Central & South America · Touring guide
The San Blas Islands, Bocas del Toro and a capital city that bridges two oceans.
Is it right for you?
A strong fit for
Island time, culture and travellers who want the canal and the coast together.
We would think twice for
Travellers who want a famous sight around every corner, because beyond the canal Panama's pleasures are subtle: rainforest, islands and a capital skyline, not a parade of icons.
What we would want you to know
The San Blas Islands and Bocas del Toro are reached differently and shouldn't be rushed together.
We’ve been here
Bocas del Toro, the San Blas islands and Panama City are the parts of Panama we have seen for ourselves, and they could hardly be more different in how you reach them and what they ask of you. Other corners on this page, such as the highlands, come from research.
From our trips
Filmed by us on the trip itself and shown without sound. No stock footage.
The route
Nights 1 and 2
Settle into the old town, walk its plazas at dusk, and spend a morning at the Miraflores Locks watching ships rise and fall. Add a partial canal transit if your dates line up with one.
Night 3
A short drive into the rainforest for an early birding walk on Pipeline Road and a boat trip among the canal's islands, where monkeys are often seen along the shore.
Nights 4 and 5
Leave the city before dawn by 4x4 for the boat out to the islands. Two nights of swimming, snorkelling and fish suppers is about right, then back to the city before flying on.
Nights 6 to 9
Fly from the city's domestic airport to Isla Colón and move between the islands by water taxi, with snorkelling, beach days and a jungle walk. Give two of these nights to Boquete's cool coffee country instead if you prefer hills to more sand.
An idea to react to, not a fixed package. We shape the real thing around your dates, your pace and what the flights are doing that season.
Map and stops
The restored colonial old town on a small peninsula, with plazas, churches, rooftop bars and views across the bay to the skyscrapers. It is the most atmospheric place to stay in the city, and the main streets are easy to walk after dark. Some blocks are still being restored, and weekend nights can be loud.
A former canal workers' town where the Chagres River meets the canal, surrounded by the rainforest of Soberanía National Park. Ships pass close by, toucans and sloths are regular sights, and Pipeline Road draws birders from around the world. Evenings are quiet, with little beyond the lodges.
A highland town in a green valley on the slopes of Volcán Barú, surrounded by coffee farms and cloud forest trails. The air is fresh after the lowlands, and a fine drifting rain called bajareque often hangs over the valley. It is a long way from the capital, so it pairs best with Bocas del Toro.
A Caribbean archipelago where Bocas Town on Isla Colón has wooden buildings on stilts, bars and water taxis out to smaller islands with jungle lodges and empty beaches. Life moves by boat. The town is lively and scruffy rather than polished, and the weather is changeable.
The self-governing territory of the Guna people, with hundreds of small islands fringed by palms and reef. Stays are in simple huts with shared bathrooms, fish for dinner and little power or signal. It is not for anyone who needs comfort, and the road and boat journey from the city is an adventure in itself.
A string of beach towns an hour or two west of the city, with the country's main all-inclusive resorts and plenty of weekend homes. It suits a few days of rest after touring. The sand is often dark or grey, the Pacific can be rough, and it lacks the charm of the Caribbean islands.
Weather and seasons
Panama City and the Pacific side are driest from mid-December to April, when highs reach 33°C and the canal and the city are at their most comfortable. From May the rains return, building to an October peak of about 266mm, usually as heavy afternoon storms rather than all-day grey. The Caribbean coast keeps its own rhythm: Bocas del Toro can see rain in any month, with drier spells around February and March and again in September and October. The boat crossing to the San Blas islands can be choppy when the dry-season trade winds blow hardest. Panama lies south of the hurricane belt, so the green season carries less storm risk here than on the islands further north.
Worth timing a trip around
A long-running fair in the highland town, with flower displays, coffee stalls and crafts. Rooms in Boquete sell out for its busiest weekends.
Four days of parades, water trucks and music before Ash Wednesday, loudest in Las Tablas and Panama City. Beach towns and buses fill with Panamanians, so book ahead.
Early November brings holidays for separation from Colombia and the national symbols, with school marching bands in every town, and 28 November marks independence from Spain.
Humpbacks from the southern hemisphere come to calve around the Pearl Islands and in the Gulf of Chiriquí, and boat trips run from Panama City and the Pacific coast.
| Month | High | Low | Sea | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32°C | 22°C | 27°C | 13 mm |
| February | 33°C | 22°C | 25°C | 1 mm |
| March | 33°C | 23°C | 25°C | 0 mm |
| April | 33°C | 24°C | 27°C | 88 mm |
| May | 31°C | 24°C | 28°C | 241 mm |
| June | 31°C | 24°C | 29°C | 193 mm |
| July | 31°C | 24°C | 29°C | 225 mm |
| August | 31°C | 24°C | 29°C | 163 mm |
| September | 31°C | 24°C | 29°C | 164 mm |
| October | 30°C | 24°C | 28°C | 266 mm |
| November | 30°C | 24°C | 28°C | 259 mm |
| December | 32°C | 23°C | 28°C | 126 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Tocumen Intl, 20 km away at 41 m. Rainfall is from the GPCC rain-gauge analysis (Deutscher Wetterdienst) for 2010 to 2019 and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it. Sea temperatures: NOAA OISST, 1991 to 2020.
| Month | High | Low | Sea | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29°C | 21°C | 27°C | 263 mm |
| February | 29°C | 21°C | 27°C | 196 mm |
| March | 30°C | 21°C | 28°C | 202 mm |
| April | 30°C | 22°C | 28°C | 249 mm |
| May | 31°C | 23°C | 29°C | 352 mm |
| June | 31°C | 23°C | 29°C | 330 mm |
| July | 30°C | 23°C | 28°C | 424 mm |
| August | 31°C | 23°C | 29°C | 278 mm |
| September | 31°C | 22°C | 29°C | 173 mm |
| October | 31°C | 22°C | 29°C | 228 mm |
| November | 31°C | 22°C | 28°C | 367 mm |
| December | 30°C | 21°C | 28°C | 402 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Puerto Limon, 110 km away at 3 m. Rainfall is from the GPCC rain-gauge analysis (Deutscher Wetterdienst) for 2010 to 2019 and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it. Sea temperatures: NOAA OISST, 1991 to 2020.
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26°C | 15°C | 53 mm |
| February | 27°C | 16°C | 22 mm |
| March | 28°C | 16°C | 50 mm |
| April | 26°C | 16°C | 117 mm |
| May | 25°C | 17°C | 355 mm |
| June | 24°C | 16°C | 315 mm |
| July | 24°C | 16°C | 286 mm |
| August | 24°C | 16°C | 261 mm |
| September | 24°C | 16°C | 331 mm |
| October | 24°C | 16°C | 459 mm |
| November | 23°C | 16°C | 332 mm |
| December | 25°C | 15°C | 149 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Enrique Malek Intl, 43 km away at 27 m, adjusted for the 1,096 m difference in altitude. Rainfall is from the GPCC rain-gauge analysis (Deutscher Wetterdienst) for 2010 to 2019 and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it.
Things to do
The visitor centre's terraces overlook the Pacific-side locks, where ships are raised and lowered almost within touching distance. Mid-morning and mid-afternoon are often the best times to catch ships passing.
A boat trip through part of the canal, rising through the locks alongside cargo ships. It runs on set days only, so we check dates before building the rest of the itinerary around it.
The ruins of the first Spanish city on the Pacific, sacked by Henry Morgan in 1671, with a cathedral tower you can climb. Together with Casco Viejo it forms a UNESCO site.
Frank Gehry's brightly coloured museum on the Amador Causeway tells how the Panama land bridge joined two continents and reshaped the wildlife of both.
A rainforest track in Soberanía National Park, famous among birders. Go at first light with a guide for toucans and trogons and, with luck, army ant swarms trailed by birds.
Reefs, mangroves and the two Zapatilla Cays off Bocas del Toro, with good snorkelling in clear water. Boat days usually add dolphin spotting and a lunch stop over the water.
A calm, shallow beach on Isla Colón where orange starfish rest on the sandy bottom. Look but never lift them from the water, and mornings are quieter, before the boats arrive.
Panama's highest peak, climbed through the night from Boquete to reach the summit for sunrise, when on a clear morning both the Pacific and the Caribbean are in view. A long, hard walk best done with a guide.
Dugout canoes carry visitors up the Chagres River to Emberá villages for music, dancing and a fish lunch. Choose a visit arranged with the community so the money stays local.
Food and drink
Panama's chicken soup with yam and culantro, eaten for hangovers, family Sundays and everything in between.
Cups of lime-cured corvina and shrimp from the stalls beside Panama City's fish market, cheap and very fresh.
Twice-fried green plantain slices, salted and crisp, served alongside almost everything.
Grown in the highlands around Boquete, this floral, tea-like coffee fetches extraordinary prices abroad and is far cheaper to try at source.
A Caribbean coconut stew of fish or seafood with plantain and root vegetables, the taste of Bocas del Toro.
Panama's sugar cane spirit, usually mixed with soda and lime, or with milk for the local seco con leche, which is an acquired taste.
Money
Panama is mid-priced for the region: city hotels are good value for what they offer, while the islands price by remoteness rather than luxury. In Guna Yala, simple island stays are usually sold with meals and boat trips included, and the 4x4 road from the city plus community fees add to the cost. The signature spend is a partial canal transit, and a domestic flight to Bocas del Toro saves most of a day on the road.
Flights and transfers
One stop from the UK, with Panama City's hub status making connections easy, sometimes via Madrid or a US gateway. Arrival is sea level and simple, which after the Andes feels like a gift.
Flights from UK airports
Route check September 2026. Some routes are seasonal and schedules change, so we confirm the live options when we quote.
Practical details
5 hours behind the UK in winter, 6 hours in summer
US dollar, alongside Panamanian balboa coins of equal value
Spanish; Guna and other indigenous languages in the comarcas; English widely spoken in Bocas del Toro
Type A and B, 120V
On the right
Safe in Panama City and most towns; drink bottled on the islands, including Bocas del Toro and San Blas
Around 10 percent in restaurants if service is not already added; tip boat crews and guides
Entry for British passport holders
Visa. No visa needed for stays of up to 3 months arriving by air or land.
Passport. Valid for at least 6 months after the day you leave, with a blank page.
Summarised from the FCDO travel advice on gov.uk, checked 29 September 2026. Rules change: read the current entry requirements and the full travel advice before you go.
Questions we get asked
Yes, but not back to back. They sit at opposite ends of the country and are reached differently: San Blas by 4x4 road and boat from Panama City, Bocas del Toro by domestic flight or a long road journey. We route through the city between them and give each at least two nights.
Very simple. Most stays are cane huts or basic rooms with shared bathrooms, fish and rice for meals and limited power, all run by Guna families. The reward is clear water and islands you can walk round in minutes. Anyone who needs air conditioning or wifi should choose Bocas del Toro instead.
Yes, for two or three nights. The canal, the old town and rainforest on its doorstep make it one of the more rewarding capitals in the region. Stay in Casco Viejo for atmosphere, and allow a morning for the Miraflores Locks.
Easily. Bocas del Toro sits close to the Costa Rican border, and many of our routes cross between the two by road or use a short flight between the capitals. It is a good way to add Caribbean island time to a Costa Rica wildlife trip.
It depends on the coast and the month. The Pacific side, including Panama City, is dry from mid-December to April and wet from May, with October the wettest. Bocas del Toro can see rain at any time, with drier spells around February to March and September to October. Showers are usually heavy but short.
Plan for about around 13 hours with 1 connection from London Gatwick to Panama City. Its main airport is a regional hub, so onward flights to Costa Rica and Colombia are easy to add, and Bocas del Toro is a short hop from the city's domestic airport.
Photographs
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