If I Went Back to Panama, Here’s How I’d Plan My Trip
New here? In the previous post, 3 Days in Panama City: The Central American Stopover That Completely Surprised Me, I shared why Panama City ended up being one of the biggest surprises of my Central America trip. This time, I’m taking a step back and looking at how I’d plan a return visit after seeing just how much more the country has to offer.
Three days in Panama City completely changed my opinion of Panama.
I originally thought it was simply the gateway to Costa Rica.
Instead, I left realizing I’d barely scratched the surface.
Between Caribbean islands, cloud forests, coffee farms, beaches on two oceans, and one of Latin America’s most underrated capital cities, Panama deserves to be the destination, not just the stopover.
If I were planning my first trip today, I wouldn’t build it around a strict day-by-day itinerary. I’d treat Panama more like a choose-your-own-adventure destination and decide what kind of trip I wanted: city, islands, mountains, beaches, or a little bit of everything.
Getting to Panama with Points and Miles
This is one of the reasons Panama surprised me before I even arrived.
Flights to Panama City were easier to book than I expected, and it ended up being a great points destination for a Central America trip.
We flew from Philadelphia to Panama City with a quick connection in Miami. Since Panama City is well connected through major U.S. hubs, it can work really well as either a long weekend getaway or the starting point for a longer Central America itinerary.
I’d check Alaska miles, American Airlines, and flexible points currencies like Chase Ultimate Rewards when pricing out flights.
For hotels, Panama City also gave us good value. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Panama City using a mix of Hyatt points, a Hyatt Free Night Award, and Chase points from my friend.
That combination helped keep our out-of-pocket cost low, which made Panama feel even more approachable.
Explore Hyatt Regency Panama City and check current rates →
Panama City’s skyline is one of the country’s defining sights, but for me it was only the beginning. The capital is the perfect starting point for exploring the rest of Panama, not the entire destination itself.
Panama City
Panama City would still be the anchor of every itinerary I recommend.
It gives you the easiest arrival, the best transportation options, and enough variety to fill several days without feeling repetitive.
Casco Viejo is where I’d start. The historic center is compact, colorful, and easy to explore on foot. I’d do a walking tour again, see landmarks like Plaza de Francia, Iglesia San José, and the old city walls, then stay for a rooftop drink at sunset.
The Panama Canal is also worth visiting, especially if you time your visit around the ship crossings at the Miraflores Locks. Even if you miss the busiest transit windows like we did, the visitor center helps explain why the canal shaped Panama’s history, economy, and place in the world.
I’d also make time for the Amador Causeway. It gives you beautiful views back toward the skyline, and renting one of the covered pedal bikes ended up being one of the most unexpectedly fun things we did.
For food, I’d absolutely go back to the seafood market. Panama was where I started my week-long obsession with fresh fish, rice, and black beans, but I quickly realized the city offers far more than that. From casual neighborhood eateries to some of Latin America’s best restaurants, Panama City has one of the most diverse dining scenes I experienced in Central America.
And if the timing works, I’d end one evening with a sunset boat ride. Seeing Panama City from the water made me appreciate just how beautiful and modern the skyline really is.
Panama City is the part of the trip that feels easiest. You can use Uber, stay in a modern hotel, eat well, and still get history, skyline views, water, and a little bit of nature.
San Blas Islands
San Blas is probably the part of Panama I most regret skipping.
We considered visiting as a day trip from Panama City, but the logistics felt like a lot at the beginning of a longer Central America trip. Most excursions leave the city very early, involve several hours on the road, and then require a boat transfer before you even reach the islands. At the time, squeezing all of that into a single day sounded exhausting.
Looking back, I think the mistake was treating San Blas as a day trip in the first place. If I returned to Panama, I’d stay overnight and make it a completely separate chapter of the trip.
The appeal for me is how different it seems from Panama City. Instead of skyscrapers, restaurants, and busy streets, San Blas is about tiny Caribbean islands, clear turquoise water, white-sand beaches, snorkeling, and spending most of the day outside. It’s the kind of place where I’d want enough time to settle in rather than arrive and immediately start thinking about the long trip back.
I also wouldn’t go expecting a polished Caribbean resort experience. Accommodations can be simple, and I’d go knowing the point is the setting itself: waking up near the water, moving between small islands by boat, swimming and snorkeling during the day, and having nowhere particularly urgent to be.
The islands are also part of the Guna Yala region, so visiting means entering an Indigenous territory with its own communities and way of life. That makes San Blas feel like more than simply adding another beach stop to the itinerary.
After a few busy days exploring Panama City, I think this would be exactly the change of pace I’d want. I’d spend at least one night—and probably two if the logistics worked—before continuing elsewhere in Panama.
Boquete
If San Blas would give me Panama’s Caribbean side, Boquete is where I’d go to see just how different the country can feel once you head into the mountains.
Set in Panama’s western highlands, Boquete has cooler temperatures, lush cloud forests, waterfalls, hiking trails, and coffee farms surrounded by mountains. After the heat and energy of Panama City, I can imagine arriving here and feeling like I’d entered a completely different country.
The coffee alone is a big reason I’d want to visit. This region is famous for producing Geisha coffee, and rather than simply ordering a cup somewhere in Panama City, I’d want to visit one of the farms, see how the coffee is grown and processed, and actually experience the landscape behind it. Add in cloud-forest hikes, hanging bridges, waterfalls, and the possibility of spotting wildlife, and Boquete starts to feel like much more than a quiet mountain town.
Getting there does require a little more effort. I’d most likely fly from Panama City to David and continue by shuttle or taxi to Boquete rather than spend most of a day traveling overland.
I’d add Boquete for the same reason I’d add San Blas: it would make the trip feel like I’d experienced more than one version of Panama. Instead of another beach stop, this would be a few days of mountains, coffee, cooler air, and cloud forest before moving on.
Bocas del Toro
Bocas del Toro would be my choice if I wanted the Caribbean island experience without going quite as remote as San Blas.
The appeal is that you’re not limited to one beach or one island. I could spend a few days using water taxis to hop between islands, searching out different beaches, snorkeling, kayaking, or surfing during the day, then still have restaurants, bars, and a lively town to come back to in the evening. It sounds like the kind of place where I could arrive planning to stay three nights and easily wish I’d booked four.
I’d probably choose Bocas over San Blas if I wanted more independence and infrastructure rather than a completely unplugged escape. And if I had closer to two weeks in Panama, I could actually see room for both because they offer such different versions of the Caribbean.
Bocas also pairs naturally with Boquete. From the mountains, you can travel overland toward Almirante and then continue by boat to the islands, which makes those two destinations an appealing combination rather than two disconnected additions.
A few days of coffee farms and cloud forests in Boquete followed by a few days of Caribbean island hopping in Bocas is exactly the kind of contrast that makes me want to return to Panama.
Santa Catalina and Coiba National Park
If I were planning a more nature-heavy trip, Santa Catalina and Coiba National Park would be one of the most tempting additions.
Santa Catalina itself is a small, laid-back Pacific coast town known for surfing, but the bigger draw for me would be using it as the gateway to Coiba National Park. The protected islands and surrounding waters are known for snorkeling, diving, and marine life, making this feel less like a traditional beach stop and more like an adventure built around being in the water.
I can picture spending a couple of slower days in Santa Catalina, then dedicating a full day to getting out to Coiba—snorkeling, exploring the islands, and seeing a completely different side of Panama than I’d experience in Panama City or the Caribbean.
I probably wouldn’t squeeze Santa Catalina into a short first trip. It takes more effort to reach, and this seems like somewhere I’d want enough time to appreciate rather than adding another long travel day just to check it off.
But on a longer or second trip to Panama, Coiba is exactly the kind of experience that could justify building an entire portion of the itinerary around the Pacific coast.
El Valle de Antón
El Valle de Antón stands out as one of the easiest ways I could add a completely different landscape to a Panama City trip without traveling halfway across the country.
The town sits inside the crater of an extinct volcano, surrounded by green mountains and hiking trails. I’d come here for waterfalls, viewpoints, the local market, and a couple of slower days outdoors, especially after spending several days in the heat and energy of Panama City.
What makes El Valle particularly appealing to me is how easily it could fit into a shorter itinerary. Boquete would require traveling much farther west, while El Valle could give me some of that mountain-town atmosphere without adding a flight or complicated transfer.
If I had only a week or so in Panama and wanted more than the city and beaches, El Valle is probably the nature escape I’d choose.
Panama City is the perfect gateway to the rest of the country. Whether you have four days or two weeks, it’s easy to build an itinerary that gradually expands beyond the capital without feeling rushed.
How I’d Spend 4 Days, 1 Week, or 2 Weeks in Panama
4 Days: Panama City Only
Best for a long weekend. Focus on Casco Viejo, the Panama Canal, Amador Causeway, great food, and a sunset boat ride.
5–6 Days: Panama City + San Blas
Best if you want an island escape without turning the trip into a full countrywide itinerary. I’d stay overnight rather than rushing San Blas as a day trip.
7–8 Days: Panama City + Boquete
Best if you want city, canal history, coffee farms, waterfalls, and cooler mountain weather.
10 Days: My Recommended First Trip
I’d split my time between Panama City, Boquete, and San Blas. It gives you the country’s three biggest contrasts—urban Panama, the mountain highlands, and the Caribbean islands—without making the itinerary feel too complicated.
10 Days: Nature-Focused Alternative
If hiking, wildlife, and outdoor adventures are your priority, I’d swap Boquete and San Blas for El Valle de Antón and Santa Catalina. That version of the trip trades the Caribbean for volcanoes, waterfalls, marine life, and Coiba National Park, and would appeal more to travelers looking to spend most of their time outdoors.
2 Weeks: See It All
If I were planning my next Panama trip, this is what I’d choose. I’d start in Panama City, continue west to Boquete, then on to Bocas del Toro before returning to Panama City for an overnight stay in San Blas. Along the way, I’d consider adding a stop in El Valle de Antón on the drive west or Santa Catalina if marine life and Coiba National Park were higher priorities than spending additional time in Bocas.
Bringing It All Together
Panama surprised me more than almost anywhere else in Central America.
Before visiting, I understood why Costa Rica gets so much attention. After visiting both, I no longer think Panama should be treated as the quieter alternative or the convenient gateway next door.
Panama has its own mix of city energy, canal history, Caribbean islands, Pacific beaches, coffee regions, mountain towns, wildlife, and food. It may not have Costa Rica’s fame, but it absolutely has enough variety to justify its own trip.
If I were planning my next visit, I wouldn’t squeeze Panama into the beginning of another itinerary.
When I first booked this trip, Panama was simply the gateway to Costa Rica. If I were planning it today, I’d reverse that thinking completely. I’d give Panama two weeks of its own, then decide if I even wanted to continue on to another country. That’s how much my opinion changed after just three days.
Up next: Costa Rica was the country I had been looking forward to most before this trip. But after a week of volcanoes, wildlife, waterfalls, and beaches, I came away with a much more nuanced opinion than I expected. In My First Week in Costa Rica: What Lived Up to the Hype (and What Surprised Me), I’ll share what impressed me most and what I’d do differently if I went back.
Continue Exploring Central America
- My First Week in Costa Rica: What Lived Up to the Hype (and What Surprised Me) — Follow my first week through Costa Rica and see what lived up to everything I’d heard—and what caught me completely by surprise.
- Granada: Why It Was the Perfect Base for Exploring Nicaragua — See why I chose Granada as my base in Nicaragua and how it made exploring more of the country surprisingly easy.
- 5 Days in El Salvador: My Route Through an Underrated Country — Follow my five-day route through El Salvador and see how I combined cities, volcanoes, small towns, and the Pacific coast.