Panama City
Celebrating Panama as the land bridge that has permitted astonishing biodiversity in the region, this world-class museum is a visual feast. Exhibits tell…
Must-see attractions in Panama
Basílica Menor Santiago Apóstol
Coclé Province
Natá's principal draw is this 16th-century cathedral, thought to be the oldest church built in the Americas still in use today. Indigenous artisans did…
Parque Nacional Marino Isla Bastimentos
Isla Bastimentos
Established in 1988, this 132-sq-km marine park was Panama's first. Protecting 130 islands of the Bocas del Toro archipelago, including the coral-fringed…
Panama City
This wonderful privately owned museum features the best collection of Panamanian art anywhere, an excellent collection of works on paper by Latin American…
Península de Azuero
One of Panama's top artisans, Dario López has been making colorful masks for folkloric dancers since the 1960s. These days most of his masks and satin…
Panama Canal
The easiest way to visit the Panama Canal is to head to the Miraflores Visitors Center, just outside Panama City. This modern center features a four-floor…
Finca Los Monos Botanical Garden
Bocas del Toro Town
One of the joys of visiting Bocas is touring the 'Monkey Farm' botanical garden a couple of kilometers northwest of the center. Painstakingly carved out…
Veraguas Province
This national marine park contains Panama's largest island, the 503-sq-km Isla de Coiba, as well as astounding biodiversity; more than two dozen species…
Panama City
Founded on August 15, 1519, by Spanish conquistador Pedro Arias de Ávila, the city of Panamá was the first European settlement along the Pacific. For 150…
Panama Rainforest Discovery Center
Panamá Province
Geared toward ecotourism and environmental education, this is an excellent facility for birdwatchers and nature-lovers. Since you are probably here to…
Colón Province
The impressive Gatún Locks, 10km south of Colón, raise southbound ships 30m from Caribbean waters to Lago Gatún. Just the size of them is mind-boggling:…
Panama City
At the tip of the southern point of Casco Viejo, this beautiful plaza pays homage to the French role in the construction of the canal. Its large stone…
Highlands
Volcán Barú is Panama's only volcano and the dominant geographical feature of western Panama. It is no longer active but has seven craters and its summit,…
Panamá Province
This 195-sq-km national park is one of the most accessible tropical rainforests in Panama. It extends much of the way across the isthmus, from Limón on…
Panama City
This Casco Viejo church protects the famous Altar de Oro (Golden Altar), the sole relic salvaged after privateer Henry Morgan sacked Panamá Viejo.
Darién Province
On the southern shore of the Golfo de San Miguel, this 263-sq-km wildlife reserve is owned by the private conservation group ANCON. It contains species…
Highlands
On the west side of Hwy 41, some 3.5km south of Volcán, you’ll spot this workshop where master carver and artist José de la Cruz González makes and sells…
Panama City
This impressive museum is housed in a beautifully restored building that once served as the headquarters for the original French canal company. The Panama…
Panama City
Built in 1907, the interior of this ornate Casco Viejo theater has been completely restored. It boasts red and gold decorations, a once-magnificent…
Darién Province
Traveling the wide and very brown Sambú River is a memorable experience: you'll glide past spectacular mangroves – five of the world's seven known species…
Colón Province
Constructed in 1908 to shore up the Río Chagres and create Lago Gatún, the Gatún Dam was once the world’s largest earthen dam, while Lago Gatún was also…
Península de Azuero
On the east side of Plaza Simón Bolívar, this national treasure was consecrated in 1782, although the foundation stone had been laid more than two…
El Valle
One of El Valle's top attractions allows you to walk among up to 250 butterflies as they flutter by in a screened 'flight house.' Learn more about these…
Darién Province
On the south side of Lago Bayano, the Bayano Caves are a fun adventure. Cavers wade up Río Tigre though a sculpted Paleolithic cavern that is 850m long…
Portobelo
Fuerte San Jerónimo, close to the center of Portobelo, was the largest fortress ever built to protect the bay. Some two dozen embrasures with 16 cannons…
Península de Azuero
Isla Cañas is one of a handful of places that olive ridley sea turtles nest in high numbers (the others are two beaches on the Pacific side of Costa Rica…
Portobelo
A 20-minute, US$45 return boat ride from Portobelo will bring you to this lovely white-sand beach on a tranquil cove surrounded by dense wilderness. It…
Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción
Panama City
Built between 1619 and 1626, this cathedral is the best-preserved building of the Panamá Viejo ruins. In traditional fashion, it was designed so that its…
Isla Bastimentos
This 6km-long beach on the southeast side of the island falls under the protection of the marine park. Hawksbill, leatherback and green sea turtles nest…
Isla Bastimentos
Small but perfectly formed, Red Frog Beach is named after the rana rojo (strawberry poison-dart frog), an amphibian you're most unlikely to encounter here…
Colón Province
Centered on the ruins of the crumbling Spanish colonial fortress of Fuerte San Lorenzo, the 120-sq-km San Lorenzo Protected Area includes the former US…
Highlands
This orchid sanctuary, 500m from the center beyond the landmark Los Quetzales Ecolodge & Spa, is one of Latin America’s finest orchid collections, with…
Veraguas Province
With excellent open views of the valley, Cerro Tute is home to the area’s famed bird life and features a cliff blasted with up-currents that seem to…
Panamá Province
The third most visited Emberá village in the park – and all the more interesting for that reason alone – is where you'll learn all about the history and…
Taller de Restauración Macario José Rodriguez
Península de Azuero
Macario José Rodriguez has been restoring the wooden altars and statuary of Panama’s colonial churches since the early 1980s, and this is the only such…
Portobelo
Atop a hill overlooking much of the bay is a small but well-preserved watchtower called Mirador Perú, which was built at the same time as Fuerte Santiago…
Panama City
Built in 1617, this Panamà Viejo landmark may be the oldest standing bridge in the Americas.
Panama City
On a hill north of downtown, this 265-hectare park protects vast expanses of tropical semideciduous forest within the city limits, and serves as an…
Panama City
Ideal for families, CEM is operated by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). This informative marine museum features two small aquariums and…
Colón Province
Declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1980, Fuerte San Lorenzo is perched at the mouth of the Río Chagres on a promontory west of the canal. Despite…
