Places to See in Panama

The Canal itself is worth a visit. It is accessible by various modes of transportation. One can cross the impressive Puente de las Americas—including on foot—to get a spectacular view of the Bay of Panama which is in the Canal Zone. One can also visit the locks which are used to empty and fill sections of the Canal, which is how ships get across.

Visitors to the “little lock” museum get a close-up view of the crossing process. Boat tours also offer an opportunity to experience passing through the Canal. Cerro Contratista offers a stunning view of the activity in the Canal which is far below it. There are also two national parks in the Canal Zone—Parque Nacional Soberania and Parque Nacional Camino de Cruzes—where visitors can enjoy the beauty of Panama’s plants and wildlife. Isla Barro Colorado is also well worth visiting, though trips to this exceptionally biodiverse, protected island must be planned in advance.

Near the Canal is the nation’s capital, Ciudad de Panama which has much to offer visitors. The San Felipe area, also called Casco Viejo, is the part of the city where most of the buildings remaining from the colonial period are to be found. In this area one will find plazas, churches, museums, theatres and other public buildings of interest. Other parts of the city also offer these attractions. Only 15 minutes from downtown is the Parque Natural Metropolitano, home to monkeys, iguanas, exotic birds and other creatures. There are islands and beaches a few miles from the city’s other attractions.

Panama’s Pacific coast has a multitude of splendid beaches, some of which are crowded and/ or developed, and others which are not. The beaches of Isla Contadora and Isla Taboga are the two most popular ones. There are many other beaches along the Bay of Panama. The beaches tend to be less crowded during the week. The charming village of El Valle de Anton is a destination for wealthy Panamanians and is a tranquil place to visit.

The province of Colon, along the Caribbean, is the place to explore the first colonial settlements in Central America and get acquainted with Panamanians of African and Afro-Caribbean ancestry. The Azuero Peninsula, extending into the Pacific, is a region which has retained much of its character from the Hispanic era, as demonstrated in its traditional celebrations.

The province of Chiriqui, in the west and bordering Costa Rica, offers a wide variety of beautiful natural settings and their plants and animals, as well as the appetizing products of the region’s agricultural activity. Chiriqui is also the home of the Guaymies, who are native to this region.

The Bocas del Toro region is known for its vegetation and consists mainly of a large protected zone, Parque Internacional La Amistad.

Comarca de San Blas is a beautiful area along the Caribbean consisting mainly of islands governed by the Kunas rather than the Panamanian government.

Darien, in the east and bordering Colombia, is Panama’s most isolated and least developed province; it is the site of Parque Nacional Darien, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it is one of the planet’s few remaining unspoiled natural environments.