours and were very happy with our experience and the great team.

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­­Day 14 to 16: Boquete

The trip from Santa Catalina to Boquete in Western Panama’s highland region is a lengthy one and this is one of those cases, where it pays to take a direct shuttle (offered by many hostels) to avoid the hassle of changing buses four times with your luggage.

Boquete is the heart of Panama’s coffee production, and I highly recommend taking a guided tour of one of the many plantations around the village. We did it at Finca Dos Jefes, where the tour didn’t only include a thorough introduction to their process, a stroll through the plantations and a tasting, but also a very convenient transfer from our hostel to the farm.

Apart from that, some of the area’s trails through the jungle are great places to spot rare animals, like the Resplendant Quetzal, plus there are plenty of picturesque waterfalls tucked away in the surrounding area.

Finally, the village is a great base for hikes to the top of Volcán Baru – Panama’s Highest Mountain, whose summit offers the slim, but potential chance to glimpse both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans at the same time. I only saw the Pacific, but the views were amazing nontheless.

See Also: The Perfect 3-Day Itinerary for Panama’s Boquete District

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Day 17 to 19: Bocas del Toro

The dreamy Bocas del Toro Archipelago off the Caribbean Coast is a great conclusion to a journey through the country, with its many palm-backed beaches and the possibility to simply relax after a more active and adventure-filled trip.

If you’re in a partying mood, you might want to base yourself in Bocas Town, which has the highest concentration of hostels, bars and clubs, although we definitely preferred the quieter vibe on the archipelago’s other islands.

If you want to visit some truly deserted beaches, try our favourite – Playa Larga on Isla Bastimentos – or even Playa Bluff on Isla Colón and for some local flavours, check out Old Bank – the cute main settlement on the former island.

If these places are still too full of other gringos for your taste, you can also take a trip to the mainland, for instance to the cool San San Pond Sak Wetland Reserve near Changuinola – the only place in the country, where you can spot wild manatees.

See Also: How to Spend 3 Amazing Days in Bocas del Toro, Panama

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Day 20 and 21: Transfer back to Panama City and Departure

If your time is more limited than your money, you might want to consider spending another day in Bocas, before flying back to the capital. Otherwise, you have to schedule a day for the 10-hour bus trip back to Panama City.

You could also travel at night, but be aware that there are no real sleeper buses like in some other countries, and trying to catch some shut-eye in noisy, freezing (because of the AC) buses with seats that recline only minimally is never much fun.

Back in the capital, you could use your last day to visit some museums, like the cool BioMuseo or simply take some aimless strolls through the centre, maybe stopping by the Fish Market to grab a last Ceviche, before bidding the country farewell.

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Panama Itinerary Map

All the suggested stops on the three-week Itinerary can be found in this map of Panama.

If You Have Less Time: Two Week Panama Itinerary

If you can’t afford to travel through the country for three weeks, you can still see the highlights in two busy weeks. In this case, I’d suggest shaving a day off some destinations, dropping the trip to Gamboa/Isla Barro Colorado and limiting your visit to Coiba to a day trip.

I’d also recommend flying back to Panama City from Bocas del Toro to avoid losing a day to the bus ride back to the capital. This would be my recommended two-week Itinerary.

• Day 1 and 2: Panama City
• Day 3 and 4: Valle de Antón
• Day 5 and 6: Santa Fé
• Day 7 and 8: Santa Catalina and Coiba NP
• Day 9 to 11: Boquete
• Day 12 and 13: Bocas del Toro
• Day 14: Transfer back to Panama City

If you have only one week, I’d suggest limiting yourself to Panama City and its surroundings plus one other destination in the country. If you prefer mountains, Santa Fé would be my recommendation, if you’re more of a beach person, pick Coiba Island National Park and Santa Catalina.

See Also

The Ultimate Guide to Backpacking Panama on a Budget

Wildlife Spotting in Panama – 18 Exotic Animals and Where to See Them

The 9 Best Hotels in Panama City for Different Travel Styles