15 reasons to visit Panama, NOW!

Reason #1 Panama does not have mass tourism (yet)

Most people who travel to this side of the world go to Costa Rica or Mexico. Panama is a lot more unknown and thus does not yet have mass tourism.

We traveled to Panama during the busiest week of the year. In high season (dry season) and the week of Carnival, when Panamanians themselves are on leave. But it just came out that way.

IT WAS QUIET EVERYWHERE! Mass tourism, that’s not here yet. Panama is an emerging vacation destination and so if you – like us, don’t like over-touristy places, this is your country.

Get up early to be at a waterfall before the big tourist buses arrive? So there is no need to do that here.

Reason #2 Panama has beautiful islands

In Panama, you have beautiful islands on both the Caribbean and Pacific coasts. So you can swim in two seas during your trip!

In the Caribbean Sea you will find the island groups of Bocas del Toro and San Blas (Guna Yala). In the Pacific (Pacific) Ocean, in turn, you will find the archipelagoes of Coiba, the Pearl Islands and Boca Chica. And there is much more. So plenty to explore!

The islands often border stretches of pristine, green rainforest. The best of both worlds!

Not infrequently, you have the entire beach to yourself. Because remember: there is no mass tourism here.

Reason #3 The Panamanian underwater world is beautiful

Do you like to dive or snorkel? Then Panama should definitely be on your bucket list, because you will find an insanely beautiful underwater world here.

The uninhabited archipelago of Coiba is also known as the Galapagos of Central America, and that refers mainly to its marine life. Think humpback whales, which can often be seen between June and November, and orcas and whale sharks, which you can (usually) spot between January and March. But even if you don’t see them, here you are almost guaranteed to see dolphins, sea turtles, countless colored fish, and you name it.

Also in places like San Blas and Bocas del Toro you will enjoy a beautiful underwater world where you can see, for example, (harmless) sister sharks, dolphins, large starfish and beautiful coral.

You can snorkel here for hours and enjoy all the splendor. Just don’t touch anything please, and certainly don’t pick up starfish!

Reason #4 Panama has lots of wild life

If you compare Panama and Costa Rica in terms of wildlife, Costa Rica will probably be the winner. But after a month in Panama, we don’t actually feel that Panama is so inferior to Costa Rica.

Among other things, we saw sloths, crocodiles, caimans, sharks, dolphins, howler monkeys, capuchin monkeys, tamarins, different species of starfish, sea turtles, two species of toucans, the Quetzal, nose bear, … And the complete list of wildlife is much longer.

Rarely will you spot them “just like that” if you stroll briskly, but those who look around carefully will find lots!

Soon we will publish more info on wildlife in Panama! Want to stay up to date on new Panama articles? Register here!

Reason #5 In Panama you will find culture

Did you know that about 12% of the Panamanian population is indigenous? Panama has several indigenous tribes scattered throughout the country. The Emberra, Ngöbe-Buglé and Guna (Kuna) are some of them.

Personally, I loved seeing the unique costumes and realizing that these tribes in Panama still have their own regions and lifestyles.

The autonomous region(comarca indígena) of the Ngöbe-Buglé tribe covers nearly 7,000 km²! Many work in the coffee plantations; you can still see many women there and in Boquete in wide, traditional dresses (first photo).

Originally from the Darien, the Emberra tribe is found today in the Gamboa and Chagres region, just above Panama City.
During an excursion
you can visit several Emberra villages to learn more about their lifestyle and customs.

The San Blas Islands and much of the adjacent mainland belong to the Guna tribe. That region and islands are officially called Guna Yala. You often see the women selling molas (art) in Panama City, especially in the Casco Viejo neighborhood (second photo).

So in Panama you can still find real culture! But here, too, you see that young people are becoming more modern. So don’t wait until you no longer see traditional clothing on the streets!

Reason #6 Panama has pristine nature

Much of Panamanian nature is still unexplored. During my research for beautiful places, I sometimes came across beautiful waterfalls. Those places turned out to be accessible, but not without difficulty. For one particular waterfall, for example, you had to hike a full day through the jungle and then spend the night with an indigenous tribe living there. Yes hello, where do you make that anymore? For adventurous people who want to get off the beaten path, there is plenty to explore here.

But even if you do do do the “known route,” you won’t encounter any major entrance gates here where you have to pay an entrance fee. Most of the hikes you do here are on private land. Often you have to give the farmer a few dollars to go through his (gigantic) “garden. In return, he maintains the path. Beautiful right?

I think there are still insanely many gems here that no one has seen yet!

Reason #7 Panama is safe

You’ve probably heard them, those stories about corrupt police in Central America. Denis visited Panama 20 years ago and did not have the most positive experience then either.

But, times have changed. The country sees the benefit of tourism and makes sure it is safe. In some neighborhoods, you see police on every street corner. Even in nightclubs you see them. Not to throw you in jail or to receive bribes, no, to show you that you are safe here. From every traveler who has come into contact with the police in Panama, we have heard only good stories.

Not for a single second, and I am really not exaggerating, did I feel unsafe. Panama is therefore among one of the safest countries in Central America.

Side note: if you are in Panama City, you should know which neighborhood not to go in. Like many big cities there are neighborhoods to avoid, such as “El Chorrillo. But chances are that someone does address you if you accidentally walk the wrong way. Nice to know: the government is full steam ahead to improve those neighborhoods as well.

Reason #8 Panama is a top destination for surfers

Do you like surfing or would you like to learn to surf? Then, too, Panama is your ideal destination.

On the Caribbean side, Bocas del Toro is surfing paradise. Consider Bluff Beach on the main island of Colon, or Wizard Beach on the island of Bastimentos. Both beaches are miles long.

On the Pacific side, the most popular surf spots are the dark beaches of Santa Catalina and Playa Venao. Renting a surfboard often costs you as little as $10 a day.

Reden #9 Panama heeft de mooiste stad van Centraal Amerika

Steden in Centraal Amerika zijn over het algemeen niet zo hoog aangeschreven. Maar iedereen houdt van Panama City!

In Panama-Stad vind je de populaire wijk Casco Viejo. Dit is het oude stadsgedeelte, ooit wat schimmig, maar inmiddels superhip. De mooiste rooftop bars, de hipste eettentjes en mooie, gerenoveerde gebouwen in gezellige straatjes. En dat allemaal met een prachtige skyline op de achtergrond van de ‘nieuwe stad’.

En ook die nieuwe stad vol wolkenkrabbers heeft zijn charme, als je net als ons van het stadsleven en wolkenkrabbers houdt. De wijken Punta Paitilla en Marbella zijn de mooiste wijken met wolkenkrabbers. Als je twee keer in Panama City verblijft, is het dan ook leuk om zowel in de oude stad als de nieuwe stad te slapen.

Wil je de natuur in? Panama-Stad heeft als enige stad ter wereld een stuk regenwoud! Je vindt hier het Metropolitan Natural Park met menig wildleven. Er ‘s ochtends vroeg bij zijn, is de boodschap!

Wil je even uit de stad ontsnappen, dan kan je dat met heel veel leuke uitstapjes. De stad heeft een ideale ligging, er is veel te doen in de buurt! 

Reden #11 Panama is klein

Panama is 2,5 keer zo groot als België, met 3 keer zo weinig inwoners. Het grootste deel van het land is gewoon puur natuur. Doordat het een relatief klein land is, heb je na een rondreis van 2 tot 4 weken een goed beeld gekregen.

Al is het zelfs in 4 weken moeilijk om alles gezien te hebben. Wij wilden Panama oorspronkelijk combineren met Costa Rica, maar al snel bleek dat er in Panama genoeg te zien is om een maand te reizen. En ik kan nog minstens 10 plekken opnoemen die ik graag had willen zien, maar er geen tijd voor was.

Als je van mooie stranden houdt en graag wandelingen in de jungle maakt, dan kan je je maanden, al dan niet jaren vermaken.

Reason #13 Panama is easy to travel.

Public transportation in Panama is not always the fastest, but it is very well organized. You can travel all over the country by local bus, and it’s cheap, too.

Admittedly, those who have been to Mexico before will miss the convenience of the ADO bus in Panama. Although almost every tourist takes roughly the same route, public transportation is not yet fully geared to this.

If you have a little more to spend, a shuttle does save a lot of time. We often took shuttles, but also found the bus very chill, especially in terms of leg room.

All in all, traveling in Panama is very accessible and easy.

And those in Panama City can also just use Uber. Nice and easy.

Reason #14 Panama is a bird watcher’s paradise

We are not those bird lovers or spotters. But in Panama it turned out that we quite like birds!

From the Quetzal to toucan to woodpecker, how beautiful birds can be. Never before have we taken so long on a 2-kilometer hike. Constantly we were looking for wild life and thus beautiful birds to spot.

The best places to see birds? In Soberiana National Park you will see the most species of birds, in Boquete you can spot the rare Quetzal. We saw the Quetzal (see photo) on the Pipeline trail in Boquete.

Reason #15 The Panamanians are friendly and not pushy

Would we book that excursion online or locally? “We’ll do that on the spot, probably you’ll be thrown to death with the same excursion all the time.” No way, not the case at all.

Not once were we “sold” an activity or saw rows of offices offering an excursion. You can simply arrange most tours via WhatsApp or the website and possibly pay (in part) online.

And what a wonderful way to travel. A country without intrusive people. All super friendly and most of all very grateful if you book a tour through them.

I thought the people in Mexico were so sweet, but the people in Panama are just as sweet as far as I’m concerned.

You are greeted on the street, they like to chat, and welcome you as a tourist with open arms. And what I find very special is that the Panamanians are really visibly proud of their country. But we understand that by now, just imagine living in such a beautiful country!

Conclusie: Panama heeft het allemaal

De mooiste eilanden, stranden, bergen, cultuur en ongerepte natuur. Waarom gaan hier niet meer mensen naartoe? Is het een gebrek aan marketing? Ik denk het wel. Net daarom schrijf ik dit artikel. Ergens mag Panama natuurlijk die onbekende parel blijven, maar ik heb ook gezien dat toerisme het land vooruit helpt. En dat de mensen staan te popelen om meer reizigers te ontvangen.

Het land zit vol met plekjes die nog niet door het toerisme ontdekt zijn. Toen wij van de begaande route wilde afwijken, bleek dat dat best moeilijk was omdat ‘geen toerisme’ ook nadelen met zich meebrengt. Volgens mij gaan er nog veel mooie plekjes ontdekt worden zodra het toerisme hier echt opkomt. Want hoewel wij dus in de drukste week van het jaar gingen, was het bijna overal hartstikke rustig.

Ik herhaal, massa toerisme is hier nog lang niet. Wil je daarvan genieten? Wacht dan niet te lang!

Overtuigd? Dan wil je waarschijnlijk weten hoeveel je moet sparen voor zo’n reis. Lees hier wat een reis naar Panama kost.