3 – 4 Week Panama Itinerary: Experience the Best of Panama

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So you want to visit Panama but you’re not sure where to go, how to get around or what order to visit places? This Panama itinerary will answer all your questions!

Panama is a seriously underrated country in Central America. It’s most famous for its canal, but there is a whole lot more on offer here! It’s one of the most biodiverse places on earth and a trip to Panama offers a taste of everything.

Tropical, palm-laden islands in the Caribbean Sea? Check on two accounts. Mystical cloud forest full of waterfalls and hiking trails? Check. Wildlife, surf beaches, snorkelling and scuba diving? Check, check and check. Don’t forget a cosmopolitan capital city, a town in a volcanic crater and rainforests aplenty.

In our 3 – 4 week Panama itinerary, we’ll show you exactly how you can visit all these places. It covers the top things to do, places to eat and where to stay in each destination, as well as comprehensive transport details to travel between each stop.

Panama travel information

I’m sure you have lots of other questions – when is the best time to visit Panama? Is it safe? What’s the currency and money situation? How do I get around? I answer all these questions and more in my Panama travel guide.

If you’re wondering how much it costs to travel in Panama, check out our Panama travel budget post, with our complete budget breakdown and samples of typical travel costs.

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3 – 4 Week Panama itinerary summary

Panama itinerary considerations

These are a few things to take into consideration as you refine your Panama itinerary…

• 🗓️ I think 4 weeks is the ideal amount of time to see these destinations without rushing. 4 weeks means you can stay on multiple islands in Bocas del Toro, visit Coiba Island on an overnight tour instead of just one day, and take advantage of some of the great day trips around Panama City.

• 💨 Even if you had 4 weeks, I wouldn’t add any other destinations. Unless you get bored very quickly and like to travel at breakneck speed, in which case you could add Playa Venao, but I don’t mention that here.

• 😌 Our Panama itinerary fell somewhere between the 3 – 4 week mark, and it was perfect for us to visit all these places at a leisurely pace (but I always want more time!).

• 🏝️ If you need to cut nights or cut destinations, think most about what you like. If you’re looking for hiking and nature, Boquete and El Valle de Anton are the best spots. If you love tropical vibes, beaches and islands, Bocas del Toro, Santa Catalina and the San Blas Islands are your spots! Panama City is unique and has a glamorous, big city vibe, but also a very charming historic area – there’s nowhere else like it around the country.

• 🥾 On the flip side, you may not feel the need to visit two hiking-focused destinations or two sets of islands if you’re not a beach person. Knowing how each destination is ‘categorised’ might help you work out where to narrow down your time.

• ➡️ Panama is a long, thin country (it’s technically an isthmus!) so it favours a one-way, linear route, not a round trip. You can’t naturally start and finish at the same destination in a tidy loop without a lot of backtracking.

• 🇨🇷🇨🇴 If you’re visiting Panama as part of a broader trip through Latin America (e.g. in addition to Costa Rica or Colombia) you will naturally create a one-way route.

• ✈️ If you’re flying in and out of Panama, your international flight will be from Tocumen Airport in Panama City. I’d suggest taking one domestic flight at the start to Bocas del Toro, which is at the northern tip of the country, so you can then travel overland back towards the city in a neat, straight line with no backtracking.

• ⏮️ This Panama itinerary can very easily be reversed. I’ve got some details on that below.

3 – 4 Week Panama itinerary

Getting to Panama

The first stop on this Panama itinerary is Bocas del Toro. So how to get there?

✈️ FLYING IN

Panama only has one major international airport, the PTY – Tocumen International Airport in Panama City.

To make this route linear, I’d suggest booking a flight straight to Bocas del Toro, and you’ll work your way back to the city overland over 3 – 4 weeks.

Flights from Panama City to Bocas del Toro depart from the domestic airport, PAC – Albrook Gelabert Airport. It’s on the other side of the city, so make sure you factor in time to transfer.

🇨🇷 OVERLAND FROM COSTA RICA

If you’re travelling through Central America, it’s very easy to travel to Bocas del Toro in Panama from Costa Rica.

The closest jump-off point is Puerto Viejo and neighbouring beaches on Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast, and this is how we entered Panama.

The easy way is to book a shuttle from Puerto Viejo to Bocas del Toro. You’ll be collected from your accommodation, and driven to the border, where the driver will help you out with immigration. Then you’ll change vans and drive onwards to Almirante and board a water taxi to Bocas Town. All the costs are included and it’s a very straightforward journey.

If you want to do it cheaper, you can take the bus. There are buses from Puerto Viejo and other beaches along the coast to the border at Sixaola. You’ll need to do immigration on both sides and then get a bus from the Panama side to Almirante. You’ll most likely need to take a quick taxi from the bus terminal to the water taxi docks, where you can jump on a boat to Isla Colón. 

Stop 1: Bocas del Toro

🌜 4 – 6 NIGHTS

Jump straight into paradise in the island archipelago of Bocas del Toro. Made of hundreds of islands and cayes, tourism is confined to five main islands: Isla Colon, Isla Carenero, Isla Bastimentos and to a lesser extent, Isla Solarte and Isla San Cristobal.

Bocas has an unfair reputation as a backpacker party destination. Sure, Bocas Town on Isla Colob is a pretty rowdy place, but with hundreds of islands to choose from, your time in Bocas does not have to be characterised by drinking and noise!

There really is something for everyone in Bocas del Toro. From jungle adventures with wildlife like sloths, monkeys and poison dart frogs, to world-class surf breaks, snorkelling and scuba diving and dozens of stunning beaches.

After being initially hesitant to visit due to its party reputation, we absolutely adored Bocas del Toro! It ticked all our boxes for a paradise island getaway.

🏖️ TOP THINGS TO DO IN BOCAS DEL TORO

• Hike to Red Frog Beach on Isla Bastimientos and look for strawberry poison dart frogs
• Take a boat tour to Cayos Zapatillas, a set of uninhabited paradise islands
• Go snorkelling or scuba diving at Hospital Point
• Look for starfish at Playa las Estrellas, one of the best beaches in Bocas del Toro
• Go surfing on Isla Colon, at Bluff Beach or Paunch

🍛 BEST PLACES TO EAT IN BOCAS DEL TORO

• Restaurant Tom, Isla Colon
• Amaranto Cafe, Isla Colon
• Bibi’s, Isla Carenero
• Leaf Eaters Cafe, Isla Carenero
• The Firefly, Isla Bastimentos

🛏️ WHERE TO STAY IN BOCAS DEL TORO

I highly recommend splitting your time in Bocas del Toro across multiple islands, or at least different locations around one island. Each island and area offers a completely different type of experience, and to see all sides of Bocas (jungle, party, surf, reef), I think you need to stay in more than one place. I’ve got a very extensive comparison of each island in my where to stay in Bocas del Toro guide.

These are some of the best options in each price category across different islands.

• Budget: Bambuda Lodge, Isla Solarte
• Budget: Palmar Beach Lodge, Isla Bastimentos
• Mid-range: RIVA B&B, Isla Carenero
• Mid-range: CocoVivo, Isla San Cristobal
• Boutique: Sol Bungalows, Isla Solarte
• Boutique: La Coralina Island House, Isla Colón

How to get from Bocas del Toro to Boquete

There are two options for getting from Bocas del Toro to the next stop on your Panama itinerary, Boquete.

The quick, more pricey option is to book a tourist shuttle that includes the boat from Bocas Town to the mainland, and a van ride to Boquete. It should cost between $30 – $35.

The slower, but cheaper option is to take public transport. This will involve getting a water taxi from Bocas Town to Almirante on the mainland. From there, you’ll need to jump in a taxi to the bus terminal and get a bus to David (~ 3 hours), then switch to a local bus to Boquete.

🚐 Book your tourist shuttle from Bocas del Toro to Boquete

Stop 2: Boquete

🌜 4 – 6 NIGHTS

Boquete is Panama’s quintessential mountain town. It is located in the western highlands of the Chiriquí Province at an altitude of 1,200 metres (3,900 ft).

Boquete has a cool, temperate climate year-round which for most visitors is a welcome reprieve from the steamy lowlands. Sitting in the shadows of Volcan Baru, surrounded by misty cloud forest, coffee plantations and excellent hiking, Boquete is so green and the perfect place to immerse yourself in nature.

The charming town centre feels more like an alpine village than a Panamanian town, with the scenic Rio Caldera running through it, mountains all around and Tudor-style architecture.

It’s a fantastic base, but you’ll spend most of your time in Boquete outside of town, hiking in the forest. Keep your eyes peeled for resplendent quetzals, who live in the high-altitude cloud forest.

🌿 TOP THINGS TO DO IN BOQUETE

• Hike The Lost Waterfalls Trail to three beautiful waterfalls
• Take a tour of a coffee farm and taste the famous Geisha beans
• Look for quetzals on the Pipeline Trail
• Watch the sunrise from the highest point in Panama at Volcan Baru
• Cliff jump at the naturally formed canyon, Los Cangliones de Gualaca

🍛 BEST PLACES TO EAT IN BOQUETE

• El Sabrosón
• The Perfect Pair Coffee & Chocolate
• APIZZA
• Sugar & Spice
• Buckle Tip Coffee Studio

🛏️ WHERE TO STAY IN BOQUETE

• Budget: Bambuda Castle
• Mid-range: Downtown Suites
• Boutique: Hotel Panamonte

How to get from Boquete to Santa Catalina

Again, there are two options to get from Boquete to Santa Catalina.

The easy option is a door-to-door tourist shuttle. You should pay between $30 – $35 for the 5-hour journey.

The slower, cheaper option is a combination of local buses. You’ll need to catch a bus from Boquete to the bus terminal in David. In David, take a bus to Santiago (most Panama City-bound buses will stop here). You may need to switch bus terminals in Santiago to get a bus to Soná. From there, you can get your final bus to Santa Catalina but be very aware of the time, as the last bus departs at 4:30 pm.

🚐 Book a tourist shuttle from Boquete to Santa Catalina

Stop 3: Santa Catalina

🌜 3 – 4 NIGHTS

The small fishing village of Santa Catalina is famous for two things: surfing and Coiba Island.

Experienced surfers flock from all over the world to ride the famous ‘La Punta’, an off-shore, right-hand break. If you’re still a beginner or intermediate surfer, don’t worry, Playa Estero is a calmer, sandy-bottom beach with regular and gentle waves.

Casual surf camps line the beach, where you can rent boards, organise lessons or grab a post-surf feed and beer.

Coiba and surrounding islands are known as the ‘Galapagos of Panama’. Formerly a penal colony for criminals and political prisoners, these islands were left virtually untouched by human development. Today it’s one of the most pristine marine environments in Central America for snorkelling and scuba diving, and the jungle-clad islands are full of unique and endemic species.

🏄🏽‍♂️ TOP THINGS TO DO IN SANTA CATALINA

• Snorkel or scuba dive at Coiba Island
• Go surfing at Playa Estero (beginner-intermediate) or La Punta (intermediate-advanced)
• Kayak to Isla Santa Catalina
• Catch a sunset from Playa Santa Catalina or Playa Estero
• Multi-day tour to Coiba Island, camping overnight on the island (Nov – Apr)

🍛 BEST PLACES TO EAT IN SANTA CATALINA

• Donde Vianca
• Café Panachocolat
• Pizzeria Jammin
• PanaWok
• Pescao

🛏️ WHERE TO STAY IN SANTA CATALINA

• Budget: Bodhi Hostel
• Mid-range: Bambuda Santa Catalina
• Boutique: Hotel Santa Catalina

How to get from Santa Catalina to El Valle de Anton

There weren’t any shuttles for this route when we visited, but there has since been a new company running a shuttle from Santa Catalina – El Valle de Anton.

It’s a pretty straightforward journey via bus though if you want to save some money.

You need to get a bus from the main street of Santa Catalina to Soná. The first bus is at 7:00 am, but I’d suggest asking around about timetables for the second bus to make sure you align the times.

The next leg is a bus from Soná to Panama City, however, you’ll get off early on the side of the highway in the tiny town of Las Uvas. From there, you can jump in a colectivo to El Valle de Anton.

Stop 4: El Valle de Anton

🌜3 – 4 NIGHTS

El Valle de Anton is one of the coolest towns we’ve ever visited! It holds the title of being the biggest town in the world inside a volcano crater. It’s an extinct volcano, don’t worry, but it is still a very unique place!

I didn’t quite comprehend what a town in a crater would look like, but as soon as you hit the trails on the top of the crater rim, you can really see it! The town sits in the valley at the bottom of the crater, and a near-perfect circle of hills and ridges surrounds it, the crater rim.

It’s a hiker’s heaven and there are miles of trails on the rolling hills along the crater rim. It was such a unique landscape, and these were some of our most memorable hikes in Panama.

🥾 TOP THINGS TO DO IN EL VALLE DE ANTON

• Hike along the ridge of the volcanic crater at Cerro Cara Iguana
• Enjoy petroglyphs, waterfalls, forest and views on La India Dormida hike
• Cool off at Chorros Las Mozas waterfalls
• Catch a sunrise or sunset from the easy Cerro La Silla trail
• Take a day tour to Pozo Azul, a stunning set of turquoise waterfalls and pools

🍛 BEST PLACES TO EAT IN EL VALLE DE ANTON

• Restaurante Massiel
• L’Italiano Restaurante
• Kare Coffee
• El Rincon Colombiano
• Cafe Unido

🛏️ WHERE TO STAY IN EL VALLE DE ANTON

• Budget: Bodhi Hostel
• Mid-range: Casa Grimaldo
• Boutique: The Golden Frog Inn

How to get from El Valle de Anton to Panama City

It’s a very straightforward trip from El Valle de Anton to Panama City. There are direct buses (usually small vans) that run through the main street of town into the city. I don’t know the exact timetable, but they are frequent. We only waited about 15 minutes.

The trip takes about 2 hours and you’ll arrive at the Gran Terminal Nacional De Transporte at Albrook Mall. You can get an Uber to anywhere in the city from here.

Stop 5: Panama City

🌜 4 – 6 NIGHTS

Welcome to the coolest capital city in Central America. Panama City is an incredible city, with a seamless blend of old and new.

The historic district, Casco Viejo, was one of the prettiest colonial cities we’d seen in 6-months. Complete with cobblestone streets, charming restored mansions and an overwhelming array of cafes, restaurants and bars.

You can perch up on a rooftop bar and gaze at the glistening skyline of the modern city. Connected by the coastal pathway, the Cinta Costera, it’s a wonderful green space to explore by bike. It’s one of many patches of nature, and we even spotted a sloth, in a city this size!

Of course, no visit to Panama City is complete without witnessing the world-famous engineering feat, the Panama Canal. There are plenty of options, depending on your level of interest. It’s a must-do, but it’s certainly not the only thing to do in this cosmopolitan city!

🏙️ TOP THINGS TO DO IN PANAMA CITY

• Explore the charming historic district, Casco Viejo, with beautiful architecture, cobblestone streets, excellent eateries and rooftop bars
• Rent a bike from Burke Bikes and cycle along the Cinta Costera, a coastal pathway connecting the old city to the modern area, with epic views of the skyline
• Hike Cerro Ancon, a jungly hill overlooking the city with wildlife like toucans, monkeys and sloths
• Visit the Panama Canal, you can go all-out and take a full transit on a boat through the canal, or just visit the Miraflores Locks to see the engineering feat in action
• Cycle along the Amador Causeway, a man-made causeway near the entrance to the canal with great city views, restaurants and some excellent museums

🍛 BEST PLACES TO EAT IN PANAMA CITY

• Fonda Lo Que Hay
• Selina Rooftop
• Cafe Unido
• Mercado de Mariscos
• Restaurante Santa Rita

🛏️ WHERE TO STAY IN PANAMA CITY

I suggest basing yourself in the historic district, Casco Viejo. It’s the best place to be in Panama City, with amazing accommodation options and lots of cafes, restaurants and bars. We stayed both here and in the CBD, and we wish we stayed in Casco the whole time, it’s a much nicer vibe.

• Budget: Magnolia Inn Casco Viejo
• Mid-range: Las Clementinas
• Boutique: Amarla Boutique Hotel

I have a 5-day Panama City itinerary in my guide linked below. If your Panama itinerary is 3 weeks, I’d suggest following the itinerary but cutting out the day trip. If you’ve got 4 weeks, you can follow my itinerary exactly and possibly add one more day trip.

How to get from Panama City to the San Blas Islands

No matter how you choose to visit the San Blas Islands (staying on one island, island hopping tour, sailing tour etc.), transport should be included.

There is no public transport to the islands, and the journey from Panama City involves a 2.5-hour drive in a 4×4 vehicle and a boat ride from the port in Carti.

Stop 6: San Blas Islands

🌜 2 – 3 NIGHTS

The correct name for this archipelago of paradise islands is the Guna Yala Islands. Located inside the Guna Yala comarca indígena (Indigenous district), the islands are the home to the Guna people, who have autonomous control over their lands.

A group of 365 islands dotted around the glistening Caribbean Sea, Guna Yala is like a postcard. Some of the islands aren’t much bigger than a football field, covered in palm trees and powdery white sand beaches.

Visiting the San Blas Islands isn’t necessarily straightforward, due to their location inside an Indigenous comarca. Tourism is heavily controlled and you can’t just turn up here.

If you’re planning a return trip from Panama City, you have a few options for visiting:

• 🏝️ Choose one island to stay on for 2 – 3 nights (we chose Chichime Island). Book through a tour operator like San Blas Dreams for a complete package with return transport from the city, accommodation, three meals a day and one boat tour.
• 🚤 Book an island hopping tour, where you will stay on one or more islands over a few days, with daily activities included to visit multiple islands around the archipelago.
• ⛵️ Book a sailing tour, where you will sleep on a sailing boat, and explore different islands during the day.

There is also the possibility of travelling onwards to Colombia via Guna Yala (more on that in the ‘departing Panama‘ section).

🏝️ TOP THINGS TO DO IN THE SAN BLAS ISLANDS

What you do in the San Blas Islands will depend on how you decide to visit. If you’ve opted for an island stay, your days will mostly be spent lazing in a hammock reading a book, swimming in crystal clear waters and snorkelling offshore.

If you’ve booked an island hopping tour or a sailing tour, you’ll be less stationary. Visiting different islands, swimming and snorkelling spots each day and soaking up tropical life.

🍛 BEST PLACES TO EAT IN THE SAN BLAS ISLANDS

There are no restaurants in the San Blas Islands. However you choose to visit, you’ll have three meals a day included. Expect basic, repetitive food, mostly fish, rice and salads.

🛏️ WHERE TO STAY IN THE SAN BLAS ISLANDS

Accommodation in Guna Yala is mostly booked as a package, depending on your desired method of visiting. San Blas Dreams is a great operator to book island stays. If you’re doing an island hopping tour, accommodation will be included, or if you’re on a sailing tour, you’ll sleep on the boat.

Departing Panama

Your time in this special country has come to an end! How you leave will depend on if you’re continuing your travels in the region.

✈️ FLYING OUT

If you’re finishing up in Panama and flying home or onwards to another country, you’ll be flying out of Panama City, PTY – Tocumen International Airport.

Return to the city after your time in San Blas. Depending on your flight time, you might want to book another night in the city as a buffer.

🇨🇴 SAILING TO COLOMBIA

If you’re continuing your travels in South America, you should absolutely use the San Blas Islands as a stepping stone into Colombia.

There are sailing options to Cartagena, that involve a 2-day open ocean crossing. Alternatively, you can take a speed boat tour that hugs the coastline, and you will sleep on the islands and end up just across the border in a smaller coastal town.

Reversing this Panama itinerary

This Panama itinerary can easily be reversed.

If you’re in South America, you can sail into Panama via the San Blas Islands. Once you’re back on the mainland, your tour will transport you to Panama City and you can continue the itinerary from there.

If you’re flying into Panama from another country but you’d just prefer to reverse it and start in the city, that is possible too. You may need to split your time in Panama City and sandwich the San Blas Islands in the middle, given it is a round-trip from the city.

Your final stop will be Bocas del Toro. If you’re finishing up your time and flying home, you can book a flight from Bocas del Toro back to Panama City, and fly onwards from there. Do remember that most flights from Bocas will go to the domestic airport (PAC), and you need to factor in time to transfer to the international airport (PTY).

Alternatively, you will be right next to the border with Costa Rica if you’re continuing your travels in the region. It’s an easy hop from Bocas del Toro to Puerto Viejo and the Caribbean Coast. You can book a shuttle, or take a series of public buses via Almirante and Sixaola.

Final thoughts: Panama itinerary

I hope this Panama itinerary has helped you plan your ideal trip to this underrated gem.

Panama is a pretty easy country to travel through, given it is so narrow. It’s simple to follow a linear, one-way route and the travel times aren’t too long.

It’s the natural land bridge between Central and South America and the perfect place to cross from Costa Rica on one end and sail into Colombia on the other.

Don’t forget to check out our other Panama articles too for a ton more helpful information to plan your perfect trip.

MORE PANAMA POSTS

• Panama Travel Guide: Central America’s Hidden Gem
• Our Panama Travel Budget: Is Panama Expensive?