Luxury Panama Tours

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Evie

Senior Latin America Specialist

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Visit Panama

Panama is renowned for one of the world’s most important engineering feats of the 20th century: the Panama Canal – a job that took around a decade to complete, linking the Pacific to the Caribbean, and has had an enormous impact on worldwide trade routes. Panama City also has a beautiful colonial centre, called ‘Casco Viejo’, with baroque churches, cobblestone streets and fantastic eateries and boutiques. For those interested in its history, a trip to see ‘Panama Viejo’, the site where you can find the ruins of the original Panama City, will definitely be of interest.

Outside of the capital city, you’ll find a tropical paradise of untouched rainforest and cloud forest, with excellent opportunities to spot wildlife and birdlife alike. Panama actually boasts the highest diversity of species in Central America and its advantageous location at the convergence of Central and South America makes it a key place for birds to rest and restore during their migration routes between North and South America. You’ll find an abundance of birdlife both in the tropical rainforests bordering the Panama Canal, as well in the Chiriquí Province, where you’ll find areas at higher altitude with abundant cloud forests. Due to the differences in elevation, the quantity and diversity of species is certainly impressive.

Panama’s 3,000km of coastline is also not to be missed, with archipelagos of pristine islands inhabited by indigenous communities, spectacularly wild beaches and coral reefs, offering fantastic snorkelling and diving opportunities.

Panama City

Capital City

(GMT-5)

Local Time

Balboa and US Dollar

Local Currency

Sancocho

National Dish

When to go

Best

Good

Mixed

World Heritage Site: Casco Viejo

Casco Viejo, meaning ‘old quarter’, is the name of Panama City’s historical district, which obtained its UNESCO World Heritage status in 1997. The palm tree lined cobbled streets, beautiful houses dating back as far as 1673 (some of which are now fabulously characterful luxury hotels), vibrant ‘plazas’ and pretty churches make it a wonderful place to explore. The Casco Viejo is home to several of the city’s top museums, as well as the Panama National Theatre, the Metropolitan Cathedral of Panama City and a number of other churches and monuments. Here you’ll find some of the city’s best restaurants as well as a number of chic boutiques.

The greatest engineering feat of the 20th Century

The Panama Canal is one of the 7 Wonders of the Modern World and is a must-see for anyone visiting Panama. Connecting the Pacific Coast to the Caribbean Sea, it has seen in the region of a million vessels pass through since its construction was completed in 1914. Your visit to the canal may consist of a guided tour in the visitor’s centre to learn about how it works and the history behind it, but you can also jump on board and see the changing locks in person for a more immersive experience.

First-class birdwatching

Panama is a birder’s paradise, boasting the highest diversity of species in Central America! Due to its advantageous location nestled between South and North America, it’s the perfect place for thousands of species of migratory birds to rest and regain their energy levels. The Chirquí province in western Panama is one of the best parts of the country for birdwatching. Along the Pipeline Road hike near the Sobernía National Park, you’ll encounter Black-Hawk Eagles, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Masked Tityra, among many others! Up in the canopy of the trees at the Panama Rainforest Discovery Centre you may well be able to spot the beautiful Blue Cotinga and in Volcán Barú National Park you’ll be on the search for the Resplendent Quetzal!

Islands-galore

Panama boasts thousands of tropical islands, both in the Caribbean and the Pacific, some of which are inhabited and have varying levels of infrastructure for tourism, others are merely home to a couple of swaying palm trees. For a totally private luxury getaway, Isla Palenque is a fantastic option, part of the Isla Boca archipelago in the Gulf of Chiriquí in the Pacific Ocean. Islas Secas is another paradise of palm-fringed islands and a number of high-end luxury villas. Looking for something a little more rustic? The San Blas islands are where the Kuna Yala community have made their home and the locally-run lodges are great for a simple but authentic getaway.

Pavlína & family

Great organisation of the whole itinerary, everything carefully planned and prepared. True Travel has selected the most interesting locations, accommodations and provides excellent tourist guides in all locations.

Luxury Panama Itineraries

These example itineraries are here to get you inspired, but no two True Travel holidays are the same. Our Panama experts start planning each trip with a blank piece of paper, designing every itinerary 100% personalised to you.

Costa Rica & Panama

10 Day Itinerary

From $16,600PP