I’ve been lucky enough to visit some pretty amazing places in my lifetime, but I’d go as far as to put Panama in my top 5 all time trips (if you are interested, check out my top 5 here). Why do I love it so much? Panama truly embodies everything katethegreatexplorer is about…it can be as adventurous or as relaxing as you want it to be and somehow, it’s still managing to fly under the radar despite its incredible diversity of landscapes, culture & experiences. Ideal for the hidden gem seekers upon us. Yes, you can do backpacking or super luxury in Panama, but it also offers a mid luxury sweet spot, without the price tag of its near neighbours. 

Yes, Costa Rica is epic and earns its stripes based on its excotic wildlife alone. However, Panama in my view, is Central America’s best kept secret, offering something a bit more unique and off the beaten path, without compromising on experiences. But what I hear you ask should you do when you are there? Well that is exactly what this 10 Days in Panama Itinerary sets out to show you! I’ll tell you everything you need to see and do in this magical country from jungle & rural adventures, paradise islands, as well as all the cool boutique places to stay along the way. 

I’ll tell you exactly what we did so you can simply follow along or tailor to your own likes & dislikes. One thing to set expectations upfront..it won’t be easy to cram everything into 10 days but if you prioritise 3-4 spots, it’s absolutely doable. 

We did: Panama City (Day 1) -> Panama Canal (Day 2) -> Boquete (Day 3-4) -> Bocas Del Toro (Day 5-9) -> Panama City (Day 10) 

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How to get to Panama 

First things first…where to begin your trip. Panama City is the obvious and most likely the best starting point regardless of where you are originating. Panama City has direct flights from Madrid, Amsterdam or Paris if you are transiting via Europe, or many of the expected US hubs (Miami, Orlando, JFK, Houston & Los Angeles). Of course if you are visiting as part of a wider Central/South American trip, there is good connectivity to the South side of Panama from Colombia, or the North side from Costa Rica. If the latter, you may wish to alter your starting point but the below 10 day Panama itinerary can quite easily be done in reverse. 

Flight prices vary quite considerably by date and of course your origin. From the UK you can expect to pay approx $700-$1,100 via Frankfurt but your best bet is to use a price comparison tool like Skyscanner to compare options and get yourself the best deal.  

10 Days in Panama Itinerary

Day 0-1: Panama City (Casco Viejo)

What to do in Panama Old Town

I would wholeheartedly recommend starting your trip in the stunning old town (Casco Viejo) of Panama City. It’s night and day from downtown which is full of high rises and luxury bars, restaurants and hotels (which also has its own charm). If you want to get into the spirit of your latin adventure off the bat, the Old Town offers a quaint and authentically latin feel compared to its more modern counterpart.

If you like roof top bars, you will be spoilt for choice in Casco Viejo but our two favourites were Capella Rooftop and Luna Rooftop where you can grab cocktails and delicious local cuisine whilst looking over this one of a kind city. Speaking of rooftops, rooftop swimming pools are also in abundance and another great way to sneak some different views over the city. We had one at our airbnb, but we also spent time at the Central Hotel Panama which had a stunning pool (see more details in where to stay). One of the things I loved about the vantage of the rooftops was the view of the stark contrast between new & old town.

Besides spending all your time on the roof, you can ponder round the beautiful cobbled streets, pick yourself up some of the world’s best coffee (more to come on this later) & eat eat eat! We went for brunch at Mahalo Cocina y Jardin and still regularly think back to its cute outdoor garden and relaxed Californian vibe. The food was top!

Where to stay in Panama Old Town

• We were lucky enough to stay in a beautifully authentic Airbnb apartment in the historic square of Plaza Simón Bolívar. Our apartment looked out directly onto the square which honors the iconic Simón Bolívar who freed many of the South American countries from the Spanish Kingdom. The square is made up of historic buildings, restaurants, coffee spots and bars which regularly host live music. If you don’t mind a bit of a tight squeeze, I couldn’t speak more highly of the apartment itself, which has just had a glow up by its truly welcoming hosts. You also have access to a rooftop pool with amazing views over the Old Town and beyond.  
• We also used the facilities at Central Hotel Panama Casco Viejo and although I cannot speak to the overall service and room quality, the rooftop pool and spa were to die for. You can book on Booking.com

Where to stay in Panama Downtown 

On our return leg to Panama city we stayed at Renaissance Hotel Panama City Hotel, a much more modern hotel in the heart of downtown. The main attraction of the hotel was a tropical garden swimming pool. Not super luxury as we were only there for 1 night, but still a great hotel with super friendly staff, a nice in-house restaurant and lovely big rooms! 

Day 2: Panama Canal (aka the Miraflores Locks) 

What to do at the Panama Canal

The canal itself might not be the most picturesque part of your adventure, but have you really been to Panama if you haven’t witnessed the insanity of the thousands of ships that transit through this relatively tiny waterway every year? Head to the Miraflores Locks for your best vantage point over the canal where you can ponder at the ships for as little or as long as you like. 

What is more, there is more to the canal than visiting the main passageway and museums – why not join the waterway yourself and take a boat tour in the wetlands that sit alongside the canal in the Soberanía National Park? The Gatan Lake (part of the park and the river from where the Panama Canal is based) is blessed with lots of clusters of biodiverse marshes and the opportunity to see all kinds of wildlife – sloths, crocodiles, Iguanas, Toucans, Turtles and if you are lucky, manatees or dolphins (that’s right, watch out Costa Rica, you’ve met your match). Easier to spot will likely be the swarms of cute looking monkeys frequenting your boat at Monkey island. Emphasis on cute looking. I probably should have spent less time amused and more time taking my husband to a local hospital after being bitten by one of these pesky cuties (don’t worry, he is ok). Top tip, if the tour guide gives you a handful of monkey food, don’t attempt to hide said food from the monkey. 

You’ll probably want to get a closer look at the locks themselves which you can do either with a c. $20 ticket which allows you access to all areas at the Miraflores Locks (the highest viewing platform, museum & exhibition halls). OR the cheaper (and in my view more relaxed) option being to head to the bar on the lower level (where you still get an excellent view), buy yourself a drink and watch the ships passing back and forth. You’ll never look at a canal in the same way ever again! 

How to get to the Panama Canal

The best way to visit the canal is a day trip from Panama City. There are plenty of taxi or day tour options which aren’t massively expensive that will take you there and back. Based on our experience, I’d recommend a Gatan Lake Tour on Get Your Guide – which includes the transport to & from city, boat tour in the national park and time to explore the lock at your own pace). If you opt for a taxi, Uber is best and usually cheaper than the local taxis (approx $15 each way and 30-40 mins ride). 

Day 3-4: Boquete 

Ok, we are officially in adventure zone now. Not that Panama City isn’t a destination in its own right, but this is where the real fun starts and you can already get a completely different feel of what this amazingly diverse country has to offer. I have some of my fondest travel memories of all time in this place (more silly stories to share in a short while). 

How to get to Boquete

Sure, it’s not necessarily the easiest place to reach, but it is so SO worth it. If you like outdoor adventure type travel, Boquete and the surrounding area is for you – you can get your hiking, rafting, coffee, waterfall and many more adventurous fixes here. So how do you get here? Granted, there is no direct bus from Panama City…you could rent a car, but you are talking 6+ hours on questionable roads so probably your best bet is to fly (sorry eco travellers but sometimes needs must). You’ll fly into a dinky but charming airport called David (which is quite near the northern border). Your best shout is then to taxi to Boquete (45-60 minute) as everything is relatively accessible when you are there through walking, tours & taxis.

Top Tip! Haggle for your taxis. The people in Panama are lovely, but there is wiggle room for those that work for it. 

What to do in Boquete

Rather than share a generic list of things to do, I thought I’d let you in on my list of top memories from this magical part of the trip: 

• Near death experience on our Cloud Forest horse riding tour (no reflection on the incredible tour guide). Did we slightly inflate our ability to ride a horse? – yes, quite possibly. At least I’d ridden a horse before (albeit I was 8 years old) but my husband may have fabricated his past experience (aka zero). This might have been fine hadn’t it been for the most ridiculous torrential downpour & thunder storm in the history of central america, parading down on us. Were we dressed for it? Afraid not. The sudden death of my phone through drowning in my bag is evidence enough of the severity of the storm. Thank goodness our tour guide was so great, as I fear our fate may have been different in different hands! Crisis aside, this is an experience I will never, ever forget and an incredible way to witness the spectacular mountain views of Chiriquí and Volcán Barú (easy to say having survived). Just maybe check the weather before you go! 
• Singing Disney’s “Lava” song with our tour leader playing the ukulele on the Elida coffee estate on an amazing experience tour provided by Beyond Adventures. If you are a bit of a coffee snob like my husband, this likely won’t be your main memory of the experience – he still references all the amazing things he learnt on the tour to this day. And genuinely, if you are into your coffee, I’ve heard this is one of the best places you can go given the quality of their beans. Even if you aren’t fussed by coffee, still worth going even just for the incredible views. 
• Finding and hiking in the ‘Lost and found falls’ in Panama’s cloud forest. What trip wouldn’t be complete without a good old hike!? Its 1-3 hours so doable to squeeze in with other activities and well worth the steps to get up and close to some of the countries most amazing waterfalls.  
• Meeting unexpected wildlife in unexpected places was another general highlight. Snakes, Sloths, Humming birds, monkeys  were common creatures to stumble upon in the wild. 

We ran out of time (and energy) at this point, but you can also find some amazing bird watching tours, go rafting on a Class II to Class V river, rent a car and drive the Bajo Mono Loop or check out the Boquete nightlife – we heard the Zanzibar is good fun! 

Where to stay in Boquete

We stayed at The Inn at Palo Alto and absolutely LOVED IT. It’s super quaint, great breakfast and infinity pool..but the best thing about it..the view. You wake up in the morning and look out at mountains, tropical flowers..humming birds buzzing around. It’s quite literally paradise. Not only is the accommodation great, the staff are too! They helped us with booking all our local tours. The Inn is slightly out of the main town (3km), but it’s an easy walking distance to several great restaurants and the majority of tours will pick you up directly from your hotel so this didn’t bother us as the tranquil nature of the place more than made up for its remoteness.

Day 5-9: Bocas Del Toro 

Now if you are anything like me, every bit of travel adventure should be rewarded with chill and beach time. And Panama certainly will not disappoint in this area (in fact, it may actually be a key selling point over Costa Rica). As I see it, you have two real options for sun and beach in Panama:

Option 1 – San Blas islands

Option 2 – Bocas Del Toro

Both are equally sensational options, but if you only have 10 days, likely you will need to choose one. This is a tough one and we pretty much had to toss a coin to decide.

Alas, Bocas edged it for us based on its perceived slightly more adventure offering and accessibility based our our itinerary over San Blas.

It’s more than just paradise islands – it’s got that surfer, laid back vibe about it which we love in a destination. Bocas is largely made of two sides of the island, joined by a narrow beach stretch in the middle. The main town is the main epicenter of the island and is located on the Southeastern tip. 

How to get to Bocas Del Toro 

But first, you will have to get there and this is the fun part (depending on how you define fun I guess). We opted for a private shuttle which was approx 3.5 hours across land – this is assuming unlike us, you don’t get stuck in one spot for hours upon end due to a road blockade. Thankfully we had a great bunch on our bus and made some life long friends. It’s all about the journey they say. You can easily track down private style bus transfer companies who will take you from Boquete. We used Total Adventures.

You will be taken to Almirante and from there you will jump on a small open motor boat taxi over to the islands and more specifically, Bocas Town (you can find shuttles that include the boat leg as well as the shuttle bus). And there you have it, you made it to paradise!

What to do in Bocas Del Toro 

You made it! Now what? Where to start!!!

Assuming you are mainly in Bocas for the beaches, I’d recommend: 

-> 1 Day: boat tour (to see Zapatilla, Red Frog & Wizard beach  -> see below)

-> 1 Day: more local beaches -> I’d suggest Playa Bluff, Starfish beach (see below)

-> 1 Day: a hike, cave tour, chocolate factory tour and/or exploration of Bocas Town

For more detail on these: 

Beaches in Bocas Del Toro

Beginning with the beaches would be the logical start. And let me tell you, you will have no shortage of those.

If you are into the beach party vibe, you will want to check out Starfish beach (technically called Playa Estrella). Its shore is lined with little wooden bars sitting under palm trees where you can pick up your tipple of choice whilst bopping around in the stunningly clear ocean water. If you are more interested in star fish than drinking, you also won’t be disappointed. You will spot dozens of the five legged friendly beings chilling on the rocks in the sea. Bring along your snorkel for some epic under water views. It’s the other side of the island to Bocas Town and a little difficult to reach but it’s well worth visiting that side as you can also pass through Playa del Drago (a nice quiet white sandy strip of beach) on your merry way. 

However, if expansive tree lined beaches with not a sole in sight is more your jam, head to Playa Bluff. My husband and I ran/walked up and down for hours and saw circa two other people (and a dog). It’s possible to ride horses along the beach which is one of the most zen things I can imagine. Perhaps even more magical, in the right season, you can come at night to see the turtles hatching/nesting. 

There are several other beaches well worth visiting…Wizard beach, Red Frog, and my personal fave, Zapatilla (I’ll come back to this). These are all located on different islands to the main Bocas Island (islands off islands if you will). If you don’t have much time (I imagine this is the case given you are reading a 10 day itinerary to Panama), my personal recommendation is to take a boat tour where you can see all 3 (and more)…plus have some snorkelling and food time on board. Allow a full day for this tour. Sadly our Tour provider is no longer going but there are plenty of options in Bocas Del Toro or Get Your Guide. 

If you are going to venture to any other island, it really should be Zapatilla. Aside from potentially Bora Bora, it’s the closest thing to Paradise I’ve ever witnessed. If you’ve ever imagined living on a deserted island, this is what you were picturing. The waters are crystal clear, shallow and completely stunning…the sand is as white as it can get, it’s covered in beautiful rugged trees, with low branches to perch on whilst looking out on more paradise. You know you are in heaven when you ask for directions and the reply is:

“When you get to the Pelicans, Turn Left”

I also loved Red Frog which is the perfect location for the surfers upon us. Maybe not enough time to hop on your board if you are doing a day tour but you can certainly admire the surfers from dry land and/or see how many red frogs you can spot in the lush jungle. 

Food & Drink Scene in Bocas Del Toro

Bocas Town is your best bet for food options – imagine over the water seafood restaurants, gazing out to sea whilst nibbling on your lobster whilst sipping on your refreshing cocktail. 

Other Things to Do in Bocas Del Toro

Chocolate factory tours where you can learn about organic cacao production, plenty of great hiking options, cave tours (watch out for the bats), simply exploring the vibrant streets of Bocas Del Toro town 

Where to stay in Bocas Del Toro 

If you want to stay in the heart of all the action, close to restaurants, bars etc, your best bet is to stay in Bocas town. It’s got everything you need on your doorstep plus easy access to taxis and transport to get around the island. 

If however, you like something a little more off grid, but not too off grid, we stayed at Sand & Dollar B&B and loved it. It’s a gorgeous colonial style house with a wrap-around veranda,  2 bedrooms (a Dulux Suite & a Family Suite) set about 2 miles outside Bocas town. Imagine waking up to the sound of tropical birds, sea & beach straight ahead of you, lush swimming pool behind you. The best part about it is the fresh homemade yoghurt, granola & fruit breakfast you’ll have on the veranda each morning, looking out at the empty beach whilst surrounded by humming birds. It’s not super super luxury but a lovely place and an overall beautifully unique experience. 

Day 10: Back to Panama City

Of course you could go back by bus, but if time is of the essence, flying would be your best option.

With that said, if you can, it’s worth adding a buffer day to get back to Panama City in time for your return flight home..lets just say the airport at Bocas doesn’t always run to schedule so this may save you being like the numerous people we saw at the airport having to re-book their return flight home when our flight off island was severely delayed. 

If all goes to plan, you’ve bagged yourself an extra day in Panama City – win, win! 

And that’s it, my ultimate 10 day itinerary to Panama! Hope this helps you with your planning 

I stand by Panama being one of the best trips my husband and I have done together and hope you will come back feeling the same 🙂