Ten Days in Panama
Issue 21: City Life, Biodiverse Rainforests, and Tropical Adventure
Hi, hello readers! I’m back with my toxic trait: planning vacations two seasons ahead. I’m thinking about spring break 2026 and looking back at some of the places we’ve traveled over the last few years. Last year, we spent spring break in Panama. Even with the increasing popularity of Central America travel, Panama has managed to stay under the radar. We found it easy to navigate, and compact enough to take in the city, mountains, and islands in ten days.
Getting There and Around
I began experimenting with points and miles to offset travel costs about two years ago. I discovered it was possible to fly direct from DC to Panama City and do so relatively easily using airline points. We booked four roundtrip economy flights on Copa Airlines for a total of $471 and 116,000 points. Even without points, getting to Panama in high season is inexpensive; economy flights are routinely around $500.
We took two inexpensive internal flights once in Panama, from Panama City to David and from Bocas del Toro back to Panama City before flying home. We also rented a car from the airport in David for the hour drive to Boquete. While it was nice to have the car to explore the surrounding mountains and countryside, the car had to be returned to the rental office in David, which was definitely inconvenient. We took a shuttle van to get from Boquete to Bocas del Toro.
Two Days in Panama City
We took an evening flight from DC and headed straight to our hotel in Panama City, the gorgeous La Compania, The hotel sits on land that was home to a Jesuit Convent in the late 1600s, and the original exterior has been preserved wherever possible. The hotel has three wings, a French wing, a Spanish wing, and an American wing, all extending from a lush central courtyard.
Courtyard in La Compania, Casco Viejo
La Compania is in Casco Viejo, Panama City’s historic district, and we spent most of our time in this neighborhood. We joined a two-hour walking tour to take in centuries-old churches, town houses, and government buildings and learn some of Panama’s fascinating history. We also had a fantastic dinner at fusion Peruvian Japanese restaurant. The heat and humidity build quickly in Panama City, so we took several breaks at our hotel’s fantastic rooftop pool.
Walking Tour, Casco Viejo
We also, of course, visited the Panama Canal. There are several places to see the Canal, but we headed to the Miraflores Visitor Center. Miraflores has three “locks,” or sections of the canal where massive gates and a water-filling system are used to raise and lower ships to different levels so that they can cross the isthmus between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The locks are critical to enabling passage since the canal is not at a constant elevation.
Admission to the Miraflores Visitor Center includes a terrific IMAX video narrated by Morgan Freeman detailing the Canal’s construction and current operation. After watching the video, we headed to the observation decks and were lucky enough to catch a ship transiting between the locks.
Three Days in Boquete
Boquete is a small mountain town near the Costa Rican border known for its relatively cool climate, coffee plantations, and outdoor activities. We stayed at the hillside Coffee Plantation Inn, a ten-minute drive outside of downtown Boquete. Our room was a standalone bungalow with a gorgeous garden and views of the Volcan Barú, Panama’s only volcano.
We joined a guide and two other travelers to hike the pipeline trail through Boquete’s cloud forests. We passed through two micro-climates and saw lots of birds, including the rare Resplendent Quetzal. The hike was easy, but the guide was critical to spotting wildlife.
Bracing Water on the Lost Waterfalls Trail, Boquete
Since we had our own car, we also explored the area on our own. We did the popular lost waterfalls trail hike to take in three waterfalls. We also drove just outside Boquete to Los Cangilones Mini-Canyon, where we spent an afternoon climbing canyon walls and jumping into the water below.
Swimming in Los Cangilones Mini-Canyon
The highlight of our time in Boquete was probably our very early morning trip to Volcan Baru National Park. Volcan Baru is Panama’s highest peak and the only place in the world where, on exceptionally clear days, you can see the Atlantic and Pacific oceans at the same time. The volcano and surrounding national park feature five different ecosystems from rainforest highlands and the byproducts of volcanic eruptions that occurred millions of years ago.
Cloud Gazing at the Top of Volcan Baru
Particularly intrepid hikers can elect for a 10-hour night hike to see the sunrise from the top of the volcano. We opted for a 4x4 jeep a.m. trip that picked us up from our hotel at 3:30 a.m. The road is very rough, and it takes about 90 minutes to get to the top of the volcano. The sunrise views once you arrive are incredible.
Three Days in Bocas del Toro
After a lot of research, I finally landed on a shuttle van as the easiest way to get from Boquete to Bocas del Toro for the last few days of our trip. The van was an easy and picturesque four-hour trip directly to the water taxis that transferred us to Isla Colon, the main island in Bocas del Toro. From there, we hopped on another five-minute water taxi to Isla Carenero, the smallest of the inhabited islands in Bocas, where we stayed at Casa Acuario. We were lucky enough to snag one of the four rooms at the inn, which sits right above the Caribbean. The lovely owners, Mandy and JP, had lots of water equipment on hand and gave us great recommendations
Swimming Off the Patio at Casa Acuario
I’ve never been anywhere quite like Bocas, an archipelago with nine main islands and thousands of smaller islands, inlets, and cays. Mandy and JP connected us Rene, a local who offers private boat tours, and we spent two full days exploring Bocas. We visited Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park and Starfish Beach, watched dolphins frolic around our boat, and snorkeled in some of the most beautiful water I’ve ever been in.
Boating through Bocas
The only downside of Bocas, for me at least, was the bugs. I’m prone to mosquito bites and the mosquitos were relentless. Others were much less bothered, so this could be an issue to keep in mind only if you are sensitive to mosquitos.
Bookmarks
My top recommendations for Panama, all in one spot.
Stay: La Compania in Panama City is one of the best hotels I’ve ever stayed in, and well located. We were upgraded to a one-bedroom suite our second night which was terrific with two kids. The Coffee Plantation Inn was a lovely homebase for exploring Boquete. Casa Acuario was the perfect guest house, and excellent with or without kids. Since there are only four rooms, I would suggest booking far in advance.
Eat: La Compania’s lavish and delicious breakfasts left us with little space for other meals in Panama City, which is a shame because there is no shortage of fantastic restaurants in Panama’s capital. We squeezed in a terrific meal at Enkai Panama, but couldn’t make others on my list, like Fondo Lo Que Hay or Mercado de Mariscos.
In Bocas, we had one stand out dinner at Receta Michila.
Play: It’s a rough ride and early start, but the 4x4 jeep tour to Volcan Baru was well worth the effort. Renting a boat to explore the waters of Bocas del Toro is also a must (happy to pass along Rene’s contact).