Things to do in Panama

El Valle's best-known waterfall, reached on a short forest trail. Zipline (canopy) and rappelling outfits operate on the same property.

Photo: Ayaita·CC BY-SA 3.0·Wikimedia Commons

A cool highland town in Chiriquí known for specialty coffee, especially Geisha, with farm tours, cloud-forest trails, hanging bridges and ziplines, and access to Volcán Barú. It has an active Chabad House with kosher food.

Photo: FranHogan·CC BY-SA 4.0·Wikimedia Commons

Panama City's 17th-century old quarter and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, best seen on foot: cathedral square, Plaza de Francia, the waterfront Paseo Esteban Huertas on the old sea wall, and blocks of restored colonial and French-style buildings.

Photo: RB Photo·CC BY 2.0·Wikimedia Commons

A cool mountain town inside the crater of an extinct volcano, with easy and hard hikes (La India Dormida, Cerro Gaital), thermal pools, waterfalls and ziplines. The Sunday market sells crafts and fresh fruit from Ngäbe-Buglé and Guna vendors.

Photo: Garrison Gunter·CC BY-SA 2.0·Wikimedia Commons

A Caribbean town ringed by Spanish colonial forts that are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with an old customs house now a museum and a living Afro-Panamanian Congo culture (also UNESCO-listed). Boats leave from here to nearby beaches.

Photo: Tedder·CC BY 3.0·Wikimedia Commons

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's small marine nature center near the end of the causeway, with aquariums, turtle pools and exhibits on local sea life. A compact stop that suits younger kids.

Photo: Ayaita·CC BY 3.0·Wikimedia Commons

A Caribbean archipelago of nine main islands and many islets, known for snorkeling and diving, surf, Afro-Caribbean culture and boat trips to beaches and mangroves. Bocas Town has a Chabad House and a kosher restaurant.

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The most developed island in the Las Perlas archipelago, with more than ten beaches, golf-cart roads and snorkeling, reachable as a long day trip by ferry from Amador.

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A small Caribbean island just off the coast past Portobelo, reached by a short boat ride from La Guaira. It has hostels, bars and simple restaurants serving Afro-Caribbean seafood dishes, in a low-key natural setting.

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An archipelago of about 39 islands and 100 islets in the Gulf of Panama, mostly undeveloped, with white-sand beaches and clear water. Contadora is the base; boat tours visit uninhabited islands such as Mogo Mogo and Chapera, and Saboga and San José have resorts.

Photo: Dronepicr·CC BY 3.0·Wikimedia Commons

An autonomous Guna indigenous territory of about 365 small palm-covered islands on the Caribbean. Day trips drive to the port at Cartí and take boats to sandbar islands for swimming and snorkeling; overnight stays are in simple island cabins.

Photo: Ayaita·CC BY 3.0·Wikimedia Commons

The 'Island of Flowers', the closest beach escape from the city, about 30 minutes by fast ferry from Amador. It has calm beaches (Playa Restinga, Playa Honda), kayak and snorkel rentals, a hike up Cerro de la Cruz and one of the oldest churches in the Americas.

Photo: Editorpana·CC BY-SA 3.0·Wikimedia Commons

A biodiversity museum in a colorful Frank Gehry building, the only one he designed in Latin America, explaining how the rise of the isthmus changed the planet's oceans, animals and climate. The botanical park, lookout and atrium are free to wander.

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A nonprofit museum on Casco Viejo's cathedral square that tells the story of the isthmus and the canal, from the French attempt through the US era to the handover and the expansion.

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Ruins of the first Spanish city on the Pacific coast of the Americas, founded in 1519 and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors walk among the old cathedral and convents, climb the restored bell tower for a skyline view, and see the Plaza Mayor museum, which Hadassah Magazine says includes an exhibit on crypto-Jews.

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A 6 km seaside road built from canal excavation rock that links three small islands, with a waterfront path for walking, biking and scooters, views of the skyline and ships at the canal entrance, and restaurants on the islands. The Biomuseo, Punta Culebra and the ferries to Taboga and the Pearl Islands are all here.

Photo: Ayaita·CC BY 3.0·Wikimedia Commons

The 199 m hill above Balboa and the canal's Pacific entrance, now a nature reserve. Visitors walk up to the summit for views over the city and canal, with good birding on the way.

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A 7 km public waterfront park along Panama Bay with gardens, bike lanes, sports fields and lookouts. It starts at Paitilla and ends at Casco Viejo, passing the Fish Market (Mercado de Mariscos) on the way.

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A narrow rock canyon near the town of Gualaca where a river squeezes through a slot of smooth stone, popular for swimming in its pools.

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A protected forest inside the city limits, with marked trails and hilltop lookouts over the skyline and canal. A separate butterfly house charges its own fee.

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A nonprofit nature center on Pipeline Road run by Fundación Avifauna, with a visitor deck full of hummingbird feeders, forest trails and a 32 m observation tower (174 steps) that climbs above the canopy.

Photo: Melissa McMasters·CC BY 2.0·Wikimedia Commons

A large rainforest national park along the canal's east bank. Its Pipeline Road, a track that follows an old pipeline out of Gamboa, is one of the best-known birding walks in Central America; monkeys, coatis and toucans are common.

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Panama's highest point, a volcano reached from the Boquete side. On a clear day the summit shows both oceans; many hikers camp partway and push on for sunrise above the clouds.

Photo: Ariel Rodriguez-Vargas·CC BY-SA 3.0·Wikimedia Commons

A Canal Authority lookout on the Atlantic side, overlooking Gatún Lake and the newer expanded-canal locks. It has an 80-seat projection room with a 12-minute show and two short trails, and the ticket also covers the Gatún Locks lookout about 16 km away.

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The Panama Canal Authority's main visitor center beside the Pacific-side Miraflores Locks, with viewing decks over the lock chambers, exhibit halls and an IMAX theater. Every ticket includes a 45-minute 3D film about the canal.

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A very large mall near the Albrook bus terminal and metro station, with more than 700 stores, three food courts, a cinema, bowling and kids' entertainment.

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A large mall on Vía Domingo Díaz, the road toward Tocumen airport, convenient as a last stop on the way to a flight.

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An upscale mall on Vía Israel with a luxury-brand wing (Luxury Avenue) and a dining area called Las Terrazas, a short drive from Punta Pacífica and Paitilla.

Photo: Harminon·CC BY 4.0·Wikimedia Commons